Silent Hill: The Door

by 99Clouds

A man wakes up with no memory, a bullet in his shoulder, and a note in his pocket telling him that true joy rest in Silent Hill. He enters the town only to find a terrible truth.

Elias opened his eyes painfully. Something was wrong. He felt like he weighed a million pounds. His head felt like it was about to explode at any second. His shoulder felt as if it had caught on fire. He tried to sit up, but a bolt of pain shot through his spine and he let out a scream of agony as he fell backward. He looked around him, taking in his surroundings. It looked like he was lying in a field of tall grass. The full moon gave off enough light for Elias to make out a small group of houses off in the distance. He glanced at his shoulder to see a small bullet hole in his white button up shirt. Blood smeared the front of it and there was another gash mark across his chest as if someone had tried to slice him with a knife.

What happened to me? Elias thought. Why am I like this? And then to his horror, he realized that he couldn't remember. He raked his mind for answers, but none came. All he could remember was that his name was Elias. Other than that, there was nothing. He took deeps breaths and told himself that there was nothing to worry about and that in a few minuets, his memory would return. But it never happened.

He tried to sit up again and grinded his teeth because the pain in his back seemed to increase with every movement. He finally was in a sitting position and he looked at his legs. He was wearing tan loose fitting pants and black shoes. The pants had blood on them, but Elias guessed that it was from the wounds on his chest. He needed to get somewhere and find help, found out where he was and what was going on.

Taking a deep breath, Elias stood slowly. He cried out as the wound on his chest ignited in pain. He doubled over, wheezing for air and feeling tears of pain run down his face. After a few minuets the pain stopped and he looked around him. The nearest house was about a quarter mile away. Without any other choice, he started hobbling his way towards it. With every step, Elias thought that it would be his last as the pain intensified.

His back felt like someone was snapping it, one disc at a time. His chest burned and his legs wobbled. He stared at the house, keeping his goal in sight and trying to take the next step without passing out. His breathing was becoming ragged and his head was starting to feel dizzy.

Almost there. He was at the end of the driveway now and his vision was getting blurred. He could feel himself slipping away. He opened his eyes wider, trying to focus. He stumbled against the car that was parked in the driveway and coughed up blood. Everything hurt like hell.

Just a few more steps, Elias told himself. He stumbled up the front porch and with the last of his strength, he pounded on the door once before darkness took him.

Ben Graham was about as average as the next guy. He knew it too, but he didn't care one bit. He stood five foot ten inches and his short brown hair was neatly kept. He was a twenty-six year old bachelor that worked for the local video game store. He liked his job and didn't mind the low wages. After all, he didn't have to worry about anyone, but himself.

He owned a small house in the countryside and his commute to work was about forty-five minuets. Gas prices were moderate so Ben could live with the drive if that meant owning a nice house in the country.

At this time, he was sitting on front of his TV with his feet up and watching the night time news, when something pounded on his door.

Ben jumped in his seat at the sudden loud noise. He looked at his watch. It was 10:30 pm. Who could that be? He thought as he stood up. He walked to the door and opened it.

He leapt away from the open door as a bloody person collapsed onto the floor. Ben's heart thumped in his chest. Who was this and what are they doing out here? And why is he covered in blood?

Ben turned the bloody man over onto his back and saw that the man appeared to be about twenty eight. His hair was black and the beginnings of a beard were growing on his face. There was a gun wound on the man's shoulder and a nasty looking gash on his chest.

Should I call an ambulance? Ben thought. He knew it was the right thing to do, so he went to the phone and dialed 911.

Elias could hear voices talking around him. They were muffled and quiet so he couldn't make out what they were saying. He wondered where he was. The last thing he remembered was pounding on a door and then nothing. The voices stopped and he heard a door close.

Slowly Elias opened his eyes and saw a man standing over him. The guy had short brown hair and appeared to be about his own age, maybe a little younger.

"Hey there. How you feeling? The med team just left. They wouldn't take you to the hospital cause you didn't have any insurance or ID on you. I had to convince them to even fix you up. My names Ben by the way."

Elias smiled, "Thanks Ben. You saved my life."

Ben looked embarrassed, "I just called 911. What's your name by the way?"

"Elias."

Ben nodded, "How'd you end up all messed up like this? You get mugged or something?"

Elias sighed, "I don't remember. I've totally lost my memory. All I know is my name and that I woke up in a field all bloodied up."

"So you don't even remember where you live?" Ben asked in disbelief.

"Nope."

Ben walked over to the table and picked up a piece of paper. He handed it to Elias and said, "This was in your pocket. Does it mean anything to you?"

Elias took the paper and looked at it. It read

The Dark Master only wanted your help. True joy rests in Silent Hill.

"Does that make any sense at all to you?" Ben asked.

Elias put the paper down, "I'm afraid not. Who's the Dark Master and what is Silent Hill?"

Ben pulled up a chair and plopped himself down, "Silent Hill is a town about twenty miles away from here. It's been deserted for a long time though. The town is…not a good place. It has a strange history."

"And the Dark Master?" asked Elias.

"I dunno," Ben said scratching his neck, "It sounds like this guy messed you all up and left a note as a reminder to not screw with him. Wonder why he wanted your help?"

"I think whoever did this to me expected me to be dead. Then the Dark Master guy left this note as a warning to others not to mess with him," Elias said.

"What are you going to do?" Ben asked.

"I'm going to go to Silent Hill."

Ben stood up, knocking his chair back, "Whoa! No way! Are you crazy? That place is bad news trust me. You really don't want to go there."

"I have no choice. It's the only lead I got. I want to know what is going on and why this happened to me."

"Why bother! This Dark Master guy probably lives in Silent Hill and if he sees you alive, he'll try to finish his job!" Ben reasoned.

"I thought you said the place was deserted," Elias said.

"Well for the most part. There's a rumor going around that there is an evil cult that conducts dark rituals there. You don't want to be mixed up in something like that do you?" Ben asked.

"I have to go Ben! It's my only lead and I want to know who I am," Elias said angrily.

Ben sighed heavily, "Have it your way. I guess I would want to know who I am also if I lost my memory. It's just that that place is really bad."

"Well thanks for your concern, but I need to know what and who I am. I can't just start a new life! I need to get my old one back," Elias said tossing aside the sheets and standing.

"Easy!" Ben said rushing forward.

Elias grimaced, "I'm fine."

"No," Ben said pushing Elias back into bed. "You need bed rest for at least a week and I'm not letting you do anything for just that amount of time! Now lay down and stop being stupid!"

Elias let himself be shoved back into bed. He supposed it was stupid to go running off into a deserted town in the state he was in.

"Okay. Fine. Thanks Ben," Elias said.

"It's alright. Now go to sleep. I'm going to bed," Ben said. He walked to the door and turned off the light. He shut the door and Elias heard him getting ready for bed. Sighing, Elias closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The week passed more quickly than Elias had guessed it would. It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be too. Ben was a nice guy would made sure Elias was healing correctly and he even called a doctor a few times to make sure he was doing things right. The truth was, Elias felt like a little baby who was depending on his parent for everything. He had no money or job that he knew of and he didn't even want to begin to guess what he would have done if he hadn't stumbled upon Ben's home.

It was the night before Elias left and he and Ben were sitting at the table, eating dinner.

"You really are going into that town?" Ben asked for the hundredth time that day.

Elias shoveled more macaroni into his mouth before answering, "Yea Ben. I am. Now please stop asking and don't try to talk me out of it."

"I'm not going to stop you Elias," Ben said defensively, "In fact, I might join you."

Elias put down his fork, "Ben I really appreciate what you've done for me, but that isn't necessary. I'll be fine. You got a nice house here and a job you like. It sounds like Silent Hill is a dangerous place and you don't need to put yourself in danger for my sake."

"I don't want to be talked out of it Elias," Ben said stubbornly, "You really need my help. You need a ride and you certainly could use someone who knows stuff about that town. I know a lot about Silent Hill and some of my knowledge might come in handy."

"But Ben-"

"No Elias, I'm coming. I like you and you need some help," Ben said.

Elias smiled, "Fine. We leave tomorrow morning. Early. Ok?" Ben nodded.

The two cleaned up the dishes and watched TV until eleven, then they bid each other good night and went to bed.

The next morning they were up at five and dressing. "What should we bring?" Ben asked.

Elias shrugged, "I don't know. Nothing I guess."

Ben walked to the kitchen drawer and pulled out a steak knife, "I'm bringing this. You never know what you'll meet there."

Elias rolled his eyes, "Oh come on Ben. Don't you think you're being paranoid?"

"Just trust me on this Elias?" Ben said sliding the knife in his belt.

They locked up the house and climbed into the car. It was a cloudy morning and the sky was a dull cloudy gray. Ben started the engine and pulled out of the driveway, headed for Silent Hill.

As they drove Ben asked, "What are you going to do once we get there?"

Elias sighed, "I don't know. I guess we'll see once we get there."

"Did you bring the note that was in your pocket when you got mugged?" Ben asked.

"Yea. That still bothers me. I'm itching to know who this Dark Master guy is and why he would put a hit on me," Elias said frustrated.

They drove on in silence for a while. Elias watched the country fade to forest and then back to country. As they drove, fog rolled in and thickened with every mile. Elias shivered. He felt as if something bad was going to happen and he didn't know why.

"We're getting close," Ben said quietly. "I see the fog still haunts this place. It never leaves."

As they drove on Elias saw a sign that said, 'Welcome to Silent Hill'. Ben pulled off the side of the road and turned off the engine. The fog was thick and Ben knew that if they continued on, they might get in an accident.

"Damn fog," Ben muttered.

"How big is the town?" Elias asked.

"It's not huge. We can walk to the other side and be back here in, oh, say two hours," Ben said scratching his neck.

"What's a good place to start looking?" Elias asked.

Ben shrugged, "I don't know what we're looking for Elias. There's an apartment building a couple miles away, a lake over on the north side of town, a hospital that should be close by, heck Elias, there's a ton of places we could search."

