She is wearing all white, and she walks out of the fog she walks towards Toby, the girl he use to be so close to, the girl he use to spend so much time with. The girl who has been haunting his dreams.
"Toby? Is that you Toby?" She asks him as if she doesn't believe it completely.
The Long stretch of Nathan Avenue moved into the town, transforming from the edge of highway. The fog was all encompassing as the woman walked up to him.
"Sweet Mercy. . . Karen."
He stared at her, silently in the fog for a moment. There was a moment of quiet as she moved towards him dressed in white. He looks to the ground for a moment. "I don't have any flowers for you. I . . . haven't been by the lake in years." He looks up blinking. "I'm sorry. . . I'm so sorry."
"But you're here for me now aren't you?" She says sounding curious and concerned she puts her hands out to him to touch his arms if he lets her. "I missed you." She says look at him "I'm ah so alone."
He stares into the distance as she touches his arm and then back into her eyes. "I'm here. . . I knew you needed me. . . " He sighs as he says "I know you're alone, I . . . I tried to take you with me. I tried. . . but you . . . "
He stares at her for a moment "Am I here for you? Or are you here for me, finally?"
Karen will give Toby a hug, "You where always my favorite." She says and then moves back a little, "Even if you don't smell the greatest right now." She smiles a little nervously. "We should go find the others will you come with me?"
"You know like Moon, oh poor Moon I think she's going to do something crazy, and Ben, and Morris, but I think something's wrong with Morris he seems a little ... I don't think he's taking this whole thing very well, and I'm scare."
She will hug onto Toby despite how filthy he is, "Promise me you'll stay with me?"
"They're all coming back here. . . why? Why would they all come back now?" He stares forward, then looks at Karen, taking her hand, touching her face lightly with a grimy thumb.
"Karen, I'm here. . . you found me. I . . . do you remember when we used to sneak out and go down to the lake? I'd pick you the flowers there and you'd weave them into necklaces and put them around my neck. You made a promise and I did too, and I'm afraid that I didn't keep it. I'm . . . I'm so sorry, Karen. I always wanted. . . I . . . "
He shakes his head as he looks at her. "What happened, Karen? All these years, all these things. . . what happened to you?"
"Maybe going over my life story now isn't the greatest idea, we need to find everyone," She will take Toby's arm gently, "I remember going out with you. I remember the Moon and the flowers." She looks down and away before saying more. "Would you help me find them I can't remember the places we would all go. Where do you think the others would go?"
Tobias furrowed his eyebrows "What? I don't understand. I haven't seen them in years, and you were closer than them than I was, Karen. I don't know where they'd go. . . I mean. . . I don't know . . . are you sure you're okay, Karen? We should get out of here. . . before . . . it's too late."
"But what about Moon? and Ben and what about Morris?" She says looking at Toby, "I just I feel like I've been alone here so long." He will start to back away from him. "What about the toy store, Sky Toys do you remember?"
Tobias inhaled deeply as she backed away, he did remember. He remembered the wooden thing sitting there like some anachronism from a forgotten age come to see him. He remembered the way the things moved in the shop, he remembered the wonder there.
"I remember it. . . " He remembered the reason she mentioned it. He looks up "Moon's here too already, Morris, they're all coming back. Why are they coming back here, Karen? What's calling all of them? I came for you, why are they here?"
"I think the town wants us back. Is it selfish that I'm happy you came for me?" She asks looking at him. "Should we go and see if the others are at Sky Toys?"
Toby watches her for a moment and then he says "I know the town wants us back. . . that's what's worrying me, Karen." He stares off, unable to shake the feeling in the back of his mind. Just an odd sensation, a doubt that festers in the back, a longing that is calmed by something just out of reach. . . He looks back at Karen and says "They never came back for me, Karen. I'm sorry I never came back for you."
He looks at her "Sky toys, then. . . " he shakes his head as he closes his eyes. "Sky toys."
