Elizabeth Cunningham

"You'll never hurt anyone ever again."

- Elizabeth to her father, Nicholas

Elizabeth Cunningham, formerly known as Eleanor C. Thompson, is the main protagonist of the fanfiction Silent Hill: Damnation.

Background
Eleanor was born in 1988 to Nicholas and Caroline Thompson. She was born at the Alchemilla Hospital in Silent Hill, but grew up in the neighboring town of Brahams. As a child, she had few friends, but was able to have a relatively happy and normal childhood. At the age of three, her mother was diagnosed with malignant cervical cancer. Even with extensive radiation therapy and multiple surgeries, the doctors estimated she only had thirteen months to live. Much to her family’s surprise, Caroline lived another three years; dying the day after Eleanor’s sixth birthday. Nicholas was devastated and began to shut everyone out - including his young daughter. Alcohol became his escape, and his drunken stupors often left Eleanor to fend for herself. Over the next two years, Nicholas began developing an intense sexual hunger. He believed that seeking a new parter was too difficult, and instead, turned to eight-year-old Eleanor. As time progressed, he became extremely violent and often physically abused his daughter for small mistakes. These attacks commonly left cuts and bruises, which she struggled to hide. When she dared to fight back, Eleanor was locked in her room for days at a time without food or water. Around the age of twelve, she began to take out her pent-up rage by torturing [and later killing] small animals. Soon, she had started picking up whatever kind of jobs she could find. She was desperate to find a way to prevent herself from going home to her father. As the years passed, the abuse became worse, and her own mental health deteriorated. At fifteen, Eleanor was diagnosed with psychotic depression and generalized anxiety disorder. She often heard voices whispering murderous idealization, while also often claiming she could hear Caroline’s soothing voice. Finally, she snapped. On her graduation night, she picked up Nicholas’s old hunting rifle and shot her father. Afterwards, she packed up her belongings and fled to Ashfield. With the money from years of working, she was able to rent an apartment at South Ashfield Heights. Eleanor changed her name to Elizabeth Cunningham and dyed her hair blonde to throw the police off her trail. She picked up a job at a local grocery store and was able to live peacefully until the age of nineteen. As she returned home from work one night, police cars had surrounded her apartment building and other residents were being questioned. Afraid she was about to be arrested and sent to prison, she quickly drove out of town. She planned to start a new life in West Virginia, but before she could leave Maine, her truck had swerved off the road and into a mountainside. When Eleanor awoke, she had little knowledge of her name, history, and whereabouts. Little did she know she crashed just outside the city limits of Silent Hill. With the road out completely destroyed, she was left with no choice other than to enter the ghost town.

Personality
Eleanor tends to hide behind a shell of hatred and violence; protecting herself from being hurt. This often makes it difficult for her to establish relationships with others. She wields a pessimistic view about life, due to her harsh background. She suffers from psychotic depression and generalized anxiety disorder - which renders her feeling severely ill, unable to concentrate, unusually tense, hearing voices, and hallucinating. Behind her rough exterior, Eleanor has a kind heart and would to anything for the ones she loves. It isn’t uncommon for her to place the needs of others before her own.

Appearance
Eleanor has pale skin and deep brown eyes. Her cheeks are often flushed and eyes red, with mascara residue looming beneath her lashes. Her brown-red hair was dyed platinum blonde after moving to Ashfield and she usually wears it in a loose side braid. She wears a charcoal-colored jacket with a fuchsia hood, a black novelty Robbie the Rabbit t-shirt, an opal pendant, denim shorts, tan tights, and a pair of black fold-over boots.