Inner thoughts

Ash woke up inside his car wondering where the hell he was. The morning light had pierced through the fog around him. He exited the car to see a large lake not far from the distance. There was a sign to his left, it read, “Kuroi Kaze.”

Ash: Kuroi Kaze . . . so I am here.

He whispered the town name to himself a few times. He had spent a few days driving all the way to this mysterious small town far from his home, driving nearly endlessly. Being in his late twenties, he asked himself if he was going senile so early in life. Why was he here of all places? Then he remembered. Alone in his home he had discovered a map inside a drawer, on that map, the town of Kuroi Kaze was circled. A note was attached on that map that read, “I have forgotten . . .” but that was it, the rest of the note was torn off. Having a strange urge to find out what this meant he traveled to this town. He had been here before, only once, with Misty. But that was a long time ago and there wasn’t anything significant about this town other than its simple way of life. Still, Ash had this haunting feeling something important awaited for him in Kuroi Kaze, something that would mean his life.

In the bathroom nearby he washed his face and examined himself, he looked pale and unhealthy, he wasn’t feeling all too well these past few days but he was healthy enough to have come all this way. Going back into his car he tried to start the engine but failed. Ash noticed that the gas meter read Empty then he realized why, he was asleep behind the wheel. The previous night he had driven as far as he could to see that he had arrived near the town limits of Kuroi Kaze but then passed out from exhaustion before he could turn off the engine. Luckily he didn’t move his foot around too much or he could have hit the gas and rammed himself into a post or wall, possibly killing himself.

Ash: Lucky break . . . or unlucky in a way.

Being self-sarcastic wasn’t funny. Exiting his car he locked the doors and got ready to walk the rest of the way to town, hoping to find an open gas station and towing service. It almost seemed like this was some type of karma, to be stuck in this town. Kuroi Kaze, that name would be translated to Black Wind, which was slightly true because of the thick fog and dark rain clouds. It almost never seemed like a sunny day, always so gloomy. Ash took it slow going into town, one step at a time, not feeling too enthusiastic being here of all places.

*****

Why was I here, Ash kept asking himself. He looked at the map and note as he walked, all it was is a map with Kuroi Kaze circled on it; in further inspection there was a map of the town on the backside. The mysterious note only read, “I have forgotten . . .” Forgotten what, forgotten a piece of jewelry, perhaps a possession, what could this mean? Was it him that wrote this? No, why would he. There is no reason and if it was him then why can’t he remember. It must be someone else. There was only one other, Misty. She was with him the time they traveled to Kuroi Kaze. Has she forgotten something here? Well, whatever it was, it would be too late to find whatever it was and give it to her.

Ash: Too late . . . I’m sorry Misty.

Ash stopped having the urge to turn back. If whatever he was looking for belonged to Misty then it would be pointless unless he would drop it off where she slept. He bravely walked on with realization that even though he wanted to just turn around and head home in this silly chase for nothing he had no gas to get home in. First find the gas station then decide if it’s worth staying in town to investigate this forgotten thing.

Arriving at a gas station he saw how run down it was. The windows were full of dust and the screen door had many holes in it. Was there even anyone in here? In fact, was there anyone even in town? The place looked deserted, he hasn’t seen anyone yet, not a living soul. Tapping on the door Ash yelled out a greeting.

Ash: Hello? Hello? Anyone there? Excuse me but I need some gas.

Waiting a few minutes Ash heard nothing but the creepy wind and saw nothing but the run down gas station and the fog.

Ash: Um . . . I’m in kinda of an emergency so um . . . I’ll just let myself in.

Opening the door it made a creepy sound, he was surprised it was even open. It was a small office area with a control panel for the gas. There was no sign of a gas tank. Going around the back of the gas station Ash searched for a gas tank he could use but found none, rather he found something odd behind the building. There he found a trail of red dots. It leads to a wooden gate that was half open. The trail of red dots continued on. Ash followed it, wondering would could this mean. Could something have happened? Several conclusions passed through his mind. The most obvious would be that the gas station was recently robbed this explaining the open door, and the red dots could be blood, maybe the gas station owner got shot and ran this way. Ash looked up and saw a house; perhaps this was the gas station owner’s house. Maybe he needed to treat his wounds. Everyone must’ve got scared away, that would explain why no one was around. Ash ran towards the house.