Elias nodded, "Ok. How about the hospital? They might have a record of me being there or something."

Ben laughed, "Yea right. That's place has been deserted for a while, remember?"

Elias shrugged, "Can't hurt to check right?"

So the two walked off into the fog, searching for signs of the hospital. Ben pulled out a map from his pocket and inspected it as they walked.

"We're not to far away. Maybe a quarter-mile away," he said looking around him. Elias turned around to look at the car, but it had been swallowed up in the fog.

"Hope we can find our way back," Elias muttered. He saw that they were on a two lane road. There were stoplights and stores, abandoned cars and broken windows. It was a ghost town. They walked on in silence.

"It should be on the next street," Ben said after a while.

Suddenly Elias stopped. Ben turned around and looked puzzled, "What are you doing? Come o-"

Elias cut him off, "Shhh! Listen." Ben listened but heard nothing.

"I don't hear-"

"Listen!" Elias urged.

Ben stood in silence and heard nothing for a few seconds. Then he heard something that made his skin crawl. It sounded like a wailing baby, far off into the fog, crying out as if it was in pain.

"Elias, what is that?" Ben croaked.

"It sounds like a baby, but what is it doing out here in the middle of no where?" Elias whispered.

The wailing continued. The slow steady cry of an infant gave Elias goose bumps. Suddenly it stopped. It was dead quiet.

"What happened?" Ben said. There was fear in his voice.

"I don't know. Maybe it died…whatever it was," Elias said.

"We should press on," Ben said nervously.

Suddenly, only a few feet away from them, the wailing started again. It was much louder and there was more pain in the voice.

"Run!" Ben yelled. He turned around and ran for the hospital with Elias right behind him, the painful cries of an infant right behind them.

The hospital came into view and Ben sprinted for the main entrance. He burst through the pair of double doors and Elias closed them as soon as he was in. He bolted and locked the doors and then leaned against them.

"What the HELL was that?" Ben said gasping for breath.

"Shhhh," Elias said. "It might still be out there."

"Well check," Ben said.

Elias leaned down to look under the doors to see if he could see feet or shadows. He slowly lowered his head and looked under the crack. A face was staring right back at him from under the other side of the door, a yellow eye looking right into his face. Elias screamed and leaped back from the door.

"What!" Ben asked. "What did you see?"

Elias scrambled over to the far wall and sucked in air, his heart thumping in his chest. He tried to calm himself, but the eye looking back at him was burned into his memory.

"What was it?" Ben asked pulling out his knife.

"A…a…a friggin…a friggin FACE!" Elias gasped, trying to steady his voice. "A friggin face was looking at me from under the other side of the door."

Ben shivered, "Something is wrong with this place Elias. I told you, but you didn't listen."

"I listened Ben, I just didn't care," said Elias, standing. He looked around at where they were and saw that they were in the main lobby. The place looked like crap. The walls were dirty and had holes in them, almost all the lights were out except a few that cast a gloomy light off, and the ceiling had some strange yellow fungus growing on it.

"Gross place," Ben said taking in his surroundings.

"How many floors does this place have?" Elias asked.

"I think only three. This place never got many patients," Ben said.

"Shall we start on this floor?" Elias asked. Ben nodded, "Sure."

Elias walked over to the reception desk and looked around for files. There were none to be found. He looked under the desk, but only saw that the wall was burst open and pipes were sticking out. He reached under and pulled off part of a metal pipe.

"What's that for?" Ben asked.

"A little self defense," Elias said with a nervous grin. Suddenly Elias and Ben heard a low moan coming from a dark corner.

"What the hell?" Ben said raising his knife.

The sound came again and into the light walked a tall human looking thing. Its skin was slick and pale, its head was bald and Ben didn't see any eyes, nose, ears, or mouth. Little yellow things covered its arms and to Ben's horror, he realized that they were eyes.

"Kill it!" Ben shrieked. Elias charged forward and smashed the thing on the head. It stumbled backward and let out a moan as Ben stabbed it twice. It was still alive though, so Elias brought the pipe down on its neck. It hobbled once then fell to the ground.

"What kinda place is this?" Elias asked looking at the creature in disgust.

"I don't know, but look at this," Ben said walking over to the corner the thing had come from. Elias saw a little red book with a white piece of paper sticking out from it. Ben picked it up and opened the book.

"What is it?" Elias asked.

"It…it looks like a book of sketched monsters. They all have names and they….they're horrible!" Ben said grimacing.

"What does the piece of paper say?" Elias asked.

"Look at this!" Ben said ignoring Elias, "It's the creature we just killed. It's called a Watcher. It says their weakness is the eyes on their arms. Gross."

"The note Ben, what does it say?" Elias asked.

Ben closed the book and looked at the white piece of paper. It read:

The Dark Master gave me this book today. I feel as if God has blessed us. He has given our Master the knowledge to create wonderful things for him. This makes me very happy. The Master told me to study this book and become familiar with it. I don't know why he wants me to, but I shall obey his holiness.

"That's it?" Elias asked.

Ben folded the paper and nodded, "Yea. I guess the Dark Master has the ability to make these monsters. Creepy. Well, at least we know he's here."

"Come on, let's go," Elias said heading down the first floor hall. Ben nodded and followed. They walked into the first room on the right and found it was empty. They left and walked into the neighboring one.

"Its pitch black in here, I can't see anything," Ben said fumbling for the light. He tripped over something and went crashing to the floor.

You okay?" Elias asked. Instead of an answer, Elias heard a soft cry from a baby. Elias's heart stopped. It was coming from the floor. He heard something slither against his foot and he yelled.

"What the hell?" He ran for the door and almost fell to the ground as he smashed into Ben who was standing up. They found the door and yanked it open. As they were running out Elias glanced over his shoulder and screamed.

A bald baby was crawling on the ground, but instead of a set of legs, it was a giant worm. Half baby half worm, how is that possible? Elias thought as he slammed the door shut behind him.

"Another baby!" Ben said, his voice full of fear.

"See what the book says," Elias said holding the door handle. A clawing sound came from behind the closed door.

Ben pulled out the red book and flipped through it. He found a page and stopped, staring at it in horror.

"A Screamer, half baby half worm. Weak in the chest. Invulnerable on the worm half," He read as his face grew white.

"Let's just move on," Elias said.

They inspected the rest of the rooms on the bottom floor, only to find a something called a health drink. They decided to take it along, just in case. They walked back to the lobby and Elias pushed the elevator button.

"Do we have to?" Ben asked.

"I'm as scared as you Ben, but we have to press on," Elias said.

The elevator dinged and the door opened. The two men walked inside and pressed the 'floor two' button. With a clank, the elevator started up. It went about six feet up before it came to a jerking halt. Ben looked at Elias nervously.

"Just chill Ben. I'm sure-" Elias started, but a hoarse voice cut him off.

"Leave Now! You search for something that is unattainable! You meddle in affairs that will bring you to your death! Silent Hill is watching you."

Elias tried to calm the butterflies in his stomach, "Who are you? Where's the Dark Master? Answer me!" The voice didn't respond, but the elevator started up again.

"Elias. We should leave," Ben whispered.

"No Ben, I have to stay. You can leave if you like, but I would rather not be alone in this town," Elias said as the elevator doors opened. Out of the corner of his eye, Elias saw something slink into the shadows.

"I'm staying right here with you then. But that voice warned us about the evil in this place. We should be careful." Ben said keeping his voice just above a whisper.

"Then let's go," Elias said stepping out into the dark hallway. Something wailed loudly down below them

"Gosh this place scares me," Elias mumbled. They slowly walked forward and saw something fat and pale lying on the ground in front of them.

"What the hell is that?" Ben asked.

Elias walked forward, his metal pipe raised. The thing looked like a bloody albino fat guy. Ben kicked the thing and jumped back. Nothing happened. Elias smashed the things stomach. Nothing.

"Is it dead?" Ben asked.

"I guess so," Elias said poking the thing. Suddenly the creatures belly ripped open with a gurgling tearing sound. White puss spilled out of the belly and then blood followed.

Elias ran forward and smacked the creatures face with his pipe, and the bloody puss flow stopped. Elias turned to see if Ben was okay and saw blood flowing from his hand.

"Ahhhhhh! The friggin white stuff splashed on my hand! It burns! Oh, damn it hurts!" Ben wailed clutching his bleeding hand.

Elias pulled out the health drink and handed it to his friend, "Drink it. I don't know what it'll do, but I'm sure it'll help." Ben tipped the tiny bottle to his lips and drained the contents.

He shuddered in disgust, "Stuff tastes awful!"

"How do you feel?" Elias asked.

Ben looked at his hand, "The pain's gone. I guess that stuff really works."

"Good," Elias said relieved, "You going to be okay?"

Ben nodded, "Yea, come on."
They walked through to the end of the hallway and found that every door was locked tight.

Elias was about to turn back to the elevator when Ben declared, "Hey Elias, look at this note!" Elias turned to see Ben standing in front of a locked door and holding a white note.

"What's it say?" Elias asked.

"It's some kind of riddle. It looks like if we answer this, we can go through this door. Here's the riddle:

It makes you cry

It can make you lie

It can make you scream

It completes my dream

It fills this earth

It occurs at birth

It can make you bleed

And as you read

The end at last

Say my name to find your past."

"Whoa," Elias said scratching his head. "That's a toughie. Any clue?"

Ben sighed and looked over it again, "I don't know. What can make you cry and lie? What completes my dream? What is it that occurs at birth?"

"That 'complete my dream' part really throws me off," Elias said.

"Is it like an object?" Ben asked, "Cause it can make you bleed."

"No, no, cause it fills the earth and happens at birth. Sounds more like something abstract. Like a feeling or emotion," Elias said.

Ben took a death breath, "Oh brother. Deceit? Anger?"

"You ever see a mother who's angry at birth?" Elias asked.

"I guess not," Ben mumbled.

"Son-of-a-bitch I hate friggin riddles," Elias said pounding the wall. He grabbed his hand and let out a yell, "Ouch! Damn it! Friggin wall's made out of cement!"

