Author's Notes: My characterization of Maria in this fic is very heavily influenced by the characterization of her in fishchick's very enjoyable stories. I actually really like Angela, by the way, after all she's been through, but I still think this is what she's like, especially as seen through Maria's eyes. And yet in the end I'm disturbed by the fact that this fic isn't as dark as what I usually write in this fandom. But it's still Silent Hill, so it isn't exactly sweetness and light and happy fluffy bunnies either.
Also, I'm aware that I moved a central game event to a different location, but... that's a small part of how it's AU?
Savior
The funny part was that she really only killed the creature for the hell of it.
Maria was spending her first night at the Lakeview Hotel, wrapped in two blankets against the cold, completely unsure what she was doing there or anywhere. She was waiting for someone she didn't know, who she was already certain she hated, but she was still waiting, and meanwhile she might as well get some sleep. The room was pretty nice except for smelling like a grayeyard, but Maria hadn't even looked around the place before she fell asleep. It probably wasn't safe here but it wasn't safe anywhere, and anyway she had the gun and had found bullets for it.
But then she heard been that goddamn noise, thumping and screaming. Maria probably should have been afraid, but there didn't seem to be much point. If the things she had seen and shot at in this town could kill her that easily she'd probably be dead by tomorrow anyway. Unless of course she was already dead, which was looking like a strong possibility.
So she just ran toward the noise and burst through a door with the gun drawn, shouting at whoever it was to shut the hell up. Despite the darkness in the strange round room she could see that it was a woman screaming, and some ugly fur-covered monster doing God knew what to her. Well, around here that wasn't much of a surprise.
Shooting the woman would have stopped the screaming, but then Maria might not have had enough bullets left for that thing, so she shot it instead. She did end up emptying the gun, and the thing still twitched until that woman ran up and kicked it in what seemed to be the head. She then covered her face with her hands and stood there rocking slightly, panting.
Maria grabbed her wrists, pushing her hands down and looking into her eyes. They were dark, and her lank black hair contrasted with her thin sickly-looking face.
"Keep it down, will you? People are trying to sleep. Well, me anyway."
The woman's eyes flickered to the dead monster. "You saved me from him."
"Yeah, lucky you," said Maria sarcastically as she turned to walk away.
But before she could move the woman grabbed for her arm, and Maria turned around in annoyance.
"My name is Angela," she said, looking up at Maria more than a little pathetically.
"Like I give a crap what your name is?"
"Can you help me?" Angela asked.
"Well if I had any more bullets I could put you out of your misery."
The woman actually looked frightened. "What do you know about me?"
"Well, I know you're miserable because you're in this town. And that kinky blind date of yours over there doesn't look like much fun."
Maria was almost out the door before the woman called out to her.
"Take me with you."
"Take you with me? Why would I do that? And where do you think I'm going, anyway? I'm stuck here just like you." Maria was actually surprised to find another human being in Silent Hill, though. Assuming Angela was human.
"Just like me?"
"Except I'm smarter and better looking." She stared at Angela's body as she said it.
Now the girl was behind her, clinging to her back.
"Get off me, you stupid bitch," Maria yelled.
"I know where there's liquor," said Angela into her ear.
She shrugged. "So do I. I have the key to Heaven's Night, and I doubt I'll live long enough to drink that place empty."
"Not all the way there. Right here."
"Show me then."
Two hours later Maria was sitting on a bed in Room 312, completely wasted, with an empty bottle beside her. They had moved out of the Venus Tears Bar after Angela had thrown up on the floor. Maria was too drunk to ditch her, and anyway the alcohol cut the insane look in her eyes a little. She kept asking Maria questions though.
"So you just woke up here?"
"Someone's coming for me or some shit like that," slurred Maria, leaning back against the headboard.
Angela sat next to her. "To save you?"
"I doubt it. Does this place look like Fairy Tale Central to you?"
"It used to be different here in Silent Hill," said Angela, staring at her feet.
"Better?"
"No, worse."
Maria looked around the room. "There's something worse than this?"
Angela began laughing so hysterically Maria thought she might have to slap her. It was a twisted laugh but it actually put a little life into her face.
"Why are you here?" Maria asked.
"You don't really care why I'm here."
"You're smarter than I thought," said Maria with a laugh of her own. "But why are you here?"
"I did something wrong."
"It couldn't have been wrong enough for you to deserve this." Maria didn't mean that to reassure her. She just meant it was true by default, but Angela looked grateful anyway.
"You're too much of a wimp to do anything that bad," said Maria an irritated tone.
Angela laughed again, still twisted, and gave Maria an intense and slightly insane stare as she moved closer to her on the bed.
"You know, the more I drink, the better you look," Maria muttered. "Though I'd probably end up with alcohol poisoning before you'd actually be pretty."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Angela.
"Oh, this, probably." Maria gave her a sloppy kiss on the mouth. She tasted of alcohol and her skin was cold, and she responded about as well as a headstone. But Maria still might have pushed it all further if she hadn't though Angela might throw up again.
Then she pulled away a little and looked at Angela's face and those damn weak eyes.
"Tomorrow I'm going looking for more bullets." She almost added something about shooting Angela, but she wasn't sure she meant it and meanwhile the girl had put her head down on Maria's thighs.
She sighed. "And I'm definitely not saving your ass again, so maybe I'd better find you a gun."