Author's Note: Hey all! Before you all panic, this is NOT a completely new story! This is actually part of my Silent Rush story. Originally, I wanted to have it all as one story, but with the sheer amount of content in the games, I realized that would be WAAAAAAY too many chapters and would probably cause some weird timing issues with the three main plots. So to bypass that, I decided to just break the storyline into three smaller and more manageable stories! They'll all come together in the end, so no worries! If any of you have played Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, it'll be kinda evocative of that. Three different perspectives, one main story, one epilogue to wrap it all up! :D

But enough of that! This portion of the story is basically a retelling of Silent Hill 2 with James Diamond taking over the role of James Sunderland! :O Quite a stretch, right? Also, because I'm a sucker for Jagan, this section of the story is evocative of that, but NOT NECESSARILY HOW YOU ALL MAY THINK! Granted, if you've played Silent Hill 2, you'll probably be able to figure out a good chunk of the plotline, BUT THERE WILL BE DIFFERENCES! :O Also! Fun little factoid: the title of this portion of the story is an Alkaline Trio song. I find that it works well with the overall plotline of SH2 and it provides me a great way to differentiate this portion of the story from Kendall's! :D Yay metaphors! :D

Anyway, I do not own BTR. Viacom and Nickelodeon do and I envy them very much. I get nothing out of this except a sense of satisfaction in bringing together two of my beloved – yet very different – passions.

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Chapter 1: Static Pulse

"In my restless dreams, I see that town... Silent Hill. You promised you'd take me there again some day... but you never did. Well, I'm alone there now in our special place... waiting for you."

He didn't know why he was reading it again. The words didn't change… not that he understood them anyway.

James sighed, shoving his phone back into his pocket. It was stupid. He drove all this way here for an email from a dead guy... Still, it was worth a try, wasn't it? No matter how fleeting a chance it was, he still had to see if the message was for real.

Perhaps he'd been a bit over-eager. He had dropped everything so he could make the drive to Silent Hill as fast as possible. He had made great time, stopping only twice for food and gas along the way. Unfortunately, his journey had come to a standstill just a mile or so outside of town. The main road leading into town was blocked off, forcing him to pull over at this run-down rest-stop. The miserable little hovel looked like it hadn't been used in years, a concept totally possible given how quiet and in the middle of nowhere of this town was. A thick layer of grime covered the urinals and sinks, while rust stained the surface of every fixture. To be blunt, the whole place looked like shit.

Not that he could really talk.

"I look terrible," James muttered, gazing in one of the many mirrors that lined the wall as he leaned on the sink beneath it. He barely recognized himself. His usually tan and perfect skin was all clammy and sallow. He had bags under his eyes and his hair was a mess. It was a good thing he was wearing his lucky v-neck and favorite leather jacket; he'd be unable to identify himself otherwise.

James turned from the mirror, shaking his head in disgust as he exited the bathroom. As conceited as it sounded, it hurt too much to keep staring. He'd always prided himself on how he looked and held himself… Logan's death had affected him way more than he had thought.

As he walked outside, a slight shiver went up James' spine. It had gotten colder since he'd been inside; not quite winter cold, but it certainly was a bit chillier than the summer heat he had left behind in L.A. But then, why wouldn't it be? It was overcast out, practically an inch from raining. He could hear thunder in the distance and see the flashes of lightning over the mountain range behind him. It was going to be one hell of a storm tonight.

"Just what I need," James muttered, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

He hated the rain. It just reminded him of Minnesota: somber and dull. He missed the sunshine and energy of L.A. He'd take that any day over this. Logan though... he used to love it like this. Sure, the genius enjoyed the sunshine as much as they all did, but he'd always had a thing for rainy days. Rainy days were "Reading Days," as he often reminded James. James couldn't count the number of times he'd come over to Logan's house only to find his friend curled up in a blanket by the window, his nose buried in some massive book.

James chuckled a bit at the thought. Logan had practically been addicted to reading.

Another rumble of thunder sounded off in the distance, slightly louder than the one before. He'd have to get going if he wanted to avoid getting caught in the rain. Fortunately, according to the map James had brought along, he'd be able to take a detour through the cemetery on the outskirts of town. He'd have to walk the whole way, but at least it was something, with 'something' being the operative word.