"That's it!" Ben said, his eyes lighting up, "Pain!" A click sound came from the door and it slowly swung open.

"Glad I could help," Elias said angrily rubbing his smarting hand. They walked inside and on the floor was another white piece of paper.

"Not another riddle," Elias moaned.

"No, it's not," Ben said looking it over, "Here read it." Elias took the piece of paper and read:

The Dark Master was very angry today. He ordered my friend to be tortured to death. I can hear his screams as I lay on my bed writing this. I feel sad. I should not though. He displeased the Master and therefore he deserved to be killed. The Dark Master has beckoned me to the apartments. He says to meet him in room 302. He wants to show me something. I pray the time to resurrect God draws near. I am nervous. May God grant me courage.

Veegal

"I take it we're going to the apartments now?" Ben asked as Elias finished reading.

"Who is Veegal?" Elias asked.

Ben shrugged, "I don't know. Sounds as if he is an important to the Dark Master though."

"Yes he does. Let's head over to the apartments shall we?" Elias asked.

"Sounds good to me," Ben said, "Just as long as I get to leave this hell hole."

Elias and Ben walked cautiously back to the elevator and got inside. Elias punched the button to the first floor and the elevator started the descent. As they were going down, Ben casually glanced at the floor and let out a yell.

"Whoa! Look at this!" He exclaimed Bending down.

"Whatcha got there?" Elias asked curiously.

Ben stood and held up a pistol, "What the heck is this doing here? I didn't see it when we came up."

"Does it work?" Elias asked.

Ben found the button to release the clip and he did so. He inspected it and saw that it was fully loaded, "Looks like it."

The elevator dinged to a halt and the doors opened and the sickening cry of a baby filled their ears. Elias gazed in disgust as he saw three Screamers circling the entrance of the hospital.

"It's those baby worms," Ben whispered.

"Screamers. You got a pistol, use it!" Elias said pushing Ben out of the elevator. The Screamers spotted the two and slowly crawled towards them.

"SHOOT BEN SHOOT!" Elias yelled.

Ben raised his pistol and fired off three shots at the leading Screamer. Two of the shots struck the thing in the chest, the other bounced off the floor. Elias rushed forward and finished the thing off with his steel pipe as Ben directed his aim at the other two. His gun went dry as the last Screamer let out a dying gurgle.

Elias stood over one of the creatures, panting and wiping off his pipe on the baby body. He kicked the corpse with an angry grunt and then spat on it. Ben lowered his smoking gun and slid it into his belt.

"You ok?" He asked.

Elias nodded, "Yea. Let's get out of this place."

They walked to the double doors and exited the hospital. It was still quiet and foggy. Nothing seemed to move. The town only watched them. Ben pulled out the map and started off towards the apartments with Elias close behind him. Far off into the distance Elias heard something laughing in a sick guttural voice.

"I don't even want to know," Ben mumbled trying to shut out the sound.

"Just don't think about it," Elias said. They walked on through the fog, passing frozen shapes that Elias tried not to look at.

"Are those…people?" Ben asked as he stopped seeing one in the near distance.

"Don't look at them," Elias instructed, keeping his eyes trained ahead.

"What happened to them?" Ben asked.

"Look Ben, do you really want to know?" Elias asked, pushing his friend forward. They continued on in silence after that, the laughter still filling their ears. They made a left on a street call 'Hollow Heaven' and Ben announced that they should be getting near. Ten minuets later, the apartment building came into view. They slowly walked to the front door and opened it up. Inside was dark and gloomy, just like the hospital. Ben shuddered as he heard a blood curling scream come from upstairs followed by cynical laughter.

"This place try's to mess with your head," Ben said quietly, "I have heard rumors that the town is alive."

"Let's just search this place okay?" Elias said. He looked around the reception desk area and saw it was covered in blackish rust. In fact, the whole building seemed to be covered in it.

"Check the front desk," Elias instructed Ben.

"For what?"

"Anything."

Ben walked to the counter and looked behind it. To his delight, he found two boxes of ammo. He quickly loaded his gun and stored away the extra. He then shuffled through some boxes and old yellow papers finding only dust. He searched the bottom shelf and saw a metal black box covered in chains.

"Hey Elias look at this," Ben said spotting an old rusty key.

"What is it?" Elias asked walking over.

"An old key. Looks like a room key. Yea here's a number. I can barely make it out. Room 303? No. Room 302," Ben said.

"Should we head towards 302 then?" Elias asked.

"I guess. Didn't that note we found a while ago say something about that room?" Ben questioned.

"Yea. Okay then-hey! There's a note taped to the counter," Elias said leaning over the dusty plastic.

He read out loud:

"I've met with the Dark Master. He showed me something important and told me to lock it away in room 302. He say's I'm the guardian of it. I want to please the Master. I think I'll take refuge in the superintendent's room. That way I'll be able to be close by if something try's to get inside. Something is troubling the Master. He seems to be struggling with something. I feel an urge to stop waiting and resurrect God already. I wish the Master would just do it. I don't know what he's waiting for. I should not question the master. That is a sin. I must go chastise myself.

Veegal

When Elias was finished reading he looked up and asked, "Resurrect God? What is that all about? It also sounds like something important is in room 302."

"So are we going to 302 or what?" Ben asked.

"Not yet," Elias said slowly. "It sounds like this Veegal guy has set a trap for anyone who tries to enter that room. Let's go over to the superintendent's room and see is Veegal still lives here."

Ben shivered at the thought of meeting a potential madman, but he agreed. Suddenly something moved in the far corner of the large reception area. Elias glanced over and saw two anteater-like things crawling towards them at incredible speed. They moved like lizards and seemed to be skinned human's with anteater snouts.

"Slurpers!" Ben yelled. He brought up his pistol and fired off three panicked shots. Only one of them struck the leader. It leapt for Elias's throat after taking the shot to the back and Elias swung his steel pipe in a mad frenzy and managed to make contact. The pipe smashed against the Slurpers neck, causing it to fly against the far wall.

The remaining creature charged Elias and Ben fired a shot into its shoulder before it smashed head first into Elias's stomach.

Elias tumbled backward with a yell, his steel pipe flying. He landed with a thud on his back, the Slurper on top of him. Ben ran forward and dealt the thing a vicious kick to the ribs. A sharp crack ensured he had caused damage. Elias scrambled up and grabbed his steel pipe. He ran over to the squirming Slurper and brought the cold steel down hard over the things head.

The Slurper made no sound. Its head split clean in two, blackish ooze poured from the open head and a small black ball fell out of the bleeding carnage. Elias could only guess it had once been a human brain.

"You ok?" Ben asked shakily.

Elias touched his stomach and winced, "I'll live, but my stomach is in knots." Ben reached into his pocket and pulled out the last health drink they had.

"Drink it," He instructed. Elias gratefully unscrewed the top and drank out the bottle. He let it fall to the ground with a clink and said, "Let's start looking for the superintendent's room."

Ben nodded, wiping his brow. He followed Elias down the hallway and into an adjoining hall that was dimly lit.

Elias was about to say something when a siren started to wail softly. Both men froze, knowing this couldn't be good. The siren steadily grew louder and louder and soon a new sound filled their ears. It was a scraping noise. As if something was being dragged across the floor. Metal. Ben looked back into the reception area and felt a scream crawling up his throat.

A person was walking towards them, his clothes were rags and his skin pale and bloody. Instead of a head though, there was a large black pyramid-shaped object. It had no eyes or ears. Nothing. It was just a smooth black pyramid shaped head. It was dragging a massive six foot knife behind him, its dull rusty blade rubbing on the ground.

Ben raised his pistol and fired two shots. They both deflected harmlessly off the creatures head. Elias turned around and fear seized him. He felt light headed as he turned to run down the hall with Ben right behind him.

The siren screamed in their ears as they ran, trying to escape the creature. Ben felt his heart pounding in his chest the way it does when you're absolutely terrified. It's like when you were a kid and your father had found you had hidden stash of pot. You knew you were in huge trouble, but there was nothing you could do about it.

Elias looked over his shoulder and saw the monster was only a couple feet behind them. It wasn't running though, it was just…there. Elias put on an extra burst of speed that only came when your adrenaline was pounding through your veins. He flew around a corner and stopped dead in his tracks.

A dead end.

Ben smashed into Elias as he sprinted around the corner and when he saw the blank wall facing him, the blood drained from his face. Elias looked to his left and saw a single door. He tried the handle and found the door locked.

"Damn it!" He screamed and kicked at the door in a desperate fury.

The siren had now reached its highest level of noise and was screaming into Ben's panicked ears. He glanced down the hall and saw the shadow of the monster slowly drawing nearer to the Bend. He focused his energy on the door and he helped Elias kick it.

Now the monster was slowly walking around the corner, taking his time as if knowing that this was the end for his prey. The siren howled and the knife scraped loudly on the floor.

With on last vicious kick, Elias managed to smash the door open spraying splinters of wood everywhere.

"Inside NOW!" Elias said grabbing Ben and pulling him in. The monster raised his giant knife and brought it down a hairs breath from where Ben had been standing a moment ago.

Elias slammed the door behind him and Ben grabbed a large dresser and put it in front of the door.

"Find something else! We need more support!" Ben instructed. Elias ran over to the small kitchen table and upended it, glasses and plates smashing to the floor. He dragged it over and put it against the dresser just as the first blow to the door came. The giant knife cut clean through the dresser and split the table in two.

"What now?" Ben yelled his eyes mad with fear.

"Come on!" Elias yelled over the blaring siren, "Into the bed room!" Ben followed his friend into the small cramped bed room. It had a queen sized bed and a small nightstand. Everything was dark and dirty.

"Prop the bed against the door!" Elias yelled tipping it up one end.

"It's not going to do any good!" Ben yelled back.

"WELL WE HAVE TO TRY!" Elias screamed in fury.

Ben ran forward and helped Elias prop the bed up against the door. They could hear the monster smash the front door down and enter the room. Ben covered his ears over the screaming siren.