Ash: Hey, whoever you are, are you hurt?

Ash knocked on the front door of the house. There was no reply, there was no time to wait, a person’s life is at stake. Ash tried the door to find it was open. He entered the house and looked around for anyone, no one.

Ash: Hey, anyone there?

Ash checked every room, no one around. He tried upstairs but to no avail. Going back down he noticed a door he didn’t see before. He entered and saw it lead to a basement. Going down the dark stairs he yelled out if anyone was there.

Ash: Hello? Anyone down here?

There was a shuffling sound but Ash couldn’t see where it was coming from. It was too dark, there had to be a light switch somewhere. Touching the wall he felt a switch. Pushing it he turned on the lights and saw something a few feet from him. It appeared to be someone but something was wrong. That couldn’t be someone; it didn’t look like a person, yet it stood. Then it moved, it turned around and faced Ash. But it had no face; there was no face on this body, just a blank. There were no arms either, just the torso of a body. It moved; it had legs to stand and walk, walking closer to Ash.

Ash: Hell . . . what . . . is it . . .

The line shinned on it; Ash noticed a giant hole in its center, right where the heart would be. He could see right through the abomination. Slowly moving closer Ash was up against the wall as it came right for him. Quickly looking around for a weapon, anything to use on this “thing,” Ash saw a small axe by the light switch. Grabbing a hold of it he got ready to swing. Swallowing the lump in his throat as cold sweat traveling down his back he got into a swinging position. Once the creature go close enough he swung hard to chop it down. It fell to the ground with a horrific sound, Ash then ran towards it and beat it down with the axe making sure it was dead. After a few cruel swings to the corpse Ash stopped to catch his breath. His heart pounded deeply, his hands shaking with fear. He never had to destroy any living thing before, but he justified his action with the strong sense of fear within his soul. This creature was no friendly thing, it wasn’t some unknown specious of pokemon, it wasn’t even human. All it was is an abomination of life.

Realizing that he had found one strange creature he concluded that there were more around. He needed to get out of here and fast. He couldn’t get out of town without gas, and he needed a gas tank for his car. So first thing he needed to do was find a gas tank then he could leave. Ash exited the house going back to the gas station, armed with the axe he had found in case he encountered more creatures. There had to be a tank somewhere around. As he walked Ash asked himself a few more questions. Why wasn’t there anyone around? That blood trail he followed, was it from the creature or was it from someone else. Perhaps there were people hiding from these creatures or everyone left town to get away from them. If everyone left, they had the right idea, who’d want to be in a town filled with strange creatures.

Ash: But you could have atleast left me one lousy gas tank.

Ash yelled into the wind. There was no point in searching what is not there, there had to be some place in town that has something that he could use. Perhaps the hardware store, there is bound to be something useful there.

*****

The fog was making navigating around very difficult. Off to the distance Ash kept seeing that same heartless creature but it never really was there. His mind started to play tricks on him, developing fear images within the fog. The axe he found he treasured, it would keep him alive till this ordeal was over. What possessed him to come to this forsaken town with creepy monsters, thick fog, and a cold wind always blowing? It was that map and that note. The cursed note with the haunting words, “I have forgotten . . .” lingered within Ash’s mind. Was this connected to all this insanity within?

Finally managing to get to a hardware store Ash looked around to see if anyone was around. Not a single living soul as far as the eyes can see. Ash took the blunt end of the axe and rammed it against the glass of the hardware store door. He unlocked and went into the store looking for a gas tank. Inside he was surprised to what he saw. The wall had newspaper as its wallpaper and there was something written on it with black paint. It read, “he did not say.” Why would anyone want to write just that? It was a bit creepy, just about as much as that note. Looking around Ash didn’t see anything of use. There was a door on the other side it read storage room. Ash opened the door, what jumped out was a big surprise to him. A boy screaming loudly had pushed him down then tried to run to escape. Ash snatched the boy on his wrist before he could get away.