"It can't ever be easy, can it?" he muttered. Not only was the path already horribly out of the way, but it was easily the most convoluted, indirect walkway he had ever seen. "It'd better not start to rain..."

Setting off in the direction of the path, James made his way towards the cemetery. It was quiet, painfully so. He could hear no noise around him save for the sound of his boots against the unpaved dirt. Even the sounds of the storm seemed to have gotten ominously quiet. There was nothing; just him, alone on this abandoned path.

Well, to say there was nothing was a bit of an understatement. There was fog. The thick mist shrouded the path about him, cutting down his vision to a small area around him. Not that James was all that concerned. The path was clearly lined, making it rather easy to stay on track. Granted, taking a shortcut was basically impossible, but at least he wasn't lost. In fact, assuming his map skills were good, he'd be at the cemetery gates soon.

James shivered. Cemeteries gave him the creeps. It wasn't because of zombies or skeleton or any kind of crap like that… He just hated being reminded of death. Granted, most people probably did, but that didn't make it any more comforting. He was young, but what good did that do him? Everyone died. His grandfather, sister, and now even Logan. It was only a matter of time before the grim figure of death crept upon him as well.

"Sheesh, James," he muttered to himself. "So depressing. You sound like some kind of wrist cutter."

A wall had sprung up beside the path, running parallel with the dirt track. The cobblestones of the ancient barricade were weathered with age. Bit of mortar and rock had fallen to the ground below, creating a sort of gravel-y slope from the path to the wall. It was a miracle that the thing was still standing.

Eventually, the wall gave way to the cemetery entrance. It was wide, certainly enough for several people to stand side-by-side and walk through with no discomfort and shut with a simple pair of wrought iron doors.. Fortunately, they were unlocked and opened easily enough for James, allowing him to continue his journey to town with no hindrance.

A simple placard was mounted on the gates, a Bible verse etched into the cold stone:

"The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death."

"Deep stuff," he muttered, closing the gate behind him.

The fog seemed to thin out for a moment, allowing James a greater view of the surrounding area. For a town as old as Silent Hill, the graveyard was remarkably empty. Unless there was another cemetery located across town, there were only enough graves to accommodate a hundred or so people. There was still room, should the town need more, but it still struck James as a little odd. Perhaps nobody stayed in Silent Hill for long? It wouldn't really surprise James. Sure, this town was pretty enough, idyllic in its own way, but he really couldn't imagine any of the younger generation wanting to stay for long. There was nothing here to keep them.

Sighing for no reason in particular, James glanced out across the lake that bordered the cemetery; Toluca Lake, if his memory was correct. There was a hotel across the lake, though he couldn't see it from here. He could remember staying there as a kid with the Knights. He and the guys spent so many days exploring that old, Victorian-style hotel.

"You promised you'd take me there again some day... but you never did."

The last day they stayed there, they had all played hide-n-seek. Kendall had been 'It', but stopped playing when his parents came back with Katie. Carlos quickly followed suit, abandoning the game to look at Kendall's new baby sister. At first, James had joined in; eagerly talking to Mrs. Knight about his new 'sorta-baby sister' before remembering Logan was still hiding. He'd tried to get Kendall and Carlos to help him look for the other boy, but they didn't care.

'Logan'll get sick of waiting,' Kendall had said, rolling his eyes at James. 'Stop babying him so much.'

The memory made James seethe with anger. Logan had practically worshiped Kendall throughout their childhood, only to be scorned and rebuffed away at every chance. As they had gotten older, Kendall had become less of an ass to the smaller boy, but his mistreatment of Logan had always left a burning resentment in James.

It wasn't fair. Kendall had made Logan cry so many times, leaving James to soothe the troubled boy. The time in the hotel had been no different. When James had finally found him, hours had passed since Logan had been hiding. It was getting dark, and the room he had hidden in was shrouded in shadow. He'd been too afraid to leave. He'd cried on James' shoulder, thanking him profusely for finding him.

"Well, I'm alone there now in our special place... waiting for you."