Elias grabbed the nightstand and jammed it against the bed in a weak attempt to gain more blockage. He knew it wouldn't do any good though. He crawled over the far wall and put his hands over his face. The siren wailed in his ears in long wailing tones. The first pound on the bed room door shook the bed and caused the nightstand to fall to the ground.

Ben was standing in the corner, his eyes red, his gun raised. His heart was pounding in his chest as the second blow to the door caused the bed to shift. He looked over at Elias and saw his face was pale. His hands were shaking as it gripped the steel pipe.

The third blow caused to bed to splinter and crack. Ben sunk to his knees, his gun still pointed at the door. He wouldn't go down without a fight. He would shoot this monster till his gun went dry.

But then, all the sudden, the siren stopped. It was dead quiet. The pounding on the door ceased. Then, slowly, the scraping sound came again. But this time it was getting farther away.

"It's leaving," Elias croaked. And sure enough, the scraping sound of the knife on the floor, faded away until silence took them. Ben put his face in his hands and wept.

Elias slowly stood and just looked at the door. The fear remained with him, that awful feeling of certain death stayed burned in his brain. He almost sank down beside his friend and joined him in his tears. He didn't though. Something in him wouldn't let him. Instead he knelt by Ben and put his hand on his shoulder.

"It's gone Ben. It's gone."

Ben nodded through tears, "I know. I…I…I've never been so scared in all my life! I thought I was going to die! I'm not ready for that."
Elias nodded understandingly and the urge to weep came back three times stronger. He didn't though. Something inside him was denying him access. He helped Ben up and tried to smile.

"You ok?"

Ben nodded, drying his eyes, "Yea. I'm sorry. I feel like such a baby."

Elias took Ben by the shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes, "Ben you are not a baby. There are things in this town that human beings should not have to see. It's a miracle we still have our sanity. It's not bad to be scared of something. Hell, anyone would be scared. I was terrified out of my wits."

Ben smiled and cleared his face, "Thanks. Now come on, let's get out of this room." Elias nodded his agreement and kicked the bed aside. He half expected the monster to still be there, but there was nothing. Ben walked through the door, looking around nervously. He felt scared.

"The superintendent's room has to be here somewhere," Elias said walking out the front door.

The two walked on in silence, searching for the super's room. The dark hallways were gloomy and eerie. Noises drifted through them with no source. Ben kept a firm grip on his pistol. The floor under them squished with every step. Elias glanced down and saw spongy red goo covering the floor. He shivered.

They got to the end of the first floor hall with no success.

"Ug," Ben muttered, "Does this mean we have to go upstairs?"

"I'm afraid so. Come on, I saw a stairway a couple doors back," Elias said retracing his steps.

They reached the stairway and pulled the rusty door open. It creaked and groaned, the screws screeched. Elias walked inside and froze. A large tube-like growth had sprouted from the wall and grew along the metal stairs.

"Gross," Elias muttered. Ben said nothing. They slowly walked around the pulsing red growth and up the stairs. They creaked almost as loud as the door had. They reached the second floor and Elias pulled the door open.

"Well this is odd," Ben said as he looked down the hallway. Fog engulfed the second floor. You could barely see two feet in front of you.

"How is this possible?" Elias asked. "We're inside."

"Are you so sure?" Ben said.

"I can see the ceiling Ben."
Ben shrugged, "I'm just saying man, this town does funny stuff to you."

Elias nodded and started walking down the hall. He inspected a door closely, found it was not the super's room, and continued to the next. A cool breeze flowed through the foggy hallway and Ben clamped his teeth together so they wouldn't chatter.

Suddenly Elias stopped at a door and said, "This is it Ben. Look." Ben leaned forward and saw the door marked "The Superintendents Room. No un-authorized personal." Elias tried the handle and found it unlocked. He pushed the door open and saw that it was even foggier inside. If you stuck your arm out, you wouldn't be able to see your hand.

Elias was about to step in when a low moaning came from the inside. Elias's heart leapt in his chest and his face went pale. The moaning continued in a slow wailing tone.

"I'm not going in there!" Ben whispered fiercely.

"I am. I have to," Elias said taking a step into the fog. Ben tried to grab Elias's arm, but it was lost in the fog.

"Elias!"

Elias slowly walked forward, his steel pipe raised over his head. He was walking towards the moaning. He felt sweat coat his face and his knees were shaky. Suddenly a body loomed out of the mist and Elias yelled.

Sitting in a chair was the most horrible looking man Elias had ever seen. His skin was black and burned and torn in many places, his eyes had heavy metal spikes driven through them, his ears had been stapled shut, his hair had been burned from his head, and his nose had been cut off. Tying him to the chair was glowing hot barbed wire that burned and cut into his skin.

"Holy God," Elias mumbled.

"Save me," The man whispered in a tortured voice.

"Are you Veegal?" Elias asked.

At the sound of Veegal's name, the man's back arched and he howled, the barbed wire glowing even redder. Elias heard Ben screaming something.

The man stopped screaming as the wires went back to there normal hot glow. Fresh blood leaked from the man's wounds.

"Who are you?" Elias asked, his voice shaky.

"I was the superintendent until that demon came," The man moaned.

"Veegal?" Elias asked. The man screamed as the barbed wire grew hotter and dug deeper into his flesh.

"No! NO!" The man screamed, thrashing in the chair.

"Then who!" Elias cried.

"The Lord of Pain, the Eye of Hell, the God of the Underworld. The Dark Master!" The man cried as blood leaked form his mouth.

"Then where is Vee- the guy who used to stay here?" Elias asked.

The man was breathing heavily, "After the Dark Master did this to me, the other man stayed in this room and tortured me some more. He put a curse on me that every time I'd say his name, I'd feel the fires of Hell. He used to sit here and say his name over and over again, all night long."

"Do you know what's in room 302?" Elias asked.

The man suddenly threw up, but bile didn't come out. It was blood and cockroaches. Elias turned away and gagged. When the man was finished, he whisper hoarsely, "A black box. You must open it! I have the key! The key to the black box. It's burned into my heart. YOU MUST GET IT!" The man roared suddenly.

"What's in the black box?" Elias asked intently.

The man leaned forward and whispered, "The key to God."

"What?" Elias asked in disbelief.

"Kill me now, please," the man begged.

'But-"

The man started to weep, "I've been like this for three years. The Dark Master put a curse on me so I'd always hunger and thirst, but never die. Then he made me like this. Kill me. KILL ME!"

Elias felt his eyes growing damp as he ran back out the door and snatched Ben's gun from his hands before he could say a word. He ran back into the room and closed his eyes as he put a bullet into the man's head.

Sobbing, Elias sank to his knees. Ben ran into the room and froze at the sight of the dead mutilated body.

"Oh my god," Ben said softly. Sobbing Elias stood up and plunged his hand into the dead soft flesh.

"What are you doing?" Ben exclaimed.

Elias fished around and then pulled out a bloody golden cross about two inches tall.
"Let's get the hell out of here," Elias cried. Ben took his gun back and slid it into his belt. Bewildered, he followed Elias out of the room and down the foggy hall. Elias seemed to be in a mad frenzy, for he searched every door for the numbers 302 with intense heat. His pace was fast and Ben was falling behind.

"Hey Elias, slow down!" Ben called. Elias didn't seem to hear. He kept searching the doors.

"What's going on?" Ben asked.

Elias stopped suddenly and Ben looked at the door. It was 302. Elias tried the handle and wasn't surprised when he found it locked.

"Do you still have the key?" he whispered.

Ben dug in his pocket and pulled out the rusty key. Elias snatched it and jammed it into the lock. It opened with a squeak. Elias pushed the door open and it banged loudly as he walked inside. There was a closet on his right and the kitchen was on his left. The walls and floor appeared normal, it was the ceiling that made Elias shiver. Thousands of bloody eyeballs covered the ceiling and followed his every move. Sitting on top of a stool, in the middle of the small living room, was a black box. It was covered in golden chains and locked tight with a strange imprinted symbol.

Elias walked forward and pulled out the small golden cross that had been in the superintendent's heart and placed it in the indentation. It fit perfectly. The golden chains slid to the ground. As soon as the little black door clicked open, there was an ear piercing scream that filled the room. Ben covered his ears and looked at the ceiling in horror as the eyes that covered it slowly began to grow and then pop, spilling yellow liquid all over. Ben ran over to the kitchen and ducked under the counter lip, so he wouldn't get splattered. Elias didn't move. He didn't need to. There was a small ring around that box that didn't get wet with the goo. After the last eye had popped, Ben stood to see Elias pull the small door open. Elias bent down and pulled out a creamy white key. It was entirely made of mother-of-pearl and Ben thought it looked like something from the sixteen hundreds.

"What's that for?" Ben asked.

"The end of our journey," Elias said quietly.

"You mean we're getting close?" Ben questioned hopefully.

Elias answered in a quiet voice, "Yes. There is still a piece of the puzzle that's missing though."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"My memory."

Ben nodded, "Oh yea. And the Dark Master. We still gotta find him."

"Yes. Find him and ask him who I am and what I did."

Ben suddenly leaned forward and asked, "Hey Elias, is that a note on the side of that box?"

Elias pocketed the pearl key and looked over to where Ben was pointing. Taped to the side of the box was a note. Elias examined it and read aloud:

I have sealed the box. I feel as if the Master will be pleased with my dedication to the cause. The Master has been very troubled lately. He is…disturbed. When I see him, his face is pale and eyes bloodshot. I asked him when we will start the ritual and resurrect God and he nearly killed me on the spot. It seems to be a touchy subject. I am having very little faith in him any more. I…I'm afraid I must start planning. Things could be bad in the future. I'm afraid my Master will not conduct the ritual and that CANNOT be allowed to happen. I've secretly been attempting to call up demons. I am finding it rather easy. I have complete control over Screamers now. I am going to try Slurpers tonight. And here I thought the Master was so powerful because he can do it. How foolish. I'm going to the cemetery and am going to secure the second key that leads to our Lord. I must stay faithful to God and make sure I remember where I'm going to put the key in case the Dark Master does decide he won't conduct the ritual. That way I can.

