Walter's Journey: Charred

[Seon]

"...What the hell just happened," Walter mumbled, looking at the magical doorway. Magical. That was the only way that he could possibily explain the door. He shook his head and headed towards the direction that Vincent came from.

[Laraqua]

The wailing sirens grow louder and more oppressive with each step until it sounds as though the wailing were within his skull, scratching at the bone and struggling to get out. Something about those sirens seem almost familiar. Something about them ... and the hospital ... but he can't quite remember though the sirens themselves are making it harder for him to forget. He staggers forward down the darkened corridor, struggles to keep his feet, and hits the floor face-first.

----

When he awakens, his mouth tastes like booze and old regrets and he's lying in a puddle of puke on a linoleum floor. Looking up and around himself, he finds he's in some seedy little cafe that he barely even recognises. A woman sits in one of the booths, knees pulled up to her chest, and she's chewing her thumb nail as she stares at him like he's some sort of apparition. "You can't see me, can you?" she asks, when his gaze latches onto her. Outside, through the windows, he can see fog-shrouded trees and cars parked up against the footpath.

[Seon]

"No, I can't see you, I'm just looking at something behind you" Walter said sarcastically, lifting himself from the puke. "Ugh, what happened? Where is this place?"

[Laraqua]

"Should I be frightened?" she asked, raising a hand from where she'd been scratching her curly black hair. Her tone is pretty straight forward, sensible, like she's a bit weary or maybe she's seen it all before. "Like, should I run? I like to know where I stand around these sorts of things. You have an axe. You look like you can use it." She pulls a Desert Eagle from her lap. "I just have this."

[Seon]

"Oh, no I acutally don't really know how to use it. God knows I've tried against the goddamn bodies coming back to life. Missed every single strike! Had to GTFO. No, no, there is no need to be alarmed."

"But...err... seriously. Do you know how I got here? And where is this place?"

[Laraqua]

"Cafe Mist," she said. "Fitting, really. I don't think that's your puke. Look beside you."

[Seon]

Walter glanced next to him

[Laraqua]

His head aches a bit as he turns it to the left, looking away from the strange lady and the gun to see a man's corpse lying beside him with a large hole in his forehead and a similar one out of the other side. There's blood behind him, but congealing puke, mostly watery, frames his mouth and runs under where Walter's head had lain. A whiskey bottle lays near his hand, empty. There's a counter with a red formica counter top further behind him, spattered with blood and with a sharp scratch along the wood.

"I may have moved you in a trolley," said the woman, her expression unchanging when he looks back to her. "I didn't know what to do with you. I had to find a place to put you. The monster won't smell you past the vomit and dead man."

[Seon]

"Oh." Walter said, looking at the hole in the man's forehead. "Uhh... Thanks, I guess? Can I ask you what your name is? Mine is Walter,"

[Laraqua]

"We're on Katz Street," she said. "Southern Silent Hill. There's a Fire Station nearby. You smell vaguely of smoke. Is that where you want to go?"

[Seon]

"Why thank you, but no. I'm actually looking for someone. Her name is... errr... Cecilia Brooks? Cecilia Brooke? I think that's her name? Yes... her daughter got lost and needs to find her."

[Laraqua]

"Have you called the police? They're very unhelpful this time of year." She gazes over her shoulder at the street outside. "It's all that fog. I think it gets inside people. Makes them crazy." She turns to look back at Walter and her eyes re-settle on the axe. "There might be something about her at the police station. Do you know anything else?"

[Seon]

"Yes. Have you seen a little blond girl, about this tall?"

[Laraqua]

"No," said the woman. "But that's not a clue, is it? Don't you have anything that could suggest where we might look for them? I'm not going out there on my own. I like it here. There's no pies in the warmer, though. That makes me sad. I don't suppose you have any food on you?" Her dark brown eyes gaze at him with sudden vulnerability and she adds in a small voice, "I'm hungry and I can't wake up."

[Seon]

"... I had a box of frut roll ups and cheetos with me, but I didn't bring it out. On hindsight, I probably should've, but I wasn't exactly in sound mind at that point."

"Actually," Walter added. "I am not sure if I'm in sound mind right now either. You never told me your name, what was it again?"

[Laraqua]

"Oh, well, we probably should get going then," says the woman, unfurling herself from the booth. "There's other places we can go. We might find food there." She looks down at him gravely. "You don't have to follow if you don't want to, but it's probably a good idea."

[Seon]

"Okay," Walter said, shaking his head. Whoever she was, she wasn't in the mood to really talk. "We should probably check the area around the hotel. Do you know how to get to there from here?"

[Laraqua]

"No, you can never be certain, really, but I know the right directions," she said. "We can only hope they stay direct, though I doubt it." She approaches the door and holds it open for him. "There are wet wipes on the counter if you want to wipe the puke off your cheek."

[Seon]

"Thanks," Walter mumbled, looking for the wipes. Something suddenly came across his mind.

"Wait, what monsters?"

[Laraqua]

"You haven't seen them yet?" asked the woman. "Why do you have an axe if not for the monsters? Is it a people-axe?"

The wet wipes sit next to a health drink and some ketchup on the counter. There's a note that states: IF I RUN BEFORE YOU WAKE, I PRAY YOUR SOUL THE DEVIL DOESN'T TAKE