◇Silent Hill - by Akira Yamaoka◇

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She was here. She has arrived. Seraphine smiled as she looked at the town. It was almost as if no one was here the more she went in.

'Where is everyone?' She looked around, trying to see anyone, but all she got was an empty street.

Seraphine's heart raced with a mix of anticipation and apprehension as she pulled up in front of the house she had rented in Blackwood.  The exterior had a weathered charm, with its aged wooden panels and a small porch adorned with a swing that creaked gently in the breeze.
Overgrown ivy sneaked its way up the sides of the house, giving it a somewhat haunting appearance.

As she stepped inside, Seraphine found herself surrounded by a cozy yet sightly unsettling ambiance. The interior was adorned with vintage furniture, its rich mahogany color contrasting with the muted walls. Antique paintings, their subjects staring with piercing gazes, lined the hallway, their eyes seeming to follow her every move.

Soft, flickering candlelight cast dancing shadows along the walls as if they were whispering secrets to one another. The air carried a faint scent of aged books and damp earth, further adding to the mysterious allure of the house.

'So someone was here?' Seraphine looked at the burning candles with a skeptical look on her face, then continued on

In the living room, a worn-out velvet armchair stood by a crackling fireplace, inviting Seraphine to sink into its embrace. The shelves were adorned with odd curiosities - a dusty collection of porcelain dolls with vacant eyes, a shelf of aged leather-bound books with faded titles that hinted at forbidden knowledge.

'I wonder who was here..' She looked and noticed some old stairs. As she ascended the creaking staircase, Seraphine noticed an old-fashioned portrait hanging at the top. The eyes of the painted figure seemed to follow her, their gaze unnervingly lifelike. She couldn't help but shiver, even though the room beyond the portrait appeared warm and inviting. 

After she left her things in her new bedroom, she went back to her car to get the remaining things. Then, she goes back to her bedroom.

As she stepped inside, a sense of calm washed over her, providing a temporary respite from the unsettling events unfolding outside.

The room was adorned in shades of purple and blue, echoing Seraphine's affinity for these colors. The walls were painted in a deep indigo hue, providing a soothing backdrop. Delicate fairy lights hung from the ceiling, casting a soft, ethereal glow that danced across the room like distant stars.

A large, antique wooden bed stood against one wall, draped with flowing curtains in rich velvet fabrics. The bedspread, adorned with intricate patterns reminiscent of celestial bodies, invited Seraphine to sink into its comforting embrace. 

A vintage vanity table occupied one corner, displaying an assortment of old-fashioned perfume bottles, a tarnished silver hand mirror, and a collection of trinkets that Seraphine had gathered during her previous investigations.  The mirror's glass seemed to hold secrets of its own, reflecting a distorted reality when gazed into for too long.

A bookshelf lined one side of the room, filled with a mixture of well-worn novels, occult literature,  and dusty tomes of forgotten lore. The shelves housed an array of curious objects - a small jar containing dried flowers,  a weathered journal with cryptic symbols on its cover, and a collection of antique photographs that seemed to stare back with long-forgotten faces.

Heavy purple curtains adorned the windows, their fabric whispering secrets as they swayed gently in the breeze.

In the corner, a worn leather armchair nestled beside a tall bookcase filled with more esoteric volumes. It served as Seraphine's reading nook now, a place where she could lose herself in the realms of the unknown.

'I think im all settled in' Seraphine then got a hold of her camera and walked out of her safe space.

As she slowly walked on the pavement, she looked around herself, trying to find a single soul that could at least give her the information she needed.

'Why are they all ignoring me?' Seraphine stopped in her tracks.  Then, she looked at a person who was outside. 'Someone!'

"Excuse me! Hello!" Seraphine started jogging towards that person with a small smile on her face, but it vanished almost as fast as it appeared once that person looked at her with a skeptical gaze.

"Excuse me, Mr.?" Seraphine tried talking to the person, her voice filled with a mix of hope and uncertainty. But the only response she received was a glare and a scoff. The village's eyes bore into her as if challenging her presence.

Confusion clouded Seraphine's features as she took a step back, unsure of what she had done to warrant such a reaction. The skeptical gaze of the villager felt like an impenetrable wall, leaving her feeling isolated in a town that seemed to have closed its doors to outsiders.

Inwardly, Seraphine searched for answers.  Had her arrival disrupted some unspoken code of silence? Was there something sinister lurking beneath the surface of this seemingly ordinary town? The villagers' collective indifference only deepened the mystery she had come to unravel.

Undeterred by the villagers' dismissive response, Seraphine straightened her posture,  her determination resurfacing. She knew she had to find a way to break through the barriers and uncover the truth behind the disappearances. The resistance she faced only fueled her resolve to delve deeper into the enigma that shrouded Blackwood.

With a firm nod, seraphine continued her exploration of the town's empty streets, her Footsteps echoing through the silence. Each unanswered question only intensified her curiosity,  driving her to uncover the secrets that lay beneath the facade of normalcy.

Little did she know that her journey would take her to a dark and unsettling places, challenging her perception of reality and testing her resolve. The journey to unravel the mysteries of Blackwood had only just begun, and Seraphine was determined to navigate its treacherous path, even if it meant facing the shadow's alone.