Veegal

"Sounds like the Dark Master might have a rebellion on his hands," Ben said.

Elias nodded, "This might be good for us. We could use this to our advantage I'm sure. It sounds like there is another key hidden in the cemetery. We need to get it."

"Why do we need these keys? Where do they lead to? The note says they lead to "our Lord" whoever that is," Ben asked.

"Look, just trust me. I feel like it's important so let's just go ok?"

"You feel like it's important? Or you want it to be important? Look, I'm sick and tired of running around in this God forsaken town ok? I'm tired of it. I'm sick of being scared and SICK of all the horror that awaits us around every damn corner!" Ben burst out in a sudden rage.

Elias was taken back, "Look Ben, Just calm down-"

"CALM DOWN?" Ben roared, "DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! I GOT EVERY RIGHT TO BE PISSED! I'M SICK OF THE TOWN AND I'M LEAVING!"

Elias felt his heart sink, "You're going to leave me?"

"Hell yes! I'm not going to take anymore of this shit. I'm out!" Ben said backing up for the door.

"Ben-"

Ben put his hands up, "Sorry Elias, I'm through. I hope you find out who you are." And with that, he was out the door. Elias closed his eyes and his hands through his hair. Damn. Damn, damn, DAMN.

Elias pulled out his steel pipe suddenly feeling very alone. He had not expected this. Ben still had a gun, he should be fine, but him? All he had was a dinky steel pipe. He took a deep breath, and walked out the door and back downstairs, seeing no sign of Ben. He must have high tailed it out of here pretty fast, Elias thought as he walked past the front desk. He stopped at the front door suddenly. Why am I doing this? He thought. Why am I going off to find this key? What is it going to do?

You must get the key to open the door, a voice inside him said. He didn't know what that meant or where it had come from, but he accepted it, took a deep breath, and headed out the front door.

Ben stumbled on through the dense fog, thoroughly pissed. He wasn't mad at Elias. He was just mad. And scared. He had about two clips left of ammo. He had killed a few Slurpers and at least two Watchers. Those eye covered arms still scared him. He eventually realized that he had, at some point, given the map to Elias. He had tried going back to retrieve it, but found himself lost in the fog.

"Why do I do this to myself," Ben mumbled, not really knowing what he meant. He looked down at the ground, seeing he was still on the road. He had been walking for about forty-five minuets. He wasn't going to admit he was lost. He wasn't going to let the fear in.

Shit, Ben thought, shiiiiiit. He continued walking on, when suddenly, the road just ended. Ben looked at the ground and saw dirt. He quickly turned around, with the intention of going a different way, when he saw that the road was gone. One minuet it was there, the next it was gone. Ben's heart rate fluttered and he ran around franticly looking for asphalt, but only finding dirt.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT WITH ME?" Ben screamed into the fog. The wind ruffled through Ben's hair and silence followed.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT YOU BASTARDS!" Ben screamed again. Suddenly a light appeared in the distant. A faint white light.

What's this now? Ben thought. He slowly walked towards the light, but it seemed to get farther away as he advanced. He started to trot towards the light, and then sprint. He ran over the hard packed dirt, his feet pounding it as he ran for what he knew was his only hope.

Suddenly he skidded to a halt, catching his balance before he fell into the lake. Toulcan Lake. This is where the light had led him? The light continued to glide over the water until it disappeared.

"So what now!" Ben yelled. "You got me here! Are you going to kill me! Mutate me? I've HAD IT with this town, you here me! I don't give a SHIT to what happens to me!"

"Oh yes you do."

Ben spun around, whipping out his pistol. There stood a man in a dark cloak, ragged with age. A rope was tied around the man's waste and sandals were on his feet. He had a clean look to him and his short black hair was slicked back. His blue eyes shone brightly.

"You do care what happens to you, and so does God," The man said quietly.

"SHUT UP!"

The man took a step back at Ben's sudden outburst.

Ben cocked the pistol and yelled, "I'm sick and tired of this town! I don't want to hear anything about God or the Dark Master or ANYTHING!"

"Please, violence will not get the answers you seek," The man said.

"Oh yea? And what if I don't want any friggin answers!" Ben yelled.

The man smiled good naturedly, "You want answers Ben."

Ben took a step forward, his eyes narrowing, "How'd you know my name?"

"I've been watching you Ben," The man said folding his hands, "You and Elias. You seek to know why Elias was attacked and who did it."

"We know who did it," Ben said, still unsure of this man, "It was the Dark Master. We want to know why."

The man nodded, "Ah yes, the Dark Master of course. Ben…I need your help."

"What?"

"I need your help," the man repeated patiently, "Things are going to get very bad if you don't do something."

Ben rolled his eyes, "They're already bad."

The man took a step forward, "They're going to get worse. The Dark Master is going to resurrect the Devil soon."

"Wait wait wait," Ben said, his head spinning, "The notes said the Dark Master was going to resurrect God not the Devil. And plus it sounded like he was having doubts about the whole thing."

"He's going to do it!" The man said fiercely, "He is going to do it. This town is evil. The cult members see the Devil as their god and call him that."

"So what do you want me to do about it?" Ben asked.

"You must stop the resurrection," The man said.

"How? All's I have is a gun. What's that going to do against powerful cult members who can summon demons?" Ben asked.

"You must find Elias and stop him from using the keys," the man said.

"And what if I don't? It's not like Elias is going to resurrect the Devil. First of all, he can't. Secondly, he's not that stupid," Ben said.

"No. He is not stupid. But he will try to open the door and if that happens…all is lost. You must go to him and make sure he doesn't open the door. If he does things could get very very bad," the man said.

"So where is Elias?" Ben asked.

"He's on his way to the subway station."

"What?" Ben said. "Why?"

"He has already found the second key and is headed for the last one."

"Wait! Three keys? I thought there were only two," Ben said confused.

"No. The third lies in the subway station. You must meet him there, get the key, and then destroy them all for good!"

"Fine. I'll do it. But one question. Who are you?" Ben said.

The man smiled and pulled up his hood, "I'm a messenger." And with that, he slowly faded into the fog.

"Son of a bitch," Ben mumbled.

"Gotcha!" Elias said as he held up the dirty key. He scraped the dirt from it and saw it was made out of mother-of-pearl just like the first key. He climbed out of the three foot hole and brushed the dirt from his pants. Veegal sure had done a good job of hiding it. It still disturbed him a little that he knew exactly where to dig. He had arrived at the cemetery about forty minuets ago and had walked straight to the spot where there was a statue of weird angel creature, and had started digging with his bare hands and his steel pipe (which had broke about half-way through). Forty minuets later, he had dug up the key.

"So what now?" Elias asked himself.

The subway. Go to the subway.

Elias shook his head. Where had that come from? Subway? What?

The third key. You must get it. You have to open the door.

Elias sank to his knees, almost falling back into the hole, clutching his head. It hurt. What was going on? A third key?

The subway. Go to the subway. You must open the door. It's the only way.

Only way to what? Elias squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the voice in his head. Leave me alone, Elias thought.

Open the door and the power of God will give you back your memory.

Give me back my memory? I'll get it back?

Yes. God is good and he wants you to have your memory back.

Why?

All the answers are through the doorway. Go to the subway and retrieve the final key.

Will I find the Dark Master if I do this?

Oh yes. You will find him.

Elias stood up suddenly. I'll do it, he thought, I'll get the key and open the door. I'll confront the Dark Master and get my memory back.

Ben continued on through the fog, not really knowing where he was going. He really wished he hadn't given Elias the map. Ben looked at a broken sign and could make out the word "sub". The rest was covered in rust. Ben walked on down the street, hoping he was going the way the sign was pointing. If it even had an arrow on it. He had his gun in his hand, ready to shoot at anything that moved. So far, nothing had bothered him. Well, not physically anyway. Mentally yes. He could here a voice, barely audible, calling his name in the distance. It sounded like Elias. He shivered and hurried off in the opposite direction.

He was still walking down the street, hoping he was going in the right direction, when suddenly everything around him went black. Ben's heart thumped in his chest as he was immerged in total darkness. He couldn't even see his hand in front of his face. What the hell was going on? Ben realized the child had stopped calling his name and was now screaming at the top of his lungs. Ben could feel panic taking over his mind.

Then he heard something that tipped him over the edge. A siren started wailing all around him. Ben screamed and darted into the blackness, not caring where he was going, but just trying to escape what he knew would come next. He smashed into something and after a few frantic moments of feeling what it was, he realized it was a dumpster. Perfect. Ben opened the lid, using his hands to feel where it was since he couldn't see, and dove inside. He landed with a squish inside the dumpster and he could only guess what he had landed on.

He didn't care though. Anything to get away from…it. And that's when it started. The loud metal scraping sound, slowly being dragged. It was Pyramid Head. Ben shut his eyes and prayed hard, listening to the sound of Pyramid Head's massive knife scrape along the road.

Something banged against the dumpster and Ben almost screamed, but barley managed to hold it in. The scraping sound was just outside of the dumpster now. Ben cocked his pistol and was about to fire when the screaming siren stopped. Faint rays of light were coming from the cracks. The scraping noise had stopped. Ben peeked out of the lid and saw that the fog had returned and Pyramid Head was no where to be seen. Ben glanced back into the bottom of the dumpster and his heart almost stopped. What the squishing sound was, was a skinless naked boy who was staring at Ben with bloodshot eyes.

"Why didn't you answer my brother?" It asked. Ben fell out of the dumpster, screaming, and ran off down the road.

He didn't stop for at least fifteen minuets, constantly checking over his shoulder to see if anything was chasing him. Fog.

Ben came to a halt, breathing heavily, hands on knees. What was it talking about? Ben thought. Answer his brother? Was his brother the one who was calling my name earlier? The town did not respond.

"Will you stop messing with my head!" Ben yelled, his voice full of fear. "I can't save this town! I'm just a man with a gun!"