Their special place... That's what Logan had called it. It seemed silly at the time, but the seriousness of the situation had stopped James from saying anything. Saying anything outside of complete agreement, would have been cruel.

"Our special place..." James muttered, his eyes still on the smooth, glassy surface of the lake. "You're at the hotel, Logan?"

Well, whoever was saying they were Logan, anyway. He may not have been the brightest person in the world, but James wasn't retarded. Dead was dead, and there was no changing that. Still... in spite of that, he still found himself drawn to this town, hoping against hope he was wrong.

Sighing in disgust, James turned away from the lake and continued his way through the graveyard. The fog was rolling back in again, the thick swafts of mist trailing lazily about the ground as he walked. Was fog usually like this? It felt different than any he had experienced before. It swirled ominous about him, its consistency closer to that of smoke than any fog he'd seen before. A strange warmth seemed to emanate from within the billows of mist, but the feeling was anything but comforting.

A sudden noise off to his left broke James from his reverie. He was not alone.

"I tried, Mom, I really did! You never gave me a chance…"

James breath hitched at those words. He knew that voice. It was missing the usually snotty and condescending air it usually held, but he could never forget that voice.

Mercedes.

Through a break in the fog he could see her sitting on a stone bench. Her wavy, blonde hair was down, like nearly every time he had seen her. Her clothes though, were different from her usual attire. She was wearing an expensive looking black jacket, tied tightly at the waist with a simple belt. A bright red scarf was about her neck, complimented by a pair of matching red, gloves. Her jeans were black like her coat, clinging to her legs like a second skin before disappearing into the dark, combat boots she wore. All in all, she looked like some kind of punk girl, out of place among the solemn tomb stones. She almost looked badass instead of the preppy bitch she usually was.

He stood there, marveling at her as she sat on the bench. What had brought about this huge change in attire? The Mercedes he knew always dressed brightly, doing her best to draw attention upon her. To be honest, it was something he liked about her. He could relate to it.

"Hi James," she said suddenly. "Fancy seeing you here."

He jumped in surprise, but caught himself quickly. He made his way towards her, doing his best to appear nonchalant. "…Hey Mercedes. You're pretty far from home. How come you're here?"

She shrugged, leaning back on the bench so her shoulders rested against the angel statue that stood nearby. "No reason," she muttered somberly, turning away from James.

"No reason?" he repeated.

Another shrug. "I just came here."

"To Silent Hill?"

"Uh-huh," she replied, stretching her arms above her as she did so. "I used to live here before daddy became a CEO. It's been a while since I've been back... it really hasn't changed." She glanced up at James, finally making eye contact. "How long has it been since you were here?"

He thought about it for a moment. A long time, since the Knights adopted Katie… That would be… "I guess ten years or so," he finally answered.

"I see," she replied, her eyes still focused on James. Her gaze was intense and James began to feel uncomfortable as the seconds wore on.

"So, we're pretty close to town now?" He finally asked, desperate to break the unnerving silence. "The map I have said this place was really close."

She nodded. "Yeah. You didn't walk all this way, did you?"

"I had to park by the Observation Deck," James replied, pointing back over his shoulder. "The tunnel on the main road is closed."

"I see." She sat back up in her seat, turning to face James properly. "Well, you're not too far now. Just a couple more minutes of walking."

"Awesome!" James enthused. He turned to go, but stopped. Mercedes was still sitting down, looking at him almost expectantly. "Would you like to go with me? It looks like it's going to rain soon."

"Does it?" she asked, looking up to the sky. "I hadn't noticed… But no... I'm not ready..." She quickly turned back to face James, a murderous glint in her eye. "Though I'm sure that doesn't matter to you," she spat, her voice dripping with venom.

"What?" James asked, taking a step back. The switch in her mood had been almost instantaneous. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing!" she shouted. She was on her feet now, her fists clenched in anger. "Don't act like you care! Just go do what you want!" Almost as quickly as her anger had begun, it was over. She crossed her arms across her chest, a smug smile on her face. "You really don't get this place, do you? Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'entrate!" she shouted, pointing at James angrily. When he did not respond, she rolled her eyes in disgust. "Abandon all hope, ye who enter in!"

