Disclaimer: Silent Hill belongs to Konami. Original characters belong to me.

AN: Yes, this is still going somewhere. Trust me. :)

Halloween Tales

Chapter 3

Vengeance landed nimbly on the rooftop of a moderately large building. The sky was dark as midnight around the city, as the night edged on around the subdued lights of the buildings. It was the perfect cover for his work.

He wasn't surprised to see a Caucasian man of average height waiting for him. The man turned to him, as his arrival was noticed.

"Hello, Neo. I've been waiting for you," the man said with a faint smile. He wore a gray business suit, and had a dark trenchcoat of classic make, wrapped around his shoulders to protect his form from the cold.

Vengeance smirked underneath his mask. "You do the worst Matrix impression I've ever seen," he scoffed, trying not to grin as he drew closer to the man, who had been a friend for many years. He drew himself up to his full height, towering over the shorter man by several inches, watching while the man maintained his cool exterior.

John Frost grinned as he saw the masked man approach, stepping closer as the winds whipped around their cloaked forms from the chilly Halloween night. "I try my best," he said genially, not letting the comment get to him. He accepted it for what it was: simple teasing. He paused briefly as he shook the man's hand, before he walked past him a bit. He looked out at the cityscape.

"It's good to see you. I should have known you'd be out here tonight," Vengeance said, shaking his head. He wasn't expecting to run into John tonight, but it made sense that he would be. This was his kind of night, after all. They sometimes worked together, but he was expecting to work solo tonight, to be honest. Or was John here for something else?

John scoffed. "Where else would I be?" he said, taking in the night air. Vengeance grinned at the man's antics, as he showed as much giddiness as he had ever seen. That was a good point. He grinned to himself. John was usually very subdued, but tonight he seemed hyper, somewhat on edge.

"You got any plans for tonight?" Vengeance asked. He was wondering what the man was going to do. It was sometimes difficult to predict his actions. He hoped he wasn't going to ask him to work with him, because Chris really had his heart set on working alone tonight. Nothing against him, he just didn't want the company tonight. He was glad Alessa and Heather had gone trick-or-treatin' tonight, on that front.

"Yep," John answered seriously. "The Council's away from the headquarters for tonight, on business. I'm going to go down to the parade in the middle, I'm going to party hard with the locals like it's the apocalypse, and then I'm gonna get drunk off my ass while the Council is not here to see it," he said, grinning cheekily, as he gave in to the atmosphere that was pervading the night.

Vengeance scoffed. "Ha." Figures. John wasn't here to work tonight, he was here to play, and had apparently decided to join in on the holiday festivities. Particularly while his superiors were away. He couldn't begrudge the guy, though. The guy worked hard enough as it is. He deserved some time to enjoy himself, after a hard day of controlling the world.

Vengeance raised an eyebrow. "I thought you guys couldn't do that," he said.

John waved it away. "It's all metaphorical, anyway," he said.

He walked away a bit. He put his hands in his pockets. Vengeance hated to interrupt his thoughts, but he had to get to business. He turned serious for a moment.

The wind whipped past them. "Any signs of activity?" he asked, hoping he knew the answer John was going to give him.

His ally inclined his head. John turned to him, with a serious face. "There are no signs of activity anywhere. The usual reports have gone unreported. Nothing is coming from the town. Nothing is going on, apparently. There are a few ghouls and specters around the town, but nothing major. They seem to be having a slow night today," he said. He paused. "Of course, there are still a couple hours left. Things could pick up in a little while," he added, having to get in that last bit.

Vengeance scoffed. "That's good to hear," he said, with quiet sarcasm. Still, he had an internal sigh of relief. That was good to hear. It wasn't a question he enjoyed posing, in case he didn't like the answer, but he had to address the issue, in case he needed to do something about it. He had to ask.

John walked away a bit, stretching his arms out. "Ah, Halloween," he said in a fond tone, "the one night of the year when a guy like me can go outside and walk among the people, and nobody will know the difference," he said, as he shifted into his gray skinned, dark eyed form. He looked back at the other person on the roof, with what was his face's closest example of a slight smile.