Ben he was could've sworn he was imagining it, but he thought he heard someone laughing. He shook it off and turned around, almost falling down a flight of stairs. Ben caught his balance and looked up. There was a sign there marked "Silent Hill Subway."

Thank God, Ben thought. He wondered if Elias was already down there. It looked dark. He couldn't see the bottom of the stairs.

He had gone down only one step when blazing heat flowed up the cement stairs followed by blinding red light and a deep un-human roar. Ben lost his balance and tripped, falling down the stairs, each step getting hotter.

Ben was screaming as he smashed, face first into the last stair. He hit the ground hard and rolled against a wall just as the heat ceased and the light faded. Ben lay in a heap, tears of pain rolling down his face. He felt blood leaking from his hair. His focus was becoming blurry. He looked at his skin, convinced he would find it black and burned, but he found it normal.

Groaning, Ben stood up. He steadied himself before gingerly touching his head. He winced as his fingers made contact. He had come damned close to splitting his head clean in two. He tore off part of his shirt and wrapped it gently around his head. He prayed the bleeding would stop.

He finished tying the cloth and realized that his handgun had melted.

Oh no, Ben thought, I'm screwed now. I need a weapon. He scanned his environments, but only saw empty soda cans and trash. It was gloomy down here. A couple cement pillars supported the room and a few vending machines lined the walls. The floor was like everything else. Cement.

"Elias!" Ben shouted. Was he even down here? "ELIAS!"

Silence.

Ben shivered. Something about this place was bothering him more so then the other places he had been. Something about the air. It seemed…alive.

"Elias where the hell are you!" Ben shouted again, feeling claustrophobic. Ben walked to the edge of the platform and looked down into the subway rail that was about two feet into the ground. He looked up and his heart leapt. A man was standing in a pitch black robe, his hood shadowing his face, and he was staring straight at Ben.

Ben was about to stammer something when a roaring sound came from the tracks. Out of the dark subway tunnel, a train shot through the station. Ben stared at it in horror as it flew by. In each and every window, Pyramid Head stared at him.

When the train was gone, so was the man on the other side. Ben sank to his knees, curling up. He lay on the cold ground as his heart hammering in his chest, his eyes wide with fear.

Then Ben heard it.

Ccckkkkk…ccckkk…ckkkk.

Scraping.

A knife.

Pyramid Head.

Ben looked up, his eyes red, and saw him slowly limping towards him, the giant knife it was holding scraping on the ground.

"Come on and kill me you FUCKER!" Ben screamed. It walked closer, now only twenty feet away.

"Do me a favor and end my life!" Ben screamed again, still on the ground. Fifteen feet.

"I'm not afraid of you! KILL ME PLEASE!" Ben roared.

Pyramid Head paused.

"What now that I want you to kill me you don't!" Ben cried. It didn't move.

"JUST DO IT!"

A gunshot echoed through the subway station. Pyramid Head roared as blood squirted out of its shoulder. It turned to leave and was hit four more times in the back, blood flowing freely. It cried out and limped away, its painful cries fresh in Ben's ears.

Ben looked towards the subway stairs and saw Elias lowering a smoking revolver.

"Get up Ben."

"Where did you come from?"

Elias walked to Ben's side and hauled him up by the scruff of his neck, "Get-up."

"What the hell is your problem? Get off me!" Ben said, pissed at Elias's gruffness.

"Time grows short Ben. We need to find the third key," Elias said reloading his

Revolver.

"Well yea, but chill out!" Ben retorted.

Elias looked at him square in the face, "I just saved your life. So shut the hell up and stop whining."

Ben's face twisted into hurt, "Geez…."

"We need to get on the train," Elias continued. "It will lead us to the third key."

"How do you know?" Ben asked quietly.

"The town told me."

"The town?"

Elias looked sideways at Ben and gave him a cool look.

"So where's the train?" Ben asked.

"It's coming."

Sure enough, a few seconds later, the subway roared through the dark tunnel and into the station, coming to a screeching halt in from of Elias. The doors opened by themselves and Elias stepped on board.

Grumbling, Ben followed. The doors closed behind him and he took a seat across from Elias. Elias put his head back and closed his eyes, drifting off into his memory of what happened before he showed up at the station.

The fog surrounded Elias like a blanket of fear. He checked his map again and saw he was supposed to take a right at the last street. Grumbling, he turned around and walked back down the street. He felt so alone. He wished Ben was with him. This place was getting to him.

He found the street he was suppose to take and went down it. His footsteps echoed dully through the fog. He felt as if someone was watching him. The air seemed thick, as if he was wading through pudding. Or maybe it was fatigue. He hadn't slept in God knows how long. He didn't dare. Who knows what might creep up on him as he slept.

Suddenly a person loomed out from the fog. Elias screamed and turned to run, seeing it was a mutilated body of a child when it called out to him.

"Don't run brother!"

Elias didn't know why, but he stopped. He slowly turned to see the child had no skin. His bleeding muscles were burned and charred. His bloodshot eyes were filled with pain.

"What are you doing here?" the boy asked.

"W-who are you," Elias croaked, keeping his distance.

The boy looked deeply hurt, "Oh Elias…don't tell me you've forgotten about me! After all I did for you?"

Elias was lost for words, "I-I lost m-my memory…I while ago…I-I'm trying to figure out who I am. I'm trying to find the Dark Master."

The boy looked confused, "You don't remember anything? And you're trying to find the Dark Master? I don't think you'll find him." The boy said this with a mocking tone.

"Why not?"

"Let me ask you this, what will you do if you if you find him?"

"Ask him why he screwed me over! I lost my memory because of that!" Elias answered.

"Then you…you don't remember…what I did for you?" the boy asked.

Elias shook his head, "I'm sorry…no."

The boy looked like he was about to die, "ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT ALL MY SUFFERING IS FOR NOTHING?"

Elias winced as blood squirt out from the boys neck, "Are you saying…you're like that…because of me?"

"YOU DID THIS TO ME!" The boy screamed, bloody tears welling up in his eyes.

Elias sank to his knees, his throat refusing oxygen to his brain, "I…I did that to you?" He whispered hoarsely. What kind of monster was he?

"DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH PAIN I'M IN? ALL FOR NOTHING! I'M STUCK LIKE THIS FOR ETERNITY ELIAS! ALL-FOR-NOTHING!" The boy screamed, bloody tears leaking from his eyes and joining the other streams of blood running off his cheeks.

"Why?" Elias whispered, tears of anguish running down his own cheeks.

"To open the door Elias…it was all to open the door….please brother…open the door…for me…please…" the boy trailed off.

"I was going to open the door?" Elias asked.

"You were here before Elias…a while ago…I was with you…please…open the door…"

"What's behind the door? What will I find!"

The boy looked at him, "You will find all your answers brother. You will get your memory back, you'll find the Dark Master, you'll see God!"

Elias could see the excitement through the boy's tears. He nodded, "Ok. I'll do it. For you…brother."

The boy smiled and said, "Thank you. Here. Take these. You'll need them for your journey." He handed Elias a revolver and a Desert Eagle. Elias took them and slid them into his belt.

"Goodbye brother," the boy said. He walked backward until he was completely engulfed in fog.

Elias set his jaw. He was going to open that door. To take that boy out of his anguish. He wondered what he had done. Why had he one that to the boy? His brother?

He suddenly felt an urge to be back with Ben more than ever. He filled his lungs and screamed Ben's name over and over again. Silence.

Suddenly, everything around Elias went dark. Pitch black. He couldn't see his own hand in front of his face. He scrambled around, trying to pull out his revolver and calm his racing heart went something wet touched his shoulder. Elias screamed and wriggled away from it.

A siren slowly started to howl, filling his ears, consuming them, feeding on them. Elias turned to his left and ran blindly through the pitch blackness, not caring where he was going, just trying to get away.

"Stop it! Please stop it!" He screamed, panicked tears flowing down his face. His adrenaline was spiking and his heart seemed to be punching holes through his chest. He was about to put the gun to his head and pull the trigger when the siren stopped and the darkness lifted.

"What the hell?" Elias panted, looking around him. His heart steadied to a dull thud and looked at a street sigh. "Butchers Way". He pulled out his map and saw that the subway was only a couple hundred feet down the street. He started walking towards it when he heard a voice yell out through the fog.

"Come on and kill me you FUCKER!"

Ben. That was defiantly Ben.

Elias sprinted now, seeing through the fog, the stairs leading down to the station. Ben was screaming something still. Elias flew down the stairs and saw Ben on the ground and Pyramid Head only a couple yards away from his.

Elias brought up his revolver and put five bullets into the creature.

"Hey Elias."

Elias's eyes snapped open. He looked around him and saw he was on the subway. He must have dozed off in his thoughts.

"What?"

Ben pointed out the window, "Look."

Elias stood and looked out the window. "What the flaming hell…"

The train was passing through a field of brightly colored flowers and green grass, the sun shone brightly through the windows and a blue sky smiled at them. Elias pressed his face against the glass and saw that the paradise stretched for miles upon miles.

"How long have we been here?" Elias asked, bewildered.

"I woke you as soon as we arrived. It was all darkness until we entered this field," Ben said, equally amazed.

"Good Lord, where are we?" Elias muttered.

"I thought you knew where we were going?" Ben asked.

Elias shook his head, "I just know that when this train stops, we'll get the third key."

Ben nodded as a butterfly passed the window, "Care to explain how you know this? How the 'town told you'?"

Elias rolled his eyes, "Shut up Ben. If I told you, you'd think I was crazy."

"Try me."

Elias sighed, "Fine. I heard…a voice in my head. Telling me where to go next. It speaks to me. It told me where to dig in the cemetery and I didn't even know it."

"You're possessed?" Ben asked surprised.

"No," Elias snapped, "it's just a voice. I didn't even want to tell you about this so just drop it ok B-"

Before Elias could finish his sentence, everything went dark. The field of flowers was gone and the blue sky disappeared.

