Douglas Brenneman

"Picture, if you will... Silent Hill Gazette star reporter Douglas Payne Brenneman wanders his beat, lost in what must be a dream.
 * —Douglas to his fiancée"

Douglas Payne Brenneman is a reporter for the Silent Hill Gazette, a local paper printed in Silent Hill. He is chosen by Whately to bear witness to the birth of Samael and the destruction of Silent Hill in the events of Hunger.

Background
Before being employed by the Silent Hill Gazette, Doug worked for a prestigious publication. He was released by his previous editor, who claimed his ego was preventing him from doing his job well. He now lives in Silent Hill and is engaged to marry Rosy. How long the two have known each other, or even how long they've resided in Silent Hill, is unknown.

Doug is a very analytical person by nature, describing himself as a dealer in facts and truths. When following a story, Doug's first priority is uncovering the truth and he has demonstrated his willingness to obtain it, such as lying and making veiled threats to those who block access to sources. He is a self-described nerd and was a target of harassment in high school.

Hunger
On the morning of June 11th, Douglas began to experience hallucinations of the town in ruin and covered in fog. Doug tries to explains his visions to Rosy, but she tells him it was only a daydream. Laying the problem to rest, Rosy goes to his house and tries to get Doug to skip work so they can start their weekend early, but Douglas feels a sense of obligation to work, fearing he could miss the story that would restore his reputation as a reporter. Rosy expresses her frustration with Doug's dedication to work, and goes about her day.

Reporting to the Gazette, Doug is assigned to cover Silent Hill's annual flower show, where he quickly finds himself bored. As an ambulance speeds by Silent Hill's civic center, Doug and his editor give chase. The ambulance arrives at an abandoned home known as "the old Fassbinder Place", where Doug finds Sheriff Bryce Canavan and his deputy cordoning off the area. Being told he can have no access to the crime scene, Douglas threatens to make a story up and is ultimately given an interview by the unhappy Canavan, but it is to stay "off the record".

The reporter is told that the scene is that of a double homicide, Silent Hill's first in ten years. The victims involved were Eddie Swaggart, one of the sheriff's officers, and an unidentified woman who called 911. One body was found, but evidence suggests that there was enough blood for two victims. As Canavan returns his attention to the crime scene, Douglas notices that a man with white hair is standing nearby, someone he doesn't recognize. Douglas tries to ask his editor about the mysterious man, but when Mario glances to where the man had been, no one is standing there.

Taking what little information Canavan gave him, Douglas heads back to the Gazette and begins work on the story, contacting everyone he knows in a position to give him any available information. As he goes about his duties, Doug receives a package, a child's journal. While he examines the book, Doug is attacked by numerous tentacled mouths, though they vanish before any damage can be done. After the experience, Doug decides it may be beneficial to investigate the source of the book. On the package the book arrived in is a return address for a place called the Kuttner Inn, run by an elderly woman named Clara Wellman.

Douglas heads over to the inn and begins asking questions about the book. Mrs. Wellman recognizes the handwriting as Whately's, a recent lodger. She describes Whately as a well-tailored and tall albino, fitting the description of the man Doug had seen previously. Clara tells Doug that, until last night, Whately had been at the inn. However, she says he had left suddenly. Douglas asks to investigate the room Whately had occupied, but Clara denies the request, saying the inn is experiencing a large bug problem. She does explain that Whately seemed rather odd. Clara describes strange smells coming from his room at all hours, countless candles burning, and even describes a sexual role-playing scene she had witnessed through the shades of Whately's room. She also gives Douglas a detailed description of Whately's playmates, a doctor and nurse she believes work at Brookhaven Hospital.

Leaving the inn, Doug gathers his thoughts on a walk through town. As he passes a park, he notices a young couple making out. As he gets closer, Doug notices that the girl is chewing on her boyfriend's throat, which the boy seems to enjoy. Seeing this, Doug begins to question his sanity.

Hurrying to Brookhaven, Doug asks the receptionist on duty about Whately's playmates, but she behaves oddly, as though she's in a world of her own. Defeated, Douglas begins calling his regular contacts for information. Each gives him a short tale of oddities occurring throughout the town. As Doug wanders Silent Hill, he feels the urgent need to call Rosy, but pushes the thought aside. Instead, he reflects on his recent experiences. Douglas reaches the conclusion that a toxin or hallucinogen of some kind may have leaked into town.

Thinking he's reached a conclusion that answers everything, Doug notices a woman who looks like Rosy. She then runs from the reporter, who follows her to an area of town under construction by Silent Hill's historical society. The woman disappears without a trace, and Doug turns to leave, when a homeless man tries to attack him. Douglas grabs a 2x4, ready to defend himself.

As the man bears down on Douglas, he begins to scream about the Order and the arrival of Samael. The reporter is able to push him away, but Whately arrives and hurls the man into a nearby wall. As Douglas picks himself up off the ground, Whately greets the reporter and begins to cryptically hint at the events unfolding in town. He tells Douglas that the hunger he's always known, the hunger for the truth, will lead him to everything he seeks. He also warns the reporter that the world and the life he has known will be coming to an end that evening, and what comes after is Doug's to decide. Whately then vanishes. As Whately leaves, Doug experiences more of his daydreams. He finds himself in the Gazette's newsroom, with his editor in his face, yelling at him. Doug realizes it's only a dream, but tells himself he should be listening. Mario begins to berate Doug and his attitude as a reporter. The daydream suddenly jumps to Rosy, sitting in a bathtub. She tells Doug to ignore Mario, because she knows he's being the best person he can be. Douglas shakes off the dream and begins to feel a clawing, hunger-like pain. He deals with it, and heads back to work. As he walks, he notes that the sky is beginning to gray over.