Vengeance circled around him, looking him straight in his unusual face. He made a most unusual image, with the strange sight sticking out of a body clad in a finely woven gray business suit, and an FBI style trenchcoat. The kids down there would have killed to see this sight, Chris thought with a snicker, thinking of all the people down there in costumes who were passing themselves off as supernatural creatures and ghouls. The real thing was right above them. He grinned at the thought.

"By the way, you might want to swing by the parade downtown, and take a look. There's two Colonel Campbells and a Gray Fox, so far." John looked at him. "I thought you might appreciate the joke," he said.

Vengeance glared at him through the mask. "Very funny," he said tersely.

For a moment, a comfortable silence reigned.

"Well, it's time to get going. I don't want to be late," John said suddenly, moving to walk away on the rooftop. He looked back at the other man, and gave him a serious look. "Good luck," he said, pointing at him with his fingers. Without warning, he jumped over the edge of the rooftop, down to the darkness below.

Vengeance took a few steps closer to the ledge. He knew it was at least 20 stories down from the rooftop. He shook his head.

"Alien freak," he muttered.

At least he used a grappling gun.

They had made good headway despite the circumstances. They first needed to rendezvous with Heather's friend at her house to pick up her niece. It turned out Heather's friend was actually a friend of Harry's. They had met when Harry and Heather were moving around a lot. However, she was also friends with Heather. She greeted Heather with a warm look and a hug, and was apparently glad to see her. The woman then looked Alessa over, as if judging her with a stare. Once she had apparently decided Alessa was alright, she had entrusted them with her niece. The long haired woman turned to go back inside after giving them a goodbye, shutting the door behind her.

They had told her Alessa was Heather's friend. It probably wasn't a good idea if she knew that Alessa and Heather were actually having sex, and they weren't just a pair of friends, and they didn't want to ruffle any feathers tonight. They didn't know if the woman would approve, and tonight wasn't a good time to try that theory. Tonight was all about Arielle having fun, and them along with her, of course. No matter how badly they wanted, it just wasn't a good idea to bring the subject up, despite how much they wanted it to be known that she was Alessa's girlfriend.

The night was dark as they began to walk away at a leisurely pace. Heather had to admit, this wasn't that bad. There were lots of people around dressed in crazy outfits, which gave it a festive atmosphere, and the houses were tastefully decorated with the appropriate decorations for the holiday. Even though it was dark, the lights from the houses around them gave it a nice, pleasant atmosphere appropriate for fun. She was having a calm time, and she wasn't tearing her hair out in frustration at the stupid costumes, and bratty children running around in unruly messes. Heather only hoped it would last, that it didn't go downhill once they started trick-or-treating. She was enjoying it too much.

Alessa paused, since they hadn't yet given an appropriate introduction to the little girl accompanying them. She turned around to look at their newly invited companion, and regarded the dark blonde haired little girl accompanying them.

"Hi, sweetheart!" Alessa said, bending down to Arielle's level. "Have you been having fun today so far in your costume?" she asked. The girl was wearing a cream colored outfit, with a light blue vest, and some type of headgear on her head that resembled a band. There were little wings that came out her back, sewn into the costume. She was clearly a fairy.

The little girl didn't answer. She just stared at Alessa with a quiet, distrusting expression.

"Okay. She doesn't say much, does she?" Alessa stated, glancing at Heather. "Huh." This wasn't what she was expecting at all. She was expecting a vibrant, energetic little girl, from how Heather had described her. Instead this girl was shy, and not interested in saying much, apparently. She stared at Alessa with a frightened expression. "She's a little shy," she said.

"She is," Heather nodded. "At least when she first meets people." She stepped closer to the girl who was her friend for a long time, giving her a warm look that was reassuring, and full of fond attention. "Alessa's not going to hurt you, sweetie. She's just out here to have fun," Heather said, hoping to put the girl at ease. She gave a radiant smile that relayed joy despite how she was feeling earlier in the evening, hoping the girl would see that she wasn't bullshitting her.

Alessa turned away. If the girl didn't want to talk to her, then that was fine. It was her time to have fun, after all. She was starting to walk a bit, when she heard a shy sound behind her. "Hi," the little girl said shyly, hiding her hands together in front of her waist.