Karen will stop and look into Toby's face her expression is very serious, "but you did come back for me. In the end. Despite everything, isn't that what matters?" She asks before heading down the road towards Old and Central Silent Hill.
"Do you think I'll just let you go?" She asks and starts down Nathan, however she stops briefly before Rosewater Park and takes a step closer to Toby.
There is a figure in the mist walking into the park it seems like a women, tall and thin in a red dress that covers her head to toe, her neck goes all the way up and makes a tight hood covering her hair. Her dress shimmers somewhat in the heavy air.
"Do you know why it's called Rosewood Park?" Karen asks looking over at Toby.
Toby feels Karen close to him, his mouth opens as his tongue finds it difficult to speak. He closes his mouth and says "Not let me go? does that mean . . .?"
He blinks as he sees the woman in red walking through the park, confused he takes a step away from Karen, watching the woman in red. "I don't know why this is called Rosewood Park, Karen. . . there's a woman out there. In the fog. . . lost."
He watches her for a few seconds, staring at her. "HEY! YOU! ARE YOU OKAY?" He takes a step into the park, towards the woman, before saying to no one in particular, keeping his eyes on the woman. "Other than Karen. . . I haven't seen anyone actually in this town since I got here. It's like the place is dead. . . or like it's a dream, or a nightmare. Am I awake? Am I dreaming? Have I ever woken up?"
He walks another few steps "HEY! ARE YOU OKAY? WE SHOULDN'T SPLIT UP! THERE'S THINGS IN THE FOG!" He says "We need to help, Karen. We need to do something, no one else is here to help."
"Toby wait don't leave me alone!" Karen says and will run after him while he chases the women in red. She grabs onto his arm. "Please I don't want to be alone again." She says sticking by him as they fallow the women.
Rosewater Park is a Botanical Garden, full of stone and flowers, the blooms are out in full despite the gloom.
The women walks with an odd sense of purpose as she reaches the water she walks into it her dress floating on the surface. The women keeps walking until only the crimson fabric of her dress can be seen above the water.
The fabric of her dress seems to turn to liquid dark red like ink it flows into the water then it slowly drifts into a mist of pink under the little waves.
"There was a women here once, I don't know her name. She was attacked by people and they beat her until she bleed to death then thre her in the lake. her blood turned the water pink." Karen says looking over the water in a distant manner.
Toby looks down and swallows as Karen holds his arm. "Then. . . it's too late already then, isn't it? She's already dead and just doesn't know it."
He looks up at Karen for a moment "Are we dead too, Karen? This place. . . so unreal. The world, so dark, so cold . . . I remember the sun used to shine in the sky. When we went by the lake and into our secret garden."
He swallows "I don't remember the sun shining since then. I wonder if I'm dead too and don't know it yet."
Karen reaches up and puts a warm hand against Toby's cheek, "Do I feel dead to you? I don't know I don't think you're dead Toby." She says sweetly and will look out over the lake, "it's still kinda pretty, even with the fog, don't you think?"
Toby has a tear in his eye as she touches him. "Karen. . . it's pretty in its own way, but there's things in the fog. Things that'll hurt you and me. It's like a type of dream, but so are nightmares. And I don't remember what the sun is like."
"If . . . if I get you out, maybe I'll finally wake up. Maybe . . . if we end this . . . we can be happy"
"Oh don't cry Toby, don't cry it will be alright and we'll never have to be alone again." She says wiping his tears away gently and then taking his hand in her's and leading him away from the late gently.
"Isn't that. . . isn't that supposed to be my line?" He laughs a bit, tears still coming down his eyes. "I just. . . " he looks out at the park again. "It's all just so tragic, Karen. So horrible, so sad, so terrible."
He shakes his head and looks down. "I just want so much for this to be real. . . but . . . I don't know if I should let myself know better or die hopeful."
"Sweet Mercy. . . Karen."