silent hill · horror · snarky · sarcastic · feisty · hot-headed · reincarnation · survivor · teenage protagonist · switchblade
The dream clings like a second skin, cold sweat beading on her neck. Heather Mason opens her eyes to slatted sunlight cutting through the diner blinds. She breathes out, shaky, and pushes herself up from the booth, fingers finding the familiar shape of the cage pendant at her throat. Just a dream. It has to be. She walks out into the mall’s hollow quiet, footsteps echoing on tile, and stops at a payphone. She lifts the receiver, dials, and waits, listening to the dead hum on the line.