American Horror Story: A Tale of Terror from Silent Hill

Chapter 118 Strengthening
These things all actually happened.

But Nancy from before has completely forgotten about it, as if she skipped over this period of time.

In her original memory, she had always faced unknown terrors alone and had never called for help.

But the memories in her mind clearly told her that she had indeed done it, but she had forgotten it.

Such a terrible thing exists in the world, that one can even forget what they are doing!
If she can't even trust her own memories, what will her future be like? Perhaps, there is no future at all.

"When I arrived, you had already collapsed on the ground, unconscious. I kindly helped you carry you to the bed and tucked you in."

“But when you woke up, you looked completely out of sorts, like you were having a fit of hysteria. So I had to use traditional methods to wake you up and give you a soothing sleep so you could fall asleep peacefully.”

"After that, Christine pulled you into a dream, but you lay there for too long and she had already left."

Baling sipped his tea slowly, occasionally speaking to explain the ins and outs of the matter.

Nancy sorted through what she heard, and repeatedly combined it with her own experiences and memories, and finally came to a conclusion.

—She has encountered a major event, a life-threatening event.

It is quite possible that this unknown entity is even more terrifying than Freddy.

After all, Freddy can't alter other people's memories.

"Have I encountered another terrifying being like a demon?" Nancy asked.

“Perhaps, maybe.” Baling nodded, then shook his head.

It sounds like both affirmation and denial.

"Will I die?"

"What do you say?"

"Indeed, Mr. Baling, may I ask what method I should use to deal with this?" Nancy, having recovered her composure, wanted to find a solution.

Baling glanced at it out of the corner of his eye and slowly made a hook shape with his fingers.

"Hook? Huh? Direction? No, or it means pistol. I can use a gun to deal with it."

Nancy guessed and guessed, but unfortunately she was wrong about everything.

“It’s '7',” Baling corrected.

"7?"

Suddenly, Nancy realized the correct answer: she only had seven days left to live.

"Do I only have seven more days to live?"

Nancy's eyes suddenly reddened. She had finally escaped the clutches of nightmares, but now she was caught in a death trap. The huge contrast was too much for Nancy to bear.

"It's not seven days."

"Really?" Nancy's sadness turned to joy.

"The longest you can have is seven days. You have less than seven days left, only... two and a half days."

After a moment's thought, Baling gave an accurate estimate.

Don't ask him how he knows; Baling's intelligence network is just that strong!

Having already faced that bizarre monster with multiple rows of teeth twice, Baling had gathered a considerable amount of information, in addition to directly confronting Nancy's illness.

After much speculation, a lot of new information was predicted.

Among them is the story of the Smiling Demon, which Baling has tentatively named.

—You will die within seven days.

—The demon survives by passing on a curse.

—To survive, one must kill another person in front of someone with psychological trauma, passing the curse on to the bystanders who witnessed the killing.

It sounds like she bears some resemblance to a female ghost from a certain island nation.

Perhaps, there is a Sadako in America too, who knows?

This world is so wonderful, even Baling can't understand it.

When Nancy learned of her impending death, she was devastated, because the guy she was facing this time was not someone she could defeat simply by staying awake.

She had no idea when she had contracted the virus or how to stall for time.

This was the moment when the power of friendship and bonds came into play. Nancy, with tears in her eyes, said earnestly, "I...I don't want to die. Mr. Baling, can I trust you?"

Baling put down the magazine in his hand, puzzled, and said:

"Did something get skipped in this process?"

But that's irrelevant now; this might just be a flashback technique.

Following the classic formula of American TV dramas, something big must happen before a major battle. At this point, Baling should give a positive response, and then the two sides should embrace tightly.

Finally, it's time for war!

While pondering, Baling gave an affirmative response: "For those who trust me, feeling secure is an absolute breeze."

Death, fear, loneliness, cowardice, helplessness...

Even though she was a psychologist, Nancy couldn't regulate herself at this moment and suppress these negative emotions rooted in her heart. She needed strong arms to protect her.

Only Baling possesses absolutely formidable strength.

Although they didn't know each other very well, Nancy definitely felt that great love.

That night's dream, with its long song of black and white orcas, expressed that respect and trust.

Looking at Baling's handsome face, Nancy, who desperately needed comfort, moved closer to him.

Body heat is transferred between them, warming each other.

Although she didn't quite understand Nancy, Baling never hesitated to share her great love.

It's perfectly normal to sacrifice yourself to protect humanity.

A close-up shot—War! War! War!

We must do great things! We must do great things!

……

After exchanging their pleasures, Baling, smoking a cigarette, calmly said:
"Don't worry, I will be responsible."

After taking a deep drag of his cigarette, Baling slowly exhaled, the smoke drifting and forming smoke rings.

He doesn't usually smoke, but having a cigarette now feels more appropriate.

Sometimes, life needs a little ritual.

Nancy blushed, her body hidden under the thin blanket.

After releasing the pent-up pressure, she entered a state of sanity.

She was about to say that she had only acted impulsively and wouldn't disturb his life, but she swallowed the words back down.

Nancy simply nodded hesitantly, feeling a pang of guilt towards someone, but her eyes remained alluring.

After accomplishing something big.

Baling began a rational analysis, using utmost rationality to consider how to stop the Smiling Demon.

"Your situation is very complicated. The existence of the Smiling Demon can only be observed by those who are under the curse."

"I can only glimpse its existence by entering a dream. Normally, I can't even observe where it is."

"It has found its own way of survival in the human world. To break this, both sides need to be on the same level; at the very least, I need to be able to see its true form."

Baling turned around and looked at Nancy.

Nancy thought for a moment, then seemed to understand: "You mean, we have to resolve it in the dream?"

Baling shook his head: "No. The one in the dream was just a split consciousness of the main body. It can only treat the symptoms, not the root cause."

Nancy was stunned and asked, "Then what should we do?"

Baling smiled slightly and said confidently, "Strengthen it."

"strengthen?"

Nancy stared wide-eyed, unable to comprehend the logic.

“That’s right. When it becomes powerful enough to manifest in reality, I will be able to deal with it.”

(End of this chapter)