A/N: Silent Hill and all its characters do not belong to me. They are the property of Konami. Eri Sarka and Kieran however, are my own creations, and do belong to me.

As Water Flows

By Subverted.

It was two a.m, and Eri had finally given up all hope of sleeping.

With a grunt, she heaved herself out of bed and shuffled her way to the small bathroom adjacent to it, flicking on the light and taking a moment to observe her appearance. Light blue, almost grey eyes stared blankly back at her, surrounded by a halo of unkempt strawberry-blond hair. She leaned in closer; the dark circles around her eyes were there as always, ever present testimony to the fact that sleeping was not a luxury she could always afford. Coupled with her thin, narrow face and pale skin, the effects made her look a little sickly. What few friends she had had been making off-handed comments lately about her appearance, concerned that she was becoming unwell.

She winced as a sharp stab of pain suddenly lanced its way through her temples, the first telltale sign that she was experiencing the beginnings of another migraine. She had been getting them rather frequently as of late, and had gone to the doctor, concerned. A C.A.T scan had revealed nothing unusual, so the doctor's diagnosis had been stress, which in turn caused her insomnia and migraines. The stupid quack had tried to get her on some new-age herbal remedy bullshit but Eri had quickly demanded painkillers, thank you very much. Snorting lines of powdered jasmine and listening to Enya didn't fucking relieve pain; ibuprofen however was a different matter. And even though the taste of the drug was bitter in her mouth as she washed it down with water from the tap, she was still satisfied that one of her problems, for now, had been dealt with.

She dressed quickly and checked her reflection once more before grabbing her bag and heading for the front door. She was more restless than usual; late-night outings were not something she indulged in, but tonight she felt strangely compelled to go out and just do something.

Shit. I need a hobby.

It had started raining the moment she had stepped outside.

She didn't mind the rain, actually rather enjoyed it, and smiled softly to herself as she drove aimlessly through South Ashfield, not caring where she was going. She tapped her fingers absentmindedly in time with the music blaring from the radio, and relaxed further into the driver's seat, enjoying the soothing motions of the car as it hummed along the freeway. She sighed, content.

Pain, sharp and cold, hit her in a sudden wave, as though someone had just thrown a bucket of ice-cold water into her face. She gritted her teeth against the discomfort, and tried to ignore it by focusing her concentration solely on the road ahead of her.

It'll go away. Just keep driving.

It passed, and she allowed her body to relax once again from the stiff posture it had immediately curled itself into. She breathed deeply, trying to clear the irritation from her the gloom ahead she spotted a street sign, and she strained her eyes trying to make out the words as she neared it.

Next Exit-Silent Hill. 200 Miles.

Oh hell no…

She was still very far away, it usually took a good three to four hours to reach the outskirts of the town, and that was when the weather was good. Still, the idea of being anywhere near that place made cold dread settle into the pit of her stomach. She hadn't even set foot there since...

Kieran…

The pain returned again, shooting all the way into her brain and down her spine. It was so sudden and fierce that she couldn't help but cry out a little, startled and frightened by the unexpected onslaught.

Oh fuck.

It began to grow in intensity, invisible shards of agony that tore along the nerves of her scalp, dragging nails against glass and bone that caused an insufferable, high pitched whine to reverbrate through her skull, blocking out all other sound. She clutched at her head with one hand, and glared hard at the road, trying to regain her focus, but the reflection of the cars headlights on the black asphalt made stars explode before her eyes. The torture going on inside her head erupted into a white hot frenzy of sound and images and agony and OHMYGODKIERAN

The car swerved dangerously and bolted off the road. It hit a ditch, bounced rather unceremoniously, and then slammed head first into a tree.

Thankfully Eri had possessed enough foresight to purchase a car with airbags. The force of it exploding in her face, however, was the final straw, and with a quiet, almost resigned groan, she slipped into darkness.

Towering just above the tree into which the car had collided stood an old weather-beaten sign. The words were faded and peeling, but were still perfectly legibile.

Welcome to Silent Hill.

Blood. And someone humming.

KieranohmygodKieranbreathejustbreathepleasebreathedoitforAuntieEri-

She could taste blood.

She moaned inwardly, the pain and the blood being the first things she registered as she was unwillingly dragged back into the land of the living. It wasn't just her head now; there was a dull throbbing ache all down her right side. Her lip felt sore and swollen; that was probably where the blood was coming from, she must have split her lip…

She was wet too. Wet all over. And someone was still humming.

Oh shut the hell up…

Painfully, slowly, she opened her eyes. Her vision swam; everything seemed too dark and then suddenly too bright. The onset of visual stimuli caused her head to screech in protest, and she hastily shut them again, trying to block out the pain.

More humming. It was closer now, very close. Right beside her ear. She was sure she felt the stirring of warm breath on her wet skin. She jerked, trying to move away, and succeeded only in splashing clumsily around.

Wait…water? Where am I?

She opened her eyes again, and although it hurt terribly, tried to focus on her surroundings. Everything was still blurry and indistinct, but she could make out the shapes of her own legs floating before her, surrounded by what appeared to be a rim of white. She saw movement out the corner of her eye, and turned her head towards it. A shape, tall, dark and definitely human, loomed over her. It appeared to lean down, towards her, and she yelped in fear, trying to scoot away.

"Hush, Mary. I know you don't like this, but it has to be done."

A splash of water against her chest. She realized suddenly that she was naked, and her fear grew ten-fold. She struggled, trying to sit up, and a hand, large, warm and definitely male, gripped her by the shoulder, holding her in place firmly.

"Mary, please" The man's tone was strained, a little desperate sounding. "There's no need to be ashamed. We're husband and wife, remember? I love you."

Mary? Wha- oh my god

Something soft was being rubbed against her skin…a sponge. It travelled across her shoulder, down her arm and over her lap. The fear already permeating her to the very core transformed into full-blown panic as she felt it and the hand holding it disappear beneath the water, down towards her crotch.

She shrieked, struggling and kicking and failing out blindly at the shape, at the man, leaning over her. Her knee connected with something solid, perhaps his chest or his stomach, and he fell back with a pained grunt. She continued to scream, furious now at the violation of her personal space.

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME!"

Her answer was a choked sob. She saw him heave himself off the floor and crawl towards her. The shape of him seemed curled and pained, like he had just committed some terrible sin and had come to beg forgiveness.

"Mary! Please! I-I didn't mean it! I just…"

She howled, at tried to claw at where she guessed his face would be. Her head began to clang loudly with pain again, and she knew it was only a matter of seconds before she passed out. She just hoped she could do enough damage to him before…

He jerked back and crumpled to the floor, trembling. When he spoke again his voice was soft and wavering. He sounded like he was crying.

"Please…please forgive me.."

The last things she was aware of before she slipped off once again were the sounds of running footsteps, of a door slamming somewhere nearby, and of a single thought running constantly through her head.

Who the hell is Mary?

This is my first Silent Hill fic, and I would really appreciate constructive reviews and comments. Thanks for taking the time to read my work.

Subverted