There's a saying that in unfamiliar places, it's best to remain vigilant and not overlook any dangerous elements, and to assume the worst about strangers.
As a native-born American and a member of the middle class elite, Rose naturally held this view.
After getting out of the car, she maintained a composed demeanor, facing the gaze of the man ahead.
Although the priest was with her, Rose still felt that timidity was a trigger for certain situations.
The presence of people emboldens courage.
Indeed, as she did so, the man simply smiled and nodded at her, then diverted his gaze to focus on filling his tank.
Rose clenched her fist, feeling uneasy for some reason; she always felt there was something off about this man's gaze.
This was her intuition as a woman, but she wasn't overly frightened, knowing the priest was there.
Rose glanced again through the car window at the backseat, where the priest was examining a new sheet of drawing paper.
Seeing this, Rose exhaled and checked the fuel situation before heading towards the store to buy water for Father York and her daughter.
Halfway there, she encountered the policewoman holding a drink and speaking to a female store clerk.
Rose noticed the policewoman's surprise and evaluative gaze when she saw her approaching.
Feeling the policewoman's scrutinizing look, Rose passed by her without expression, entered the convenience store, and proceeded inside.
The policewoman looked back with a slight frown. As a cop in this remote area, she was well-acquainted with the surroundings and the locals.
Instinctively, her first suspicion was raised.
"Why would outsiders come here?"
This question lingered as the policewoman looked up and saw the new muscle car, then put away her drink and walked toward it.
Despite its small exterior, the store was fully equipped.
To Rose's surprise, a part of the store not visible from outside turned out to be a dining area filled with people eating and chatting, which immediately put her at ease.
In common sense, a crowd means safety. Feeling less threatened by the man from the pickup truck, Rose lowered her guard somewhat.
As she walked towards the fridges along the aisle and took out several bottles of water, she then headed to the checkout.
The female clerk behind the counter wore a hat and a uniform-like outfit with a deep neckline.
"I need to refuel," Rose said as she placed the bottles on the counter and pulled out her wallet.
The clerk, probably friendly by nature as her job required, packed the water bottles into a bag and then spoke.
"Six dollars. Are you from out of town?"
Rose glanced at her: "Is it that obvious?"
The clerk nodded, reaching for a bunch of fuel cards.
"Of course, this place is so small that no outsider escapes my notice."
Rose's gaze flickered as she picked a card from the bunch and began to pay, then paused to ask.
"Could you tell me which road to take to Silent Hill? I can't find it on the map."
The clerk raised an eyebrow, sizing up Rose: "Why would you want to go there?"
"Uh, I'm a journalist, currently researching the impact of underground coal fires," Rose improvised, although Father York had been guiding them, she wanted more precise information.
"I read some reports online and wanted to go there to gather some material."
The clerk shrugged indifferently: "The road is blocked."
"What do you mean?" Rose picked up her bag.
"Literally," the clerk clearly didn't want to discuss Silent Hill.
Rose noted this but didn't mind, as Father York was still with them.
"Alright then," she said, preparing to leave.
At that moment, the clerk spoke up again: "Since you're an outsider, let me give you a piece of advice."
"What is it?"
Rose stopped and turned back to look at the clerk leaning on the counter.
"Some incidents have occurred recently; several people have disappeared," the clerk said evenly.
"Did you see the policewoman outside? She's here because of that. You'd better be careful. Just ahead is the town of Lost, you might want to find a motel there to stay the night and set out in the daylight."
The clerk's voice was low: "The disappearances seem to happen around this time; their cars are found abandoned on the road."
Chilled by this information, Rose shuddered slightly and glanced through the front window where she saw the policewoman standing by her car.
"Thanks, I'll consider it," Rose said earnestly and left.
The clerk shrugged and watched her go.
Bang, bang, bang.
Hearing this sound, Father York, who had just calmed Sharon from waking suddenly, looked up towards the source of the noise.
It was Sybil, the innocent and good-natured policewoman from the movie, knocking on the car window.