A shiver crept up James' spine. His eyes were locked with Mercedes, the wicked grin still tugging at her lips. This was a joke, right? It had to be! He'd been here before and there was NOTHING to warrant Mercedes' warning. Hell, even his small hometown in Minnesota was more threatening than this place. Nothing scandelous happened in Silent Hill.

For a moment, he pondered asking Mercedes more about the town but her compliance seemed unlikely. Something was up with her; she seemed unhinged, an inch away from homocidal. She wouldn't be surprised if she suddenly whipped out a knife and tried to stab him.

"Sorry Mercedes," he said carefully. He turned from her and set off in the direction of town. "But I'm going anyway. I have to meet someone."

"Someone?" Mercedes asked. James stopped. He could hear Mercedes walking up beside him. Would she believe him?

"I... I got an email from Logan from his old email address..." he admitted, unsure of how Mercedes would react. Hearing the words out loud made him feel crazy already, surely she'd just add on to it. "He told me he was waiting for me in town."

"...I see."

Not quite the answer he was expecting.

"You don't sound too surprised," James said, more of a question than a statement.

"I'm not," she admitted somberly. He glanced back at her and for a moment, he thought he saw her eyes begin to tear up. However, she turned away quickly and wiped her eyes. "You should probably go then. You shouldn't keep him waiting."

"What about you?" he asked, turning to face her. "It's going to rain soon."

"I'll be fine," she replied, walking back to her bench. "I'm going to be here a bit longer. I'm not quite done here."

"Okay... you sure though?"

She nodded. "Yeah… there's something I need to settle."

Fair enough.

"I'll see you around then?" James asked.

She nodded once more. "Probably."

With a sigh, James set off in the direction of the town. He shot a glance back at Mercedes, but she had vanished behind a wall of fog. He continued onward, leaving the cemetery behind. His encounter with Mercedes had left him a little shaken. Mercedes was never one of his favorite people, but at least she'd always been stable. Here though... James didn't know what to say. It was eerie, like she was another person all together.

"Abandon all hope..." he said, the words sounding even more ominous than before. What the hell did she mean by that? Sure, the fog was creepy enough, but even still… what was bothering him? There was something she wasn't telling him. "Just don't worry about it, James," he muttered. "Just make it to town before it starts raining."

The path stretched on forever, turning wildly a few times before he reached towns. It took him under a bridge or two, alongside a cliff facing the link, and past some miniature construction sites before the outlying houses of the town appeared. It was a long, arduous process, but it was finally starting to pay off. He could see a street sign up ahead, shrouded in the fog.

"Finally," James muttered, trudging up to the lonely post. Sanders Street… so he was in South Vale now. While still part of Silent Hill, the tiny little borough was thoroughly cut off from the rest of Silent Hill proper. The only reason it maintained the name of the town was because there was nothing else for miles. It was either take the name of the bigger town, or fall into obscurity.

Either way, he was here now. His car was still back at the Observation Deck, making it unlikely that he'd be able to make it all the way to Silent Hill proper tonight. At the very least though, he'd be able to take a ferry to the Hotel so he could stay the night before nightfall.

He set off down Sanders Street at a brisk pace, hoping for an intersection to pop up so he could head north and get to the docks. The town was surprisingly empty, even given the time. Granted, Silent Hill wasn't a bustling metropolis by any means, but it still struck him as odd that nobody was out and about. Everything seemed fairly well maintained; the streets were clear, there was no sign of any chaos… but still it was empty. The thick wall of fog around him wasn't helping either. At least out in the forest it had held more of a mist-like quality. Here, it was almost like smoke.

To his relief, he could see an intersection coming up ahead. The traffic lights were out, though the lack of cars on the road was probably the reason. Maybe the town shut down when the fog poured in like this? It could certainly be a hazard if one wasn't careful enou-

"Oh shit…" James whispered. He had finally reached the corner of Sanders and Lindsay Street, but what awaited him was nothing short of gruesome. The portion of the intersection closest to him was splattered with a copious amount of blood. Chunks of charred of charred flesh and other bits of gore were scattered among the blood, but nothing large enough to identify a corpse. He approached the remains cautiously, scanning the area about him before crouching down. The asphalt was scorched was corroded in places, making the surface of the road an uneven hodgepodge of craters and bumps. White patches filled the sunken areas, like something had eaten away at the surface. Acid, perhaps?

