Dahlia (comics)

"A soldier-boy, huh? Never had one of those before...
 * —Dahlia to Jason, as he tries to rescue her."

Dahlia was a popular music and film icon who had recently gone missing, with many suspecting that she may have stepped out of the public eye in search of greater meaning to her life, while some speculate she may have killed herself.

Finding herself in Silent Hill and in the company of Jason, a former soldier, Dahlia follows the "soldier-boy" as he attempts to leave the town.

Background
Dahlia is a world-renowned singer and actress whose recent single, Reason to Live, has been receiving heavy radio play. The largest contributing factor is most likely her recent disappearance from the public eye. She also seems to find beauty in the monstrous denizens that prowl the streets of Silent Hill, and is a firm believer in a girl being allowed to keep some secrets.

Though feeling that people only speak with her when they want or need something, Dahlia seems to have had numerous relationships in the past, though never with a member of the armed forces. This is a point she makes early on to her traveling companion, Jason.

Among the Damned
As Dahlia wanders Silent Hill, she enters the police precinct, and is nearly mauled by a monster. However, she's not alone in the station. Before the monster is able to reach her, a young man wielding a shotgun begins to fire rounds into the creatures infesting the station. Dahlia runs off, seeking shelter in the Lakeside Amusement Park. With the young man having followed her, Dahlia gets his attention and heads in the Borley Haunted Mansion exhibit. Dahlia doesn't make it very far into the attraction before she finds herself confronted with a large collection of monsters. Rather than finding them disturbing, Dahlia actually finds beauty in them.

Her pursuer advises her to get away from the creatures, much to Dahlia's confusion. As she turns to ask why, a serrated blade pierces her stomach. Her pursuer, a young solider named Jason, begins to open fire on the collected monstrosities and succeeds in dragging Dahlia to what he assumes is a safe place. Taking shelter in a machine cage, Jason tries to check Dahlia's wound, though she waves his attempts off. She takes note of his dog tags, and makes a sly comment that she'd never had a soldier boy before. Jason tucks his tags away, but makes no remark as monsters begin to assail the fence surround the soldier and singer.

Informing Dahlia that the monsters were coming, the woman rubs her wound as tendrils begin to sprout from it. Standing, she says the monsters have already arrived, she herself having transformed into some kind of creature. Jason appears not to notice as a form steps out from the fog, and lobs a hand grenade toward the gathered monsters and begins to open fire on the creatures. Giving Jason and a human Dahlia a chance to escape, the figure tells Jason he's earned a free pass. The soldier recognizes his savior, and tries to address him, but is ordered to run.

The pair hear yells coming from a gun shop and duck inside. A man, introducing himself as Leo, welcomes the new arrivals to Sanctuary, a place where blood-inked symbols keep the evils of Silent Hill at bay. As they are urged to make themselves comfortable, Dahlia passes out from her earlier wound. As she is unconscious, Dahlia begins to dream of a concert-like setting, and she seems to be undergoing a transformation once again. Standing before the crowd, she demands they bow before her and worship her. As her transformation deepens, she begs someone to talk to her, but people only seem to when they want something. As her transformation completes, she is surrounded by monsters, and sings a line from one of her songs- "Goddess, whore / This is what I am for."

Her wound wasn't as severe as it had appeared, and Dahlia is up and walking once again. She dwells on her rescue for a short time, unsure if she likes the thought, even if it had aroused her. Jason is still worried about her condition, though she insists the coat she was wearing took the brunt of the damage. Still attempting to protest, Dahlia silences Jason with a kiss.

Awaking the next morning, after suggested sex, Dahlia asks about the figure that had saved them the night before. Jason hesitates, but Dahlia pushes, saying she was curious, and assures Jason she'd seen them all, having been tortured by every ghost and demon of her past. Jason opens up about the figure, his late friend Aaron. Hearing his tale, Dahlia suggests Aaron harbors no ill feelings toward Jason, and the two dress and leave Sanctuary and, hopefully, Silent Hill.

Walking the streets of town, Jason questions the monsters' motives, to which Dahlia replies that they seek to open people up, to see. Soon, a line of figures forms in the fog in the pair's path and Jason readies his firearm. Aaron, with the entirety of his dead platoon behind him, steps out of the fog and tells Jason the two have business to discuss. Jason opens fire on Aaron, to no effect, and the pair run. Dahlia reasons that Aaron had saved him once before, though Jason believes it was "for this moment." Halting before a church, Jason and Dahlia seek shelter inside. Readying his weapons, Jason lets Dahlia know that there is still so much he wants to tell her, she says she doesn't need words and the two kiss, just as monsters swoop on them from the rafters of the church.

Jason fires at the creatures, but there are too many. Behind him, Dahlia orders everyone to stop, and demands that those present bow down and worship her. Having transformed for a third and final time, Dahlia gives Jason an item that will keep him safe from the denizens of Silent Hill- her physical heart. She then tosses him out of the church as the gathered monsters engulf her.

Standing on a ridge on the other side of Silent Hill, Dahlia approaches Jason, saying he had kept her gift to him, and it had saved them both. She asks Jason about his business with Aaron, and is told that his former unit had been attacked and everyone but himself killed. It was supposed to be Aaron who lived, but it was felt Jason was more worthy of the second chance.

Jason questions whether he'll be capable of truly living, and Dahlia wonders the same, but she then says the two will be able to do it together.

Dead/Alive
As Christabella LaRoache attempts to flee the wrath of the god-like figure Samael, the girl seems to step between worlds, viewing victims she had previously encountered in the town of Silent Hill. A poster promoting Dahlia can be seen, with Christabella commenting that the rules apparently don't apply to rock stars because Dahlia had been able to escape.

The nature of Dahlia
During the course of Among the Damned, Dahlia appears to undergo a transformation on several occasions. The first is shortly after she is attacked by a group of monsters, while the second occurs as she and Jason seek shelter in a church from the deceased, former members of Jason's platoon. In her monster form, she is able to cow most of the monsters of Silent Hill into obedience.

How and why she is able to undergo such a change isn't elaborated on, though there are some implications for Dahlia's condition; Jason makes mention of Aaron and himself dreaming of Dahlia often, implying she may simply be a manifestation of the town.

However, if one considers her appearance in Dead/Alive, her transformations are made moot, given that she is alive. Considering the subjectivity of Silent Hill's Otherworld, it is very possible that the transformations were symbolic, or did not take place in the real world.

Trivia

 * Dahlia shares a name with three other characters: The antagonist of Silent Hill and Silent Hill: Origins, the sympathetic character of the Silent Hill film, and the ex-wife of Harry Mason in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.
 * Not only does Dahlia share her name with Dahlia Mason, they both share a similar appearance and personality with Dahlia Mason's "Seductive" appearance; both have short blonde hair, large amounts of makeup and wear revealing pink outfits and constantly flirt with the lead protagonists of the title as well as a fondness towards punk/rock music. Both characters also share theme's of living life dangerously, with Dahlia Mason wears a tank top that reads Live Fast, Die Young, while Dahlia sang the hit single, Reason to Live.