Silent Hill Anamnesis Chapter 1

Frank Sunderland had barely gotten himself out of bed before picking up the phone. He was the superintendent of South Ashfield Heights, a complex of small one bedroom apartments in downtown Ashfield, a stereotypical yet dark and somewhat barren town the other side of Portland. Frank, despite being the building’s higher power, was humble enough to allow his tenants to have the more spacious rooms. His; Room 105, at the centre of the first floor corridor; was barely the size of any other room’s kitchen. It featured a counter for food preparation, a small television fifteen years out of date, an airing cupboard with a toilet and shower and a pull-out sofa where Frank sat, slept and kept his phone and the rooms only lamp on a cabinet on one side.

Also on the cabinet was the room’s only furnishing, and one of Frank’s most cherished possessions; a picture of his son James and daughter-in-law Mary on their wedding day, taken at the start of the reception, midday on an August Saturday which, beautiful as it was, was the hottest day on record. Frank could still remember how the blistering sun turned his face a light burgundy, to the other guests’ amusement. That was six weeks ago. The first thing Frank did as he arose to a seven o’clock sunrise was look at that picture. Today was the day James and Mary were coming home from their honeymoon in the nearby resort town of Silent Hill, and Frank would be meeting them at the subway station across the road. He hoped they’d get a place of their own one day, as his generosity had already backfired by the sheer thought of them staying in his apartment.

And this is the point when the phone rang. Whiiirrr whirr. Whiiirrr whirr. This was a simpler age, long before the luxury of ringtones. Frank rubbed his eyes and picked his ears before picking up the receiver.

“Hello.”

“Hello Frank, just wanted to see how things were, what with James and Mary coming home.”
Frank knew the voice instantly. It was one he’d heard at the wedding, and apart from that not for ten years before. It was one of Frank’s oldest friends.

“Oh hello! And yes, James called me yesterday. They’ve had a wonderful time.”

“Good, good.”

“How’s Amy?”

“Fine, fine. She’s been taking Joanna’s death better lately, three years, it’s unbelievable. There isn’t a day I don’t miss her, but Amy is my priority now.”

“Hey, remember that room I found the umbilical cord in all those years ago?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Well strange things have been going on that room. I’ve been hearing noises, and the cord is starting to stink like hell. A journalist lives there now, haven’t seen him in weeks though.”

“Really? Strange things. What became of the boy who used to knock on the door?”

At this point Frank took a large gulp and shuddered “Apparently, he grew up to be a serial killer, and then stabbed himself in jail with a spoon.”

“Reminds me of that Walter Sullivan guy.”

“Come to think of it; oh gods.”

Frank dropped to the floor.

“It’s the past now Frank, don’t feel guilty.”

“I know, I know”. A tear formed on his right eye, but didn’t drop.

“You want to see my life, Frank. A lot of crazy people at that place. There’s one who, even though I’m a professional, he… gives me the creeps.”

Frank thought about what to say for a minute. Then he looked at the clock.

"Shit!"

“What is it?”

“I have to pick up Mary and James, sorry about that.”

“I’ll see you soon Frank, I hope to anyway.”

Frank put the phone down, got up, dressed, and made his way to the station in reasonable time.