Ash: Hold on, I’m human!

The boy stopped then looked at Ash. The boy stopped struggling then calmed down.

Ash: It’s alright, I’m not here to harm you. My name is Ash.

The boy then looked at Ash angrily then took his wrist back.

Boy: Liar! You are here to hurt me! You’re a heartless monster!

Then the boy ran out of the store into the fog. Ash tried to go after him but he vanished like a ghost.

Ash: Its dangerous to go alone! Come back! Hey kid come back!

Ash heard nothing but the wind, the boy must’ve ran fast and far that Ash couldn’t hear the sounds of running. Letting out a sigh he wished the boy the best of luck trying to survive this haunted town. Entering back into the hardware store Ash looked around for anything he could use to get gas back to his car. In the room the boy hid there was something shinning on the ground. Taking a closer look it was a key, a strange looking key, like that of an old house. There was also a tag on the key that had the address on it.

Ash: Did the boy drop this? Maybe his house key?

Ash took the key with him just in case he ran into the boy again. There was nothing else of interest in the hardware store, just wrecked junk. Exiting Ash heard footsteps to the side of him. He turned around and tried to look into the fog.

Ash: Boy? Are you there?

The footsteps got closer, to Ash; he approached the sound of the footsteps. The sound of shuffling of the ground and his own taps of his shoes was heard. Then he realized shuffling isn’t the sound of a boy coming towards him but of something else. Arming himself with the axe Ash swallowed the lump in his throat and readied himself as a heartless monster came after him. He rushed right at it with a fierce battle cry then swung the sharp end of the axe at the heartless fiend. It fell to the ground and Ash repeatedly chopped it up and kicked it down. Just as he got done killing one he heard another shuffling sound, not far from his side he saw one more approaching him. Before he could ready to rush this one he heard another shuffling sound to his other side, another heartless monster came. Then another appeared behind those then more arrived, Ash was then out numbered.

Ash: Oh hell no . . .

Looking back and forth frantically while slowly backing up Ash knew there was no way to fight this many. He had to run, just run and get away from them as quickly as possible. Ash turned and ran away. The monsters didn’t know how to run but Ash didn’t know where he was running to, all he wanted was to get away.

After running a good distance he felt that he had lost the heartless monsters. But having run so far Ash was now lost in the haunted city with little hope in finding a gas tank or finding his way back.

Ash: Crap, how’d I end up in this mess?

Reaching into his pocket he looked at the note and the map. It gave him a reason to be in town but not a good enough reason to stay in town. There was something else in his pocket, the key he found in the hardware store. Examining closely a tag read, “213 Oni Rd.” Ash looked up the street sign he was on Oni Rd. He wasn’t far from the house where the key belonged. Perhaps the key belonged to the boy; maybe he was there right now. There were a few things Ash needed to ask that boy he met up with earlier, one is what’s wrong with this town and why was he here. Looking around being on guard constantly, Ash ran to the house.

It didn’t take him long to get to the house. The house looked new with a country look; much similar to the house he has back home. Walking towards the porch he knocked on the door hoping someone other than a monster was home. A few knocks later Ash became impatient. There was no time to wait, monsters lurked the foggy streets and he needed to stay away. Taking the key out he used it to open the door and enter. The house looked abandoned, hardly a sign of activity at all. It had furniture and a décor but just lifeless. Walking around he carefully listened if anything was around, nothing but the sound of his own breathing. Upstairs Ash went to further investigate. Going through each room carefully he made sure to be ready for any surprises. So far he didn’t find anything useful but only oddness.

One room contained nothing but a bed and table. It was odd in a way that there was a feeling of emptiness and desolation. Who could live in such a manner? Another room was a giant clutter of clothes but not just any clothes they all were wet. Before Ash could open a third room the sudden sound of the front door closing alerted him. Could that be the wind or someone else? Looking down from where he stood he saw no one, perhaps it was the wind. Walking downstairs, Ash remained in full alert. The sense of paranoia lingerie heavily as Ash quietly explored the bottom floor for anyone who could have came in. Heading towards the kitchen he felt a cold wind blow behind his neck. He turned and looked right into the kitchen, no one in sight.