"Ah sh-" Ben started, but was cut off as the train emerged into a fiery hell. Elias felt his lungs stop momentarily as the train passed the scene below them.

They were in some sort of massive cavern with lakes of fire here and there. The train was crossing an old bridge and far below them were hundreds of thousands of black cloaked men who where standing in perfect rows, chanting the same word, over and over and over again.

The word was "resurrection."

"Oh my gosh, Elias…is…is this hell?" Ben whispered.

Elias didn't answer. His eyes were perplexed on the scene below him. Something about it terrified him and chilled his blood. It was all so…real. He felt as if the resurrection was going to happen. That it was inevitable. And the thing that scared him the most was…he wanted the Devil to be resurrected.

"Elias?"

Elias snapped out of his trance as Ben touched his shoulder. He looked at Ben and surprisingly found no fear in his eyes. Elias looked at Ben's hand and saw it was tightly gripping his gun. So what emotion was flowing through his head? Contempt? Disgust? Anger? Elias decided it didn't really matter.

"I don't want to look at it any more," Elias said turning away and sitting down.

Ben sat beside him and put an arm on his shoulder, "It'll be over soon."

Elias chuckled dryly, "Oh so now you're the one trying to comfort me? When did that happen?"

Ben chuckled along with him, but it was an empty laugh. He was surprised to find that he wasn't freaking out. Why was that? He wondered. Was it because he had stared death in the face so many times since he arrived at Silent Hill that he was used to it? No…death was death. You didn't just stop being afraid of it. Then what was it? He found that some of the fear was driven away because he had a Desert Eagle in his hand. He knew enough about guns from video games to know that a Desert Eagle was one powerful pistol.

But that wasn't why he was unafraid. He thought it was because when he had looked at Elias, he had seen fear. Someone needed to be strong and keep a level head or else they both would end up dead real fast. Ben smiled. He was slowly realizing the more he thought about it that he had the qualities of a leader. When things were out of control, he wasn't afraid to take the lead. The town had brought this feature out of him. This one good thing.

"If you don't stop smiling Ben, so help me God, I'll shoot your freakin head off."

Ben chuckled and nudged Elias in the ribs, "Yea right. I'm just trying to figure out what's going on here."

"So you were smiling? Did that help the thought process?" Elias asked raising an eyebrow.

"I was thinking of all the good that could come out of this situation," Ben said.

Elias snorted, "You're crazy."

Ben stood up, not looking out the window on purpose, and said, "You've gotta think of the bright side Elias or we're both going to get drowned in the nightmare!"

Elias stood up, suddenly angry, and got right up in Ben's face, "Listen close Ben. I'm only going to say this once, so listen the FUCK up. The only thing good that's going to come out this, is if I get my memory back and if I get to stick my big ass revolver down the Dark Master's throat and watch him scream as I pull the damn trigger!"

Ben took a step back, "Whoa! What the hell has gotten into you Elias? Where's the nice guy who came to my door all bloodied up? What has this town done to you?"

"The only thing this town has done to me is piss me off," Elias growled.

Ben shook his head, "If we're going to get through this, you need to calm down! Right now! Cause I'm not going to stand by and let you get us killed cause you're pissed!"

Elias sat back down and put his head in his hands, "Just shut up Ben. I'm scared, ok. I'm sick of being in this town and I just want to leave."

"Then why don't we?" Ben yelled. "We don't HAVE to go on! As soon as this train stops, we can just walk away!"

Elias stood up again, the fire back in his eyes. He leaned close to Ben and growled through his teeth, "Is that what you want Ben? To just leave me again? Like you did before? Ok sure…it's not your memory you're trying to get back. So go ahead Ben! You leave!"

Ben pushed Elias away from him, "I'm not going to leave you again! But we can leave together!"

Elias shook his head, "You just don't get it, do you, you stupid fat son of a bitch. This is MY memory! My life! I want to know why the Dark Master screwed with me and then I want to kill the bastard! I want him to beg on his knees for forgiveness before I put a bullet in his head!"

Ben quickly stepped forward and pulled out his pistol.

"What the hell are you-" Elias started, but Ben brought the butt of his gun down before he could finish. Elias crashed to the floor unconscious. Ben reached down and took his revolver, sliding it into his own belt loop.

What the hell was wrong with Elias? What brought on this sudden outburst? Ben sat down, leaving Elias on the floor, and put his face in his hands, the black cloaked men still chanting in his ears.

Silent tears rolled down Ben's face. Elias's words had stung. He felt hurt, but that wasn't why he was crying. He was crying because was alone. Elias had turned into some kind of animal. As soon as they found the third key, Ben was destroying it. He didn't want anything to do with the Door. It could stay shut forever.

Suddenly the chanting stopped. Ben looked up and saw that they had passed through the monstrous cavern. They were…underwater? Ben stood up and looked out the window. Yes, they were defiantly underwater. The water outside the windows was dark and murky. Ben could see that they were in a glass tube with train tracks in it headed for who knows where.

I wonder if we're passing through Toulcan Lake? Ben thought. He walked back to his seat and sat down, watching Elias's limp body bounce around with every bump. He held no pity for him. If he was going to act like an idiot, he was going to get treated like a piece of luggage.

He leaned his head back and breathed in deeply. He wanted the all to be over. He was tired of his emotions bringing him down. He hated this place. He was angry with what it was doing to Elias. He knew that this wasn't what Elias was like in real life. He was a nice guy.

Suddenly the train jerked to a halt. Ben glanced out of the window and saw that they were in some sort of cavern. Elias slid forward and bumped his head against a seat.

"Ow…shit where am I?" he asked standing up and rubbing his aching head.

"The train stopped."

Elias looked at Ben, "Why the hell did you hit me?"

Ben said nothing. He walked to the train door and was about to exit when Elias grabbed his arm.

"Hey! I'm asking you a question! Why'd you hit me?"

Ben spun around and snapped, "Because you were acting like a complete dick."
Elias shook his head, "Hey I'm sorry, but I meant what I said. Now give me back my gun."

"In your dreams."

Elias grabbed Ben by his collar and shoved him hard against the wall. He leaned in close and whispered fiercely, "Ben…give me the gun NOW."

"How do I know you won't shoot me?" Ben asked wincing as his back was driven into bolt.

"You don't know. You have to trust me."

"AND WHY WOULD I DO THAT?" Ben roared suddenly pushing Elias off him. "YOU'VE TREATED ME LIKE SHIT EVER SINCE WE GOT ON THIS TRAIN!"

Elias stumbled back onto the seats and sat down hard. He looked stunned, "Sorry Ben. I-I don't really know what my problem is…I just want to open the Door and get out of here."

"You don't know what your problem is?" Ben mocked, "Well I do. It's this town. This voice in your head you talk about? It's this town! It's inside your head and if we don't leave now, then you'll turn into some sort of monster who can never go back!"

Elias stood up, quiet now, and said, "I'm sorry Ben…you're probably right…about everything." He paused and looked into Ben's face with red rimmed eyes, "It's all I got left Ben. There's nothing waiting for me if I go back."

Ben sighed heavily, "Elias…it…it might be better if we just left. You could start a new life. A family. You don't need the past to live the future."

Elias walked to the doorway of the train and looked out into the small stone cavern. It was empty and desolate. A tunnel led off into the darkness.

He looked back at Ben and begged, "Please. I need to know. Please…please."

Ben walked to Elias and slid the revolver out of his belt, "take this. If we're going to get to the end of this…we might need this. But promise me one thing. You will not resurrect the Devil. No matter what you think, you can not do that. Ok?"

Elias took the revolver with a slight smile, "It never even crossed my mind."

A stone cold lie. And they both new it. They exited the train and walked slowly down the dark tunnel. It was cold. A breeze blew gently at them from the far end of the tunnel.

"Must lead outside," Elias mused.

Ben shivered, "It'd be fine with me."

The passage twisted and turned for miles. They two men walked down it for a good two hours before they saw the night sky. With a sigh of relief they walked into the night air.

They were on a rocky cliff overlooking Toulcan Lake.

Ben's breath caught as he looked out over the water.

"It's…beautiful," he whispered. Everything was calm. A full moon glowed down on the lake, igniting the water with bright reflections. It appeared as if the water was sparkling with a million tiny lights.

"In all this death and horror, there's something beautiful to be found," Ben said softly. He looked over at Elias and saw him taking something from the stony cliff wall.

"You find it?"

Elias pocketed the third key and nodded. Ben saw it had been placed in the smooth stone with fancy engravings around it. Words were written in the stone. Ben leaned forward and read.

In the night, beauty glows

In the day, darkness shows

Embedded in stone, lies the third key

Our holy God you soon shall soon see

"So this is it?" Ben asked when he was done reading.

"We're close Ben. I can feel the Door calling me…I can feel something else…calling me…pulling me," Elias said distantly.

"Where are we supposed to go?" Ben asked seeing the far of look in Elias's eyes.

"That way," Elias answered pointing to a tunnel that Ben hadn't seen before. Maybe it had opened up when Elias had taken the key.

"Shall we go?" Elias asked.

Ben nodded. They walked to the tunnel and entered. It twisted and turned for what seemed like miles. Torches lit the grimy walls and Ben tried not to look too closely at them. Something about the way they shifted in the shadows. Ben blocked them out and focused on pushing forward.

He looked over at Elias and saw a light in his eyes. He looked excited. Ben didn't know what he was going to do when they reached the door. He knew they shouldn't open it, but Elias's memory was supposedly sealed behind the door. Was he going to deny access to that? But the man he had met by the lake had warned him severely not to open the door or things would get very bad.

After they had been walking for about an hour, they came to the end of the tunnel. There as a small wooden door.

"Is this the door?" Ben asked.

Elias shook his head, "No. This leads to the chapel."

"How do you know?"

"The town told me," Elias whispered. He reached for the door knob and twisted it. The hinges creaked loudly as Elias pushed the door open. He peered inside and saw that they were looking into a sanctuary.