Father York stroked Sharon's head and rolled down the window
.
"What's up, officer?" Father York smiled, always appreciative of the good people.
"Is she okay?" Sybil peered inside; the man was imposing, and the little girl seemed terrified, sweating as if she'd had a nightmare.
"If they're father and daughter, they don't look very much alike..."
"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Seeing the policewoman's wary expression, Father York suggested with a smile.
Sybil turned to Sharon.
But Sharon, after glancing at her, said, "Mom told me not to talk to strangers."
"Uh..." Sybil didn't know how to respond.
"Mm." Father York patted Sharon again, unable to suppress a chuckle.
"Well done, good girl."
Sharon clung to Father York and turned away from the policewoman outside.
"Sorry, officer, she just had a nightmare," Father York explained.
Sybil's lips twitched, but she actually felt relieved inside. Whether or not they were father and daughter, such natural behavior couldn't be faked by strangers or anything else, as children aren't that good at hiding.
"Are you from out of town?" Sybil turned to Father York.
"Yes," Father York responded calmly.
"There have been a few disappearances lately, involving outsiders," Sybil relayed the recent incidents, similar to what the store clerk had said.
"It's best not to trust strangers. There's a small town ahead; you might want to find a motel there for the night."
"Thank you," Father York responded.
"We will, officer."
Watching Sybil and then scanning the old pickup truck's tail lights through the 3D map, Father York's eyes held an indescribable meaning.
"Okay." Sybil took another look at Sharon, didn't linger, and nodded to Father York before heading towards her Harley-Davidson.
On her way, she encountered Rose leaving the store; they nodded at each other.
Rose was puzzled about what the policewoman and Father York could have been discussing, but she couldn't just ask. Instead, she nodded and passed by her again towards the car.
Sybil pursed her lips, propped up her motorcycle, inserted the key, glanced at the woman who had just refueled, and started up, heading towards the tail end of the car.
She didn't know that her fate had changed at that moment.
"Father York, what were you talking about just now?" Rose inserted the fuel card and picked up the fuel gun, looking into the car.
Sharon had woken up again, holding her drawing paper and crayons, a scene all too familiar to Rose. She had seen it countless times.
But the priest had picked up a new sheet of drawing paper to examine, making her suspect he was just looking at a blank sheet, knowing her daughter couldn't draw that fast.
"Nothing much," Father York looked at the colorful drawing on the paper and said casually.
"She just came to warn us that this place isn't safe."
"About the disappearances?" Rose asked.
"Yes." With the 3D map like a scanner, Father York was aware of everything inside the store.
Rose thought for a moment, pulled out her phone, and checked the time.
[22:23]
Unaware, she had been driving for such a long time; no wonder she felt exhausted.
"Father York, should we rest in the town ahead for the night?" Rose put away her phone.
"The clerk inside mentioned a small town ahead."
"Okay," Father York stared at the drawing, squinting his eyes habitually. The information from this drawing, along with the previous ones Sharon had made, had already revealed too much.
Movies are movies, and reality is reality; he still didn't know enough.
And Silent Hill was actually a sacred site for Native Americans? Should he investigate further?
Father York stared at the drawing: a crowd of people surrounding a tall figure in worship, thinking of the Alessa who had embraced him.
"What are you trying to tell me?"
—
Under the cover of night, the dense, patchy forests on both sides were impenetrably dark.
A lonely road was nestled between the mountains.
From an aerial view, a glaring set of car headlights cut straight through, the only vehicle visible on the road.
Rose was still driving, perhaps due to traversing the deep mountains around midnight, she felt a chill and instinctively thought of Sharon.
As before, she glanced at the rearview mirror to check on the back seat.
To her relief, although Sharon was asleep again, resting on the priest's lap, she was already covered with a coat.
Clearly, it was the priest's jacket, seeing only a short-sleeved shirt left on him, Rose pursed her lips, then looked at the navigation system on the dashboard.
"We're almost there, Father York."