A sudden shuffling off to his right caught James' attention. He jumped to his fight, fists raised in front of him for defense. "Who's there!" he shouted, looking around for the source of the sound. For a moment, he thought it was just his imagination tricking him. If anything, it was probably some dog or cat roaming about. He was about to turn back to the remains on the ground when a shadow in his peripheral caught his attention.

It looked man-sized, probably around his own height. It lurched back and forth every step it took, a faint moaning sound accompanying each movement. He could see no arms, only the torso swaying back almost comically before it vanished into the fog.

"Hello?" he shouted, taking a tentative step forward. Nothing. The figure kept moving at its slow pace, not even slowing down or speeding up. "Hello?" he called again. "Do you know what happened here?"

Still nothing. James sighed. Just his luck. Ominous fog everywhere, blood and guts in the street, and mysterious fog people who wouldn't or couldn't talk. Yeah, things were going great. Still, that person was the only living thing he'd seen in this town since Mercedes and he would be damned if he didn't talk to them.

He took off down the street, sprinting as fast as his legs could carry him. His boots echoed noisily along the pavement, painfull loud in the still of the town. No birds, no animals, no people… What the hell was wrong with this place? There was nothing, no sounds of any kind. Even the shuffling of the other person had vanished, drowned out by James' running.

"Damn it!" he swore, coming to a stop. The person had vanished, gone amidst the fog. How they had moved so quickly, James didn't know, but all signs of them were gone. Not that the odds really were in his favor. With his vision so limited by the fog, it wouldn't have been hard for the person to duck in an alleyway or run across the street to the houses. Well, what he assumed were houses. He could see a few picket fences lining the roadway, but the fog was too thick that everything beyond were just a gray blur. Running his fingers through his hair in frustration, he turned to head back to the intersection this whole mess had started.

Suddenly, a burst of static filled the air, making James jump in surprise. Puzzled, he pulled out his phone from jacket pocket. The screen was frozen, the logo of Pandora displayed on the screen as static blared from the tiny speakers. He tried to turn it off, but the stupid piece of crap wouldn't respond. Disgusted, he pulled the battery from the back, silencing the phone for good. He shoved the battery and case into his pocket, vowing he would deal with it later.

He turned to leave, but another flicker of movement caught his eye. There! The figure from before was lurching down an alleyway to his right.

"Hey!" James shouted, breaking into a run again. This time, the person heard him, stopping dead in its tracks to face James. Relieved, James eased his pace. "Thanks buddy. Sorry to bother you, but I need some help."

No answer.

"Um… Hello?" James asked, carefully closing the gap between him and the person. Fuck this fog! The dude was barely twenty feet away and he could barely see him. He looked all gray or something. "Um… I'm James… I came here looking for someone, but the road was out. Can you help me?"

Still nothing. James was about to speak again when another stream of static filled the air. Groaning, James reached into his pocket, yanking his phone free of the pocket. Sure enough, Pandora was frozen on the screen again and the sound was even louder than before. He turned the phone over, ready to rip out the battery again.

"Oh God…" James whispered, looking at the phone in horror. The battery was gone. He'd completely forgotten that he removed it… It wasn't possible… How…? Why…! What the fuck was going on! He looked up from his possessed phone, about to ask the person if they knew what was going on-

"Oh my God…"

The fog had parted, allowing him a clear glance at the person in front of him. Mottled, leathery skin was the first thing he took in, stretched across the body like a strait jacket. Its movements were shaky, like a child learning to walk. The creature looked like something out of Tim Burton's darkest nightmare and he had nothing to protect himself with. He backed away carefully, arms out to steady himself, ready to dive or run away from the monster at the slightest provocation.

He didn't have to wait long.

With a blood-curdling scream, the monster lunged at James. The teenager quickly ducked past the monster, barely avoiding it. As it staggered past him, James kicked the monster's legs out from under it, bringing it to its knees. Before the monster could pull itself to its feet, James whipped his other leg around in a savage roundhouse kick, striking the monster clean on its neck.