Returning, Douglas tries frantically to reach Rosy. As he calls, Doug notes the unnaturally thick fog that has begun to roll in from the lake. Unable to reach his fiancée, Douglas decides to leave. He leaves a newsroom aide in charge of the homicide story, and also asks him to keep trying Rosy. Before he can leave further instructions, the aide's form begins to shift and the lights go out. In the dark, Doug is able to hear the sound of a dragging tail. He comes to the conclusion that the monsters of his daydreams start out as people. The monstrous aide hands Doug a phone and walks away.

Doug puts the phone to his ear and hears a female voice screaming for help. Right away, he knows it's Rosy. She begs him to help her, telling him she's been locked in the old Fessbinder Place. As Rosy continues, Doug realizes the call is the same as the 911 call that the Silent Hill Police received that same morning. As Doug listens, Rosy begins to scream. He drops the phone and runs from the Gazette's offices.

As he makes tracks to the abandoned house, Doug experiences another daydream. Rosy is once again in a bathtub, only surrounded by blood this time. On the bathroom floor stand numerous creatures with tooth-filled maws. Rosy tells Doug that, though he didn't want children, the stork had brought them something special. She then reassures him that it wasn't really her on the phone, that no one had kidnapped her after she and Doug parted ways that morning and took her to the abandoned home. As Doug stands outside the building, he mentally runs through several scenarios for the situation at hand, until he finally concedes that he is unsure what is real and what isn't. He then notices Sheriff Canavan.

His gun in hand, the sheriff has it pointed directly at Whately's head. The albino notices Doug and welcomes him as the witness before turning to Canavan, saying that the sheriff isn't as interested in arresting him as he is in finding out what happened to the officer found dead earlier that day. Whately explains Swaggart's involvement to both Canavan and Brenneman, saying that Eddie's death was meant to draw Doug into the situation. Whately then kills the sheriff. As Whately stands over Canavan's body, the world around Douglas becomes engulfed in cleansing fire and the sky glows in reds and oranges. Whately explains to Douglas that things in Silent Hill have changed, perhaps forever. With the coming of night, the residents of town have become indiscriminate murderers and monsters freely roam. Douglas has no interest in any of that, concerned only with Rosy's whereabouts. He takes Canavan's pistol and aims for Whately, but the albino man has vanished. Doug decides to search for Rosy himself.

Walking through Silent Hill, Doug witnesses his neighbors kill each other without a second thought. He also witnesses flying demons and maggot-headed monsters who hold a barber hostage. Doug tries to save him, only for the barber to attack. Doug shoots him in self defense. As his search continues, Doug finds Rosy and follows her into Silent Hill's public library. Inside, Doug tries to talk to her, but she seems not to know him. The pair head to the library's second floor, and watch Silent Hill burn. Doug begins to despair at Rosy's lack of recognition, when she miraculously seems to recall their history. She then transforms into a winged monster. Doug readies to shoot her, not believing her to truly be Rosy, when he is knocked back onto the first floor, landing on a stack of books. Among them is a book entitled The Book of Samael: A History of Silent Hill, with Doug's name on the byline.

Not sticking around to investigate further, Doug runs from the library until he is found by Whately. The strange man is curious about Doug's unhappiness to see Rosy, though Doug insists that the monster couldn't have been Rosy. Whately dismisses the issue and implores Douglas to take a look at the bigger issue at hand. As the reporter looks around, he notices a wall with a message written on it, which reads "Bear witness, Douglas. The task is yours, the book must be written". Though Doug is intrigued by the message, he dismisses it for the moment and heads to Brookhaven Hospital, determined to find answers there.

While in the library, Doug comes across a file compiled by a Dr. Aickmann. Doug is certain that this is the same doctor Clara Wellman saw in Whately's room. Brandishing a shotgun taken from a slain officer, Doug enters Aickmann's office. Once inside, the doctor welcomes Doug as the witness before rambling about making things perfect for an unnamed female, whom Doug assumes to be Rosy. Doug shoves his shotgun into Aickmann's back and demands to know what's become of Rosy, though the doctor is unsure if Rosy is the name of the woman he's waiting for. Doug is having difficulty understanding what Aickmann is talking about, and asks for an explanation of the situation, to which the doctor is happy to oblige.

Aickmann explains that he's been abducting women in an effort to induce the birth of the otherworldly entity called Samael. Doug, having heard enough, is about to shoot Aickmann when Whately intervenes and warps Doug out of Brookhaven. Outside, on the chaotic streets of Silent Hill, Whately explains to Doug his role in the events occurring in town. Doug has been chosen to chronicle the birth of Samael and the aftermath of Her arrival. He also explains the nature of Samael and tells Doug of the struggle for Her birth, which may or may not occur, as it is all dependent on the will of the one bearing the entity. Whately then brands Douglas with Samael's sigil, binding the man to the entity's service.

Douglas is given the choice of leaving Silent Hill, being told that the brand will protect him from all harm outside of the town, allowing him to fulfill his task of telling the world about the happenings in Silent Hill. Doug can also remain, where he will be rewarded with what he longs for the most. As he's told this Rosy appears before him, human and smiling. Whately tells Doug that the dead walk in Silent Hill, and he will be permitted to stay with Rosy, but there is a trial he must endure first. To stay, Doug must die and be reborn, as Rosy has been.

Doug falls to Rosy's feet, and she transforms, bringing his neck to her mouth. Rosy then tears into his throat.

Trivia

 * Doug, like all characters in Hunger, is presented in two different visual styles. One is a pseudo-realistic style used when Doug is present in the Real World, and a more illustrated style when events shift to the Otherworld.

Douglas Brenneman