He turned around relieved that no one was there but the cold frightening wind stood before him. A person had sneaked up behind him as he had explored the kitchen. Falling back in a moment of shock Ash let out a frightful yell then readied himself with his axe. A lady stood before him dressed in a blue tank top and denim jeans.

Ash: What? Who are you?

The lady remained calmed nearly laughing at Ash’s reaction. She smiled at him and introduced herself.

Kay: Hi, my name is Kay. And let me guess, your not from around here are you?

Ash took a few deep breaths then calmed down. He regained his composure then stood straight up.

Ash: No I’m not. Are you?

Kay: Well, I wouldn’t say I’m from here but it seems like I’m here a lot.

The lady looked around at her surroundings.

Ash: Ah, I see. Well don’t you think there is something terribly wrong in this town?

Kay looked at Ash oddly.

Kay: Wrong?

Ash: Yeah, really wrong. I just want to get out of here but my car has no gas. Could you help me?

Kay chuckled a little which Ash didn’t find to be funny. She crossed her arms and looked right at him.

Kay: Wouldn’t that be running away?

Ash: Huh? Well yeah, why?

Kay: Haven’t you been doing enough of that? Maybe its time face facts.

Ash: What are you talking about?

Kay pointed right at Ash with an accusing tone voice.

Kay: You’re here for some reason, why don’t you do what you came here to do and stop running away!

Ash: Reason . . . I did come here for a reason.

Kay: Then live by that reason. I’ll return again when you need to be reminded.

Ash paused a moment to think about the reason why he was here. It was an urge within the depths of his soul to revisit this town because of a map and a note that said, “I have forgotten.” The truth was out there somewhere; all he had to do was survive to find it.

Ash: Excuse could you . . .

The lady named Kay left. She disappeared like a ghost giving Ash his reason for staying. There was something strange about that lady she was too calm in a place like this. There was no fear just a content smile on her face.

*****

With the axe in hand and keen eyes looking for any thing in the fog, Ash stepped out of the house. He was going to follow Kay’s advice for now till he got a gas tank then he’d just leave. Along a brick wall Ash noticed a poster. He took a closer examination; it was an ad for the crafts fair at the park.

Ash: Crafts?

Around his neck is an old necklace with a wooden circular shape in the center. Long ago when Ash and Misty spent time together in this town, she had purchased a small trinket at the crafts fair, which is the necklace that Ash secretly wore. He had worn it from that day on, nearly never taking it off. For him it was his good luck charm, but being in this town he wished it was a demon ward instead. There could be of something useful at the crafts fair, maybe even a tank.

A few blocks down, evading whatever monsters appeared from the fog, Ash arrived at the park. There he saw many booths of crafts of many different types but no one around to peddle them. Heading in he walked on the walkway looking for anything useful. Nothing of any use at all, only trinkets, souvenirs, and junk. Passing through the various booths Ash noticed one on the far end that was destroyed. The table was broken and a lot of the trinkets were smashed to bits and pieces. On the ground he saw a near duplicate of the necklace that Misty had bought for him long ago only destroyed. Taking a closer look at it he was startled by a sudden clicking sound behind him. That sounded like a gun cocking.

Slowly turning his head he saw a teenage boy wearing a red shirt, dark black pants, and dark sunglasses, but the most noticeable thing was a gun in his hand pointing right at Ash’s head.

Ash: Don’t shoot! I’m not a monster!

The teen carefully looked at Ash. He then lowered his gun and holstered it away.

Ash: Whew, thank you for not shooting me. My name is Ash; I’m not for around here.

Slash: Mine is Slash. I too am not around from here.

Ash wondered if this teen could see with his dark sunglasses on with all the fog around them, or was he just sporting a look. There was something resembling about this teen but Ash couldn’t figure out what. From the looks of it he seemed like a gang member and that gun was suspicious proof.