Alessa turned around. The little girl was staring at her patiently, although she still looked a little frazzled. Alessa's lips curved into a smile. "Hey, you talk. You have a great costume there," she said genially. The little girl blushed, but Alessa could tell she was pleased. "I was afraid you weren't going to want to come with us," she said. It was best to reassure her that they did want her to be with them, and she wasn't just an unwanted burden. That was probably one of her fears.

The little girl stared patiently at her. "You haven't been out trick-or-treating much, have you?" Arielle said knowingly, giving her a pointed look. "That's why you're out here despite being too old to trick-or-treat, isn't it?" she asked, and it was clear judging by the expression on her face that she was already sure of the answer, despite being a child.

Alessa's jaw dropped in disbelief. She couldn't believe it. It was disturbing how insightful kids could be, she remembered suddenly. She was unsure of how to respond, so she settled for a stunned, gaping silence.

"Alessa is my special friend," Heather piped up abruptly from her place, trying to help things along a bit. "I love her very much," she said, blushing a bit in her cheeks. Heather sometimes had trouble expressing her feelings, Alessa knew. "Please treat her nicely for tonight," she said, pleading with her younger friend. It wasn't often that she pleaded about something with anyone, least of all a child, but she wanted tonight to go well for Alessa's sake, despite her own grumpy reservations. And the conversation was not off to a good start, in her estimation.

Alessa thought she saw the hint of a smile on the little girl's face. The little girl seemed openly accepting, not judging, and that gave her the courage to continue on with the conversation. She knelt down a bit to Arielle's level, putting them on equal footing.

Alessa smiled at her. "That's right. And that's why we're going to have a lot of fun tonight, aren't we?" she said, talking hopefully with Arielle face-to-face. Arielle stared at her for a moment, and then the sign of a grin broke out of the little girl's face. "Yeah!" she said, showing an energetic stance for the first time. Alessa held out her hand for a high five, and the little girl pumped up her fist to eagerly reciprocate it. Alessa grinned to herself.

In the background, Heather was visibly relieved. She could see the other girl had been worried about how they would get along, no doubt. Alessa knew she had the girl's back now and vice versa, and the lack of prior knowledge wouldn't be an issue anymore.

They got up from the ground, or at least Alessa did since she was the one kneeling, and they continued on their way. Heather rushed up to face her from behind, apparently wanting to know how things were going to start. They wanted to keep together as a group, and they had a plethora of options they could go to. It was all a little overwhelming for a novice, in all honesty.

"Okay, now that that's over with, how are we going to do this?" Heather asked, getting right down to business. She looked around uncertainly at the other trick-or-treaters, and the mounds of them wandering the streets.

Alessa turned to her. "We'll start off in this neighborhood. We'll do one round here, and then we'll do a second one, to get the other half. Then we'll move on to the next. Sometimes I'll go into the city; not tonight," she said. She didn't think Heather was ready for that, and they had a younger companion to look out for. Though she was pretty sure the child's aunt trusted them with her. "We'll do three neighborhoods max, no more. That ought to be enough to get some candy for tonight," she finished, fully laying out her plans for the night. It was well organized, thought out, and fully Alessa.

Heather nodded, her head still whirling a bit from the descriptions. You make it sound like a battle plan. Jeez…

Once again, she wondered what kind of fanatic she was dating.

They were a bit away from the main group, when they heard a howl emanating across the area and then another, coming over the tops of the trees that were positioned in the neighborhood. Heather looked up, as did Alessa and the younger Arielle, although momentarily before they continued walking.

"Werewolves," Alessa murmured.

"Oh, come on! There aren't any werewolves out there," Heather scoffed, dismissing her friend's ridiculous thought. It was probably just some wolves out in the woods, or something. Her friend's outrageous statements were starting to get to her, and she really didn't appreciate it tonight. Arielle didn't appear to be paying attention to the adults' conversation, and she was apparently focused on something on the ground.

Alessa looked back at Heather. She gave her a flat look. "Believe what you want, Heather," she said.

She turned around, and began to walk away from her friend.

Heather paused in her tracks. She gaped at her girlfriend's retreating form, and was soon crossing the ground in an attempt to follow her without making it seem too obvious.

"Really?"

Not answering the query, Alessa continued leading the merry group on their way. A few uneventful minutes passed.

Alessa grinned to herself, as she saw the first house that was their target in the distance. Time to get started, she thought in anticipation.