Father York looked at the rearview mirror, sensing something unusual in Rose's tone, then looked ahead through the front windshield, his expression ambiguous
.
"Miss Rose, don't get out of the car later."
Rose paused, not understanding Father York's words.
"What?"
Just as she spoke, Rose suddenly noticed something appearing ahead.
In the next second, as the car headlights followed the vehicle's speed, illuminating ahead.
She saw an old pickup truck blocking the middle of the intersection, and a very familiar man appeared in view, waving his hand upward.
Rose immediately understood what Father York had said earlier.
The old pickup truck and the man in a jacket and jeans were none other than the man at the gas station, who had instinctively made her feel uneasy.
"Don't worry, I'm here."
Seeing Rose's eyes widen slightly, Father York reassured her.
"Slow down."
The old pickup truck was directly blocking the way, clearly leaving no room to pass.
This scene reminded Father York of some movies, all too familiar with the setup.
He remembered a woman driving aimlessly to clear her mind, only to encounter a murderer.
This murderer, just like a real passerby, played tricks like those used by traffickers, trying every means to get the woman out of her car and then to torment her.
"Ah, is this just American freedom?" Father York smacked his lips, finding the situation somewhat amusing.
Earlier on the road, he thought they wouldn't encounter such a thing, but now they were face to face with a murderer.
At the gas station, through the 3D map, he had already spotted the man's issues.
With the transparency feature, he saw human tissues and bloodstains in the unseen parts of the backseat of the battered pickup, and a shotgun resting on the front seat holder.
As for why he didn't tell Policewoman Sybil, besides not wanting her to get involved in the Silent Hill incident like in the movies, and without concrete evidence, it would have been too complicated.
"Okay, Father."
Hearing Father York's voice, Rose suddenly felt her unease settle down. Watching the man in front waving his right hand, Rose pursed her lips and began to slow down.
"Stop."
When they were about ten meters away, Father York, illuminated by the headlights and still standing there, instructed.
Rose immediately pressed the brake.
"What should we do next, Father York?"
"Just stay in the car and leave the rest to me."
The car stopped, and Father York gently lifted Sharon's head, placing her on the back seat, then opened the door and stepped out, walking towards the now stationary man.
Rose kept her eyes fixed ahead, not missing any details, her hand clutching her phone, the screen stayed on the 911 interface, ready to call for help at any moment.
"Uh, sorry."
The man, with a face full of beard and messy hair, looking very unkempt, seemed apologetic.
"My car suddenly broke down, not sure what's wrong."
By now, Father York had approached about two meters from the man, smiling but not smiling, and glanced at his hidden left hand:
"Is that so,"
"Guy, do you know how to fix cars?" The man looked up at Father York, who was even more imposing than him, his eyes showing a hint of fear.
"Otherwise, you'll have to wait with me for the tow truck."
"I can."
Amused by the man's convincing acting, Father York couldn't help but laugh, walking over. Since Rose was watching from behind, he behaved as naturally as possible, always choosing the most appropriate action in front of everyone.
"Let me take a look then."
"That would be great." The man seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
But as Father York approached, his expression suddenly changed, becoming fierce and full of malice, and he swiftly raised the shotgun he had been clutching in his left hand.
As he perceived a threat from the man in front, and unsure of his guard, he planned to shoot him first, then relish tormenting his wife and that cute daughter.
The delicious prospect beckoned him, and he could almost taste the delight.
But just as he was about to swing his waiting left hand, a chuckling sound exploded next to his ear.
The man's eyes widened in shock as a hand large enough to cover his entire face and fill his vision pressed down on him.
Without time to think why his left hand wouldn't move, the man felt an unstoppable force burst from his face, and he was pressed down like a rag doll.
Bang!
A sharp pain shot through the back of his head, and his consciousness plunged into darkness.
This scene unfolded in a flash, leaving Rose, who had been watching intently, momentarily stunned.
All she saw was the priest walking over and then suddenly pressing his hand on the man's face, forcefully pressing him against his pickup truck behind him.
___________________
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