Ash: Where are you from Slash?

Slash: Somewhere. I just woke up in this town wondering what’s going on. There are monsters around. We should go kill them.

Ash: But we don’t know how many there are, it’d be easier if we just leave this forsaken town.

Slash: No, battling is the only thing. I’ve always fought and that’s the only resolution I have. If your not going to fight with me then go, I’m going to kill every one of them.

Slash seemed well equipped than Ash, all he had is an axe.

Ash: I can help but I’m more on a search rather than a hunt. I’m trying to find out what is my true calling to this town.

Slash: I don’t care but if your going to help then watch my back for any monsters.

*****

Slash had lead the way for the past few minutes. He mentioned about going somewhere near the lake, the details were still unclear. Slash had shot and killed every monster they countered using his gun. It was weird how many bullets Slash had, he disregarded the fact that he could run out of bullets anytime but kept shooting. It almost seemed like he had an unlimited supply considering how many shots he was shooting.

Slash: . . . why are you here?

Ash: Oh I’m here because I’m searching for the meaning to a note I found. All it said was “I have forgotten.” With the note was the map to this town so I figure the answer must be here.

Slash: I see. If I were you I wouldn’t bother worrying about such things.

Ash: Huh?

Slash: Focus on survival first.

Ash: Guess that makes sense. But I dunno . . . I’m just burdened with so many problems right now, why am I even here?

Slash: So what are your problems? Lost your way in life?

Ash: Yeah, you could say that.

Slash: Let me guess, you didn’t turn out the way you wanted to huh. Success was only a momentary thing then you realized that you haven’t really accomplished a thing. You continued to try and find more success in life thinking that was the only thing. And you live your days slowly without a purpose.

Ash: How’d you know all that?

Slash: . . . lucky guess.

As the two continued Ash saw the same boy he met in the tool shop earlier. He ran into a small alley and disappeared.

Ash: Slash wait!

Slash: What is it?

Ash: I just saw a boy go into that alley over there.

Ash pointed. He was concerned about the boy’s well being, it wasn’t safe to run around alone.

Slash: A boy! I’ve been looking for that kid ever since I got here!

Slash ran towards the alley but no sooner than a few steps a crowd of monsters were surrounding them.

Slash: Crap! You’re not stopping me this time!

Slash fired his gun a few times and broke through the monsters closing in on them. Ash swung his axe all around trying to hit as many as the monsters he could. When he saw that Slash had broken through he turned and chased after him. Slash fired his gun while he ran, killing whatever monster got in his way. It was a different story for Ash though; the monsters that Slash supposedly killed came back to life, as Ash got close. Ash stopped and swung to knock whatever abomination got in his way. Slash had gotten ahead and Ash was falling behind. When Ash turned to see where Slash went, all he saw was Slash entering the alleyway. After disposing with whatever monster around him Ash followed through but as he got to the alley he saw no one. The alley was a dead end, no doors, no fence, just a solid brick wall dead end. On the floor there was Slash’s gun, still hot from usage.

Ash: Slash? Slash? Slash!

No reply, only the sound of monsters shuffling closer to him. Ash took the gun and fired at the incoming horde, killing all of them. He caught his breath and thought about what just happened. Slash and that boy had just disappeared into the dead end alley. There was just no explanation for it. Ash couldn’t have imagined the whole thing, he has Slash’s gun now. The gun looked weird, resembled an old cowboy revolver that he saw at a museum at one time. Trying to figure out how it works, Ash managed to open the chamber to see how many bullets left. He looked and saw that there were none. It was an empty gun.

Ash: Great I used up all my ammo.

Pointing the gun into the air Ash pulled the trigger and amazingly enough the gun fired. Ash felt surprised and opened the chamber again inside were no bullets. Ash fired to the sky and the gun fired, he managed to chip a piece of brick on the wall. How strange and very bizarre; Slash’s gun fired without any bullets. On the side of the gun there was the words “unlimited” written. Odd as it is, Ash didn’t bother with details, all he knew now was he has a gun that he can use with the possibility of unlimited shots.