The force of the blow threw the creature to the ground, a splatter of blood erupting from its head as it struck the ground. The monster wasn't dead, but for a moment James could breathe a sigh of relief. All those years of self-defense classes had finally paid off. He'd have to thank Mrs. Knight for making him and the guys take them.

However, his assault on the monster had an unintended side-effect. With a greater howl then before, the monster rushed towards James, lurching its body along the ground with ferocity beyond all reason. It caught James off guard and before he could react, the monster was upon him. Perhaps out of spite, the monster lunged for James' legs first, knocking the teen to the ground. The creature rose up above him, howling in what he could only assume was delight.

"I don't think so!" James shouted, lashing out with another savage kick to the monster's torso. The monster staggered back, at a loss with how to deal with its ferocious prey. James wasn't like the others. He was quick, trained slightly in combat, and most importantly, resourceful.

He rolled to his feet, quickly taking in the surroundings while the monster regained its footing. There wasn't anything nearby to fight with. The road was empty, devoid of anything remotely useful. No garbage to throw, now debris to use a makeshift weapon. What the fuck was he going to do? Hand-to-hand combat would only get him so far and this thing didn't seem fazed by it at all. All he was doing was making it angry.

The creature let out another scream before charging at him again, its head low like a bull. He ducked past it once more, letting it crash into a parked car.

"I need something, anything!" James muttered, backing away further from the monster. Hell, even a piece of wood would do. Wait, that might work! He sprinted across the street, hoping he had enough time for what he was planning. It wasn't much, but a fence post was a better weapon than a fist. He grabbed at the nearest post he could find, tugging with all his might, but the wood wouldn't budge. "C'mon, c'mon!" James panted, kicking at the post in desperation, trying to rip the wood free. He could hear the creature screaming in rage, its feet slapping noisily against the ground as it charged him again. It was closing the distance on him. Twenty feet. Fifteen feet. Ten feet.

Crack!

The monster howled in pain as the fence post cracked across its face. For a moment it seemed to shake the blow off, ready to pursue James again, but James wasn't having that. He struck at the monster again, knocking the creature to the ground. The creature let out a pitiful moan, the agony of its wounds becoming too much. James didn't care. He rained blow after blow upon the monster, cringing at every bone he heard break and every scream the monster let out. He wanted to stop, wanting to just walk away… but there was no place for mercy when fighting for survival.

Eventually, the monster's cries grew weaker as it slowly died from blood loss. The static from James' phone was dying as well. As the monster writhed in pain on the ground, James pulled out his phone. With every convulsion, the static grew louder and for every pitiful gasp the monster gave, the static became softer. His phone let out a final sputter of static and sure enough, the monster stopped struggling. For a moment, James stood there, staring his phone's blank screen. He had so many questions... so many things he didn't understand... He wanted to throw his phone, fall to his knees, and scream. He was sixteen. He was in a band. He should be back at the Palm Woods, chilling by the pool, watching Carlos and Kendall mess with Bitters while Katie swindled the other residents. He shouldn't be here... dealing with this by himself.

" Well, I'm alone there now in our special place... waiting for you."

Right... There was a reason he was here. As much as he wanted to turn back and get out while he could... he couldn't. He owed Logan that much. In life, Logan had been there so many times for James... it would be wrong to abandon him too.

"I'm coming Logan," he whispered, gazing up at the cloudy sky. "I promise."

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Author's Note: Yup! I decided to make James a bit more badass than his game counterpart, but he's a teenager! He's probably watched enough zombie movies to know how to react in horrible situations. :P Either way, that's about the fanciest his fighting will get, so don't be afraid that he's going to be busting out some gun-kata or anything like that. XD

Also, how did you guys enjoy Mercedes? :P She's basically my answer to Angela Orosco, but with a rather different reason for her behavior. It's routed in the same sort of abuse as Angela's but I won't say any more! Let me just say that I'm pretty sure you'll all enjoy her throughout the story.

Anyway, thanks for reading! :D Hope you all enjoyed it.