"You're right," Ben muttered as he followed Elias inside. It was a small chapel. Wooden rows of pupils lined the room and a white marble alter stood near the front. The walls were lined with grotesque pictures of murder and torture. Candles lit the room, giving off a soft white glow.

"There it is Ben."

Ben looked at Elias and saw he was pointing to the far wall, behind the alter. Ben gasped. A large heavy steel door was embedded into the wall. Massive chains covered the door and three thick steel bars ran horizontally across it. Not only was the door heavily enforced, but it was big also. It stood about eight feet tall and four feet wide. Three white key holes were in the door, in a triangle formation.

"The time has come!" Elias said rushing towards the door, digging in his pockets for the keys.

"Wait Elias!" Ben called out.

Elias didn't slow, he ran for the door and was about to put in the first key, when a voice echoed throughout the chapel.

"STOP!"

Elias skid to a halt and turned to see who had spoken. It wasn't Ben. A man in a dark robe was standing by the far wall, his face was white and his eyes bulgy.

"Who are you?" Elias asked.

The man didn't move. He seemed paralyzed, his eyes darting this way and that, constantly licking his thin lips.

"I asked you a question!" Elias yelled, "Are you the Dark Master! ANSWER ME!"

The man shrunk back in fear, covering his head with his hands, "No! No! I am not the Dark Master!"

"Then who are you?" Elias yelled again feeling little patience.

"You don't know?" the man asked.

"How the HELL would I know?" Elias asked.

"You loose your memory?" the man piped, as if afraid of the answer.

"What do you know about that?" Elias asked, his eyes narrowing.

The man shrunk back again, "Nothing! Please! I…I just thought you would recognize me since…never mind."

"Since what?" Elias asked, stepping forward.

"Do you have the three keys?" the man asked.

"And what if I do?" Elias asked.

"Then you plan to open the door?" The man asked, his voice rising in excitement.

"What's behind there?" Ben asked suddenly.

The man looked at Ben, as if seeing him for the first time, "Your answers to what's been going on. Elias's memory. And…and that's all."

"How'd you know my name?" Elias asked. The man only smiled and pointed to the door.

"What's your name?" Elias asked.

"Veegal."

Ben took a step forward, "Hey! You're the guy who's been writing notes all over the place!"

"You found my notes?"

"Where's the Dark Master, Veegal?" Elias yelled.

"Behind the door."

Elias took a step forward toward the door, but Ben called out, "No Elias! Wait! Don't you remember what else is behind the door? The Devil!"

Veegal nodded, "No…it's God. He's the only one who can bring back your memory Elias. You must open the door to get your answers."

Elias nodded and inserted the first key. He twisted it and heard a soft click.

"No Elias! This isn't right!" Ben called.

Elias put in the second key and another click followed.

"NO! Elias stop! Please! Your memory isn't worth this!"

The third and final key went into the lock.

"NO!"

Click.

Veegal's face was radiating as the metal bars slid off and the heavy chains crashed to the ground. Elias slowly grasped the cold door handle and pulled it open.

"NOOOO!" Ben was screaming, rushing forward.

Elias pushed the door all the way open and everyone in the room froze. Inside was a small room with heavy machinery filling it. Metal tubes and wires ran from the ceiling and electrical cables twisted around them.

They all led to one thing. A small red sack with a black writhing baby inside.

"My Lord!" Veegal yelled sinking to his knees in joy.

Elias just stood there. His mind was spinning as if everything in his life was a water color painting and someone had come along and mixed up the colors. He closed his eyes and grinded his teeth when something slammed into his head.

He didn't fall back, and he realized that nothing physical had hit him. He suddenly cried out and clutched his head. It felt as if a freezing ocean was being poured into his brain. His memories were returning. Flashes of the past, his childhood, happiness, love.

But then something hit him like a million pound sledge hammer.

Elias opened his eyes in horror at the realization.

Pure horror.

Elias sank to his knees and felt his throat. He couldn't breath. His heart had stopped. The un-believable horror was just too much.

"Oh my God," Elias whispered, "I'm the Dark Master." He felt tears leaking down his face as he leaned over and threw up black ooze.

Ben took a step back, over come at the sight of the little devil baby and Elias's sudden outburst. He looked over at Veegal and saw him smiling. Ben pulled out his gun and ran to Elias's side.

He was still barfing up black goo when Ben took him by the shoulders and looked him in the eyes. Ben fell back. Elias's eyes were cut vertically down the middle and black ooze was leaking from them.

"What the hell is going on?" Ben screamed at Veegal.

"The resurrection of my Lord," Veegal said smiling.

"No!" Ben screamed standing up. Elias fell on his side and black ooze leaked from his nose.

Ben looked in the door and saw that the red sack with the Devil in it had grow. It was now the size of a beach ball.

"NO!" Ben screamed. He ran inside and looked around franticly for some way to stop the re-birth.

He aimed his pistol for the machinery and shot at it. Cables snapped, and wires sparked, but the sack kept growing.

"You can't stop it!" Veegal laughed.

Ben looked around for some sort of power button, but saw nothing. His mind was racing and his heart pounding. He looked back over at Elias and his skin was beginning to split and black ooze was pouring out of him.

Ben knew he had to stop this now. He did the last thing he wanted to. He ran over to the sack and plunged his arm into the red pulsing goo.

"STOP!" Veegal screamed, suddenly standing up.

Ben grinded his teeth as he felt the weight of Hell rush through his body. He shut his eyes and focused on what he was doing. He wiggled his arm deeper into the sack and his hand grasped the charred black skin of the Devils throat. Ben's back arched and he screamed his lungs raw as the inside of his head exploded with pain.

He blinked back tears of pain as he slowly squeezed the tiny throat.

"Stop it! STOP!" Veegal screamed rushed forward. Ben looked over his shoulder to see Veegal charging, but Elias semi-consciously reached out his hand and tripped him. Ben saw that Elias's forehead was now splitting open and black goo was leaking from it.

Ben squeezed harder on the throat, feeling the tiny spine snapping. Ben increased his grip, digging his finger nails deep into the charred skin, feeling as if his head slowly being turned inside out. He realized he was screaming as the tiny head was torn free from its body.

Ben flew back, pulling his arm out of the sack and collapsing on the floor.

"NO! YOU"VE KILLED HIM! YOU KILLED HIM!" Veegal was screaming, kicking Elias away.

The room shook and the machinery caught fire. Ben scrambled to his feet, tossing the Devil's head onto the ground and running to the door. He kicked Veegal in the face and pulled Elias away.

He leaned against the door and slowly closed it as the machinery sparked and caught fire. Just as Ben shut the door, an explosion destroyed the room. Ben leaned against the door, feeling the heat blaze through it.

He slunk to the ground, and sighed a heavy sigh of relief. He looked over at Elias and saw his skin was reforming itself and the black ooze and stopped leaking from him.

Ben stood and grabbed Veegal by the hair and threw him against the wall hard. Veegal screamed as Ben punched him then tied him up using his own robe.

He went back over to Elias and rolled him over, "How you feeling?"

Elias's eyes were red and tears rolled down his face, "I did this Ben. I did this. I'm the Dark Master. I'm him…" he trailed off sobbing.

Ben sunk to the ground next to him, the weight of the news crushing him. Elias was the Dark Master? Elias? But that was impossible!

He stood up suddenly and stormed over to Veegal. He hoister him up and dragged him over to Elias.

"You are going to tell me exactly what's going on!" Ben roared.

Veegal nodded, "Yes, yes! Please! Don't hurt me!"

Ben punched him roughly and yelled, "Is Elias the Dark Master?"

Veegal nodded, "Yes! Yes…"

Elias sat up suddenly, fire in his eyes, "Why'd you try to kill me Veegal?"

Veegal whimpered, "You weren't going to resurrect God."

"Then why was there a note in my pocket that said 'the Dark Master only wanted your help?" Elias growled, more tears springing from his eyes.

"Because you were on your way to kill a fallen cult member! You were going to leave that note as a warning to other fallen away members! I followed you and jumped you! I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" Veegal whined.

"What about my brother? I met him in Silent Hill! He looked horrible! He said I did that to him!" Elias yelled.

"Yes! It was part of the resurrection ritual! After you did that though, you changed your mind and sealed away the keys!"

"YOU sealed away the keys!" Elias yelled.

"Yes! You said the time wasn't right!" Veegal whined.

"After you thought you killed Elias, why didn't you resurrect the Devil?" Ben asked.

"Because I needed to sacrifice something I love more than the God!"

"STOP CALLING HIM THAT!" Elias roared. Veegal slunk back whining.

"Elias sacrificed his brother," Ben muttered.

"Why didn't you kill me when I didn't have my memory?" Elias asked, "You knew I was going to re-gain it and find out what you did to me! You knew I'd kill you!"

"You were supposed to die!" Veegal cried. "During the resurrection process, the resurector would give his own life so that God may have his!"

"Then why aren't I dead?" Elias growled.

"Because God is!" Veegal cried.

Elias stood, pulling out his revolver. He dragged Veegal over to the wall by the hair and slammed him against it. He stuck his gun under Veegal's chin and whispered, "I've gotten all the info I need out of you."

"Elias no!" Ben cried.

Elias pulled the trigger and Veegal slumped over, dead.

"I'm not going to allow a chance for the Devil to be re-incarnated Ben," Elias said, wiping blood specks from his face.

Ben nodded, "I knew it had to be done…I just don't like to have to experience it."

Elias looked at Ben, "I'm sorry."

Ben shrugged, "Hey, it's ok. I knew it had to be done."

"No," Elias said, "I'm sorry that I'm…the Dark Master."

Ben sighed, "Elias…when I met you…you were nice. As time went on and we found out more about this place…you learned to hate the Dark Master. You hated who you were without even knowing it. I think that that….is forgiveness."

Elias smiled, "Thanks Ben. You want to get out of this town now?"

Ben grinned, "Yea…I think so."

They walked to the front entrance and pulled the door open.

"Well I'll be damned," Elias muttered.

The fog was gone and the sun shone brightly down on them through a clear blue sky.

"I think things are going to be ok," Ben said smiling.