*****

Looking at the map Ash was nearing the lake that he and Slash had suppose to go together but all hell broke loose for a moment and Slash and that boy disappeared into thin air. The only good thing that came about it was the gun that Ash had picked up; it was a gun that featured unlimited bullets. The axe he used the whole time stayed with him, it was the only thing he had that made any sense. There was a carrying strap on the axe so Ash didn’t have to strain about carrying it in one hand and the gun on the other.

Once near the lake Ash wondered what could possible be here that was important. He had been here before, long ago with Misty. The lake looked beautiful during sunset giving the water an orange glow. In fact, this was where he had spent a quiet time with Misty, just sitting together watching the sunset. That was many years ago, she’s gone now, and it didn’t matter for that particular memory, they didn’t do anything special. The thought made he feel depressed though, maybe nothing happening was a mistake.

A feeble scream was heard nearby, it sounded like an old man. Ash rushed towards the direction of the scream towards the lakeside. He saw three monsters converging on the old man who tried to escape, running away as much as he could. Rushing quickly Ash got the revolver ready and aimed right the monsters as he ran. Once he had a good shot he fired. Shooting repeatedly he killed off all three monsters with ease. The old man who ran away was nowhere to be seen, he got away and was probably still running.

Ash: Old man! Gramps!

No reply. Looking all around him Ash readied to shoot again just in case some monsters heard him yelling. Turning around he saw a shadow approaching him from the depths of the fog. He aimed but heard a command to not shoot.

Kay: Hold your fire gun ho, it’s just me.

Kay walked within visible range of Ash. She smiled at him, which frustrated Ash. How can anyone smile in place like this?

Kay: I see you found yourself a gun.

Ash: Yeah. An odd one at that. It’s a gun that never runs out of bullets.

Kay: I see. Where’d you get it?

Ash: I met a teenage boy in the park who was bent on killing all the monsters in town. After awhile we got separated from an ambush of monsters. He disappeared leaving his gun so I took it.

Kay: Unlimited huh.

Kay crossed her arms and started to pace around Ash.

Kay: Ah so your no longer running away then. You are actually here to find out why you are here.

Ash: I am. This place is weird, everything here resembles something about me but it’s just so weird that I can’t figure it out. What I did come here to figure out is the purpose of this note. It has to be something important.

Kay: Well at least your trying to find the truth out there somewhere. From the looks of it your nearly there. That young boy you encountered, he hates you a lot.

Ash: Yeah. Wait, how’d you know that?

Kay: That teenage boy you met in the park, sounds like he has a lot of fighting spirit and wrath, maybe there’s more to his attitude than you can . . . see.

Ash: Yeah, he’s an odd fellow.

Kay: Then there was that old man that just ran away just now. Maybe you should go find him.

Ash: But I dunno where he went.

Kay: You could find out, he did leave a trail of his own blood.

Ash: Huh?

Ash turned around and saw red dots on the ground. There was blood; the old man must be bleeding from the attack.

Ash: Geez he’s hurt, we gotta . . .

When Ash turned around towards Kay she had disappeared again. It didn’t surprise Ash that Kay had disappeared; nothing surprises him in this town anymore. Everything just seemed too bizarre that he just expected the unexpected. There was no time to worry about Kay, an old man was bleeding to death and Ash needed to find him fast.

*****

The trail of blood ran far, it’s amazing the old man didn’t fall from loss of blood. It leads to the police station not far from the lake. This was an odd setting, not too far there was a car smashed into another. On the other end there was a giant convoy semi truck rammed into a brick wall. There was a torn poster on that wall, Ash barely made out of what it was about, some pop singer girl but that was it. All he could see of the poster was an arm, a leg, and piece of the head. Going through the big double doors Ash continued to follow the trail of blood. Into a long dark hall Ash heard noises. The police station seemed abandoned, without a single soul in sight, but maybe a spirit or two lurked the corners haunting the area. The disturbing sounds of a high-pitched whistle sounded lightly from a far. Then there was a sound of a broken machine with its low thuds and rusty gears. A broken siren echoed followed by the murmuring sound of something. Was he even in a police station anymore? The sounds made Ash nervous, he was alone in the dark, following a trail of blood. Fear consumed him, his hands trembled, and his breathe rushing. With the revolver in his hand Ash scoured all around him, behind him, to the side of him, making sure nothing can sneak up on him in the darkness. The fog outside was better. He could run away if he needed to. There was a lot of room outside to run in but not in here. There was a stench in the air it smelled like . . . death.

The trail of blood finally turned towards a door. Looking all around him Ash couldn’t see the end of the hall nor could he see the entrance. Before he continued forward he took the axe out and marked the wall in the direction he came from so he wouldn’t get lost. Something was odd about this place and he wanted to make sure he got out the right way. Ash slowly opened the door. There was something very odd, it suddenly start to rain indoors. Ash opened the door further. It creaked loudly and the rain fell harder. Inch by inch he saw inside the room. First he saw the foot of a bed then was someone’s legs. He continued and opened the door fully. He saw inside of a young lady with shoulder length light red hair and a face he recognized.

Ash: What the!?

Ash rushed towards the bed, it was Misty.

Misty: Misty! Misty! Wake up! Misty!

She didn’t wake up no matter how much he shook her. Looking at her face he saw her death. A memory flash through his eyes as tears cascaded down his face. It was a few years ago when Ash was still traveling the land ambitious as he always was. This was a year after they had visited Kurai Kaze. Misty tagged along with him taking care of him and being his companion. On one sorrowful day Ash had been turned down to enter a competition in a city. Distressed about the whole thing, Ash couldn’t stop thinking about it. He walked the streets with nothing else on his mind, just thinking how he needed to be in this competition. He thought to himself that he was the better out of all those competing and he was turned down because he lacked a single badge. It was late that evening when Misty had to go look for Ash and found him looking at a wall poster for the competition near the stadium where it was being held. Misty told him to go back to their hotel to rest and it wasn’t healthy for him to sulk over it. Ash leaded the way back to the hotel but he was still very much distressed, he didn’t focus on the things around him. He walked into a crosswalk that was turning red. The next thing he knew was a speeding semi truck heading towards him, then the bright blinding lights and the roaring horn, then the screeching sound of giant tires trying to stop. He felt a push and a yell; he fell on his face and quickly got up. Who pushed him? He wanted to deny it but the facts were all there, he was saved but it was a sacrifice by Misty. Looking over to where he would have been hit, there he saw the body of Misty, bleeding from the blow from the speeding semi. Ash rushed over to her and bend down to see if she was alright, but he knew that there was no way she would be. Leaning in to see if she was still alive he heard her voice whisper to him saying, “I . . . loved . . . you . . . sorry . . . Ash . . . bye” Then she closed her eyes and became lifeless. Rain suddenly came down, pouring over them. Ash held onto Misty till an ambulance came, then after he felt and lived the inner thoughts of emptiness and loneliness within him.

Snapping back to reality Ash saw Misty’s body before him. Fleeting signs of sanity left him, this town was never logical to begin with. Feeling that there was still a chance for him to be her in this strange town he carried her body and walked through the door into the dark hallway. Tears of pain and sweat of blood, all this poured down his face. No longer thinking rationally he walked down the seemingly endless hallway. The irony was that he finally understood where he was and why he was here. Accepting the truth he just walked.

Ash: Misty I . . . I have forgotten to say that I loved you too. Here . . . I want to stay here forever with you. Away from my ambitions and away from traveling, this place was our special place; it was here that I knew I loved you. But I didn’t have the courage to say it.

Ash continued to walk down the hall and in the darkness a figure was seen walking towards him. It was the old man he saw at the lake.

Ash: I’m not running away from my fears or problems anymore. I tried to lock my emotions away so I wouldn’t feel saddened by the emptiness but I couldn’t help it. I would write it down on paper and then lock it away, just like I would do so in my inner thoughts. I deny it all but now I learned to accept it. I wrote that note.

The old man smiled at Ash then walked right at him. The old man faded into Ash, he being a part of Ash. Further down the hall Ash the teenage boy named Slash stood before him.

Ash: I was ambitious to the point that it was just an excuse to hide my true feelings. I wanted to fight all the time so I wouldn’t have time for my feelings. When I couldn’t hide one time I felt bad because I no longer had my excuse. But I was still blind to the real truth.

Slash removed his dark shades to reveal that he is blind.

Ash: Right. Blind to what was obvious. Here, take back your gun of limitless excuses; I don’t have a need for it anymore.

Grabbing the gun from Ash, Slash walked towards Ash and faded away into him, as a part of him, the blind fighting part looking for excuses. Just a little further down Ash encountered the young boy that hated him. The boy still looked upset but he didn’t run away.

Ash: I’m sorry that I turned out this way. You had such a great future and yet I ruined it for the both of us. What I wouldn’t give to have your innocence and carefree all over again. Forgive me.

There was the sound of footsteps from the darkness. The young lady Kay walked to right behind the boy and smiled at Ash.

Kay: Have you forgiven yourself for what has happened?

Ash: My forgiveness to Misty is telling her that I loved her even though I have forcefully forgotten to say it to her while she was still alive. And I am going to forgive myself for denying that truth the whole time.

The young boy looked up at Kay, Kay tapped the boy’s shoulder so he’d go towards Ash. The young boy pulled out a note and handed it to Ash. It was the other half to the note he carried the whole time. Thinking of what was on the first half and now the other half, it read, “I have forgotten to tell her I loved her. One day I will.” The young boy then smiled and walked right at Ash, fading into him, finally part of him.

Kay: So, you want to be here with Misty forever?

Ash: Yes. Away from everything but just being us, here, together.

Kay: If that’s what you want then . . . step outside.

The hallway ended and Ash carrying Misty walked towards the exit of the building. Kay opened the doors and there the town that he once knew became alive. The fog had lifted and the streets were clear of all monsters. Smiling, Ash walked towards the sunlight and indulged in the feeling of a cleansed soul.

Ash: Kay. Thank you. You guided me, some what.

Kay: My job is not to tell you but to let you discover. Well, this is good-bye. I have someone to go help next.

Ash: Alright. Good-bye Kay, see you later.

Kay: Yah, whenever I’m not busy with someone I’ll visit.

Kay then walked away, fading away like she always did. Ash smiled and felt sudden movement from Misty. He let Misty down on her feet and she stood up, waking up, and holding on to Ash’s hand.

Misty: Hi.

Ash: Hi.

The two then walked together towards the sun, to where Ash wanted to stay with Misty forever.

*****

A patrol officer radioed ahead for an ambulance but he feared it was already too late. He found a car heavily smashed into a poll. The officer walked towards the person in the car and saw him holding onto the wheel. Checking for a pulse the officer shook his head in grief, the driver is dead.

Patrol Officer: My goodness. He must’ve fell asleep behind the wheel or something. Poor guy. May his soul rest in peace.

Story Notes: Read further down if you want some answers to this fanfic. Remember, reading the answers spoil the fun in thinking about the fanfic.

The fanfic is slightly based on the Silent Hill video game.

The whole thing was just a dream.

Ash and Misty are both dead, Ash died on his drive to Kuroi Kaze.

The monsters in town are Ash’s guilt or something he wants to deny. Killing these monsters represents at times when he made excuses for his feelings. Running away from the monsters shows he is running away from his feelings.

Kay is an angel, specifically an angel of death that helps people dying repent their sins before they actually die. She is assigned around Kuroi Kaze.

The young boy is Ash’s inner thoughts of his youth given a physical form for him to see. He exists so Ash can physically apologize to himself.

The teenage boy named Slash is Ash’s blind aggressive side who uses fights and competition as excuses to deny his own feelings. Slash being blind represents Ash’s blindness to that truth of his emotions.

The old man is Ash running away from himself, that is why the old man is hardly featured.

The gun has a literal meaning, to shoot down guilt.