Chapter 4: Fire Escape

Josh looked around where he had entered, the place seemed to be the apartment complex yet it was very dark though. "Without a light, I could trip and kill myself in here," Josh said trying to look around. There were small light bulbs working, about two of them providing some light but not as much as needed.

Turning left Josh looked on a message board. Here Josh picked off a map and looked it over. Jacob had mentioned the apartment complex before, which must have been fate for having the map and such. Though it wasn't only the mentioning of Jacob he had known of the place, but also from the girl he had been talking too on the internet from here. "Amel, could you really be here with all these damn things walking around," Josh question. "Because you're the only thing making me want to not break down the gate."

To the right of Josh was where the stairs had been located. The apartment complex in all had three floors, which might serve as a problem for Josh seeing as how he needed to get out from the other end. The place looked so normal as though nothing was going on in the city, but you had to know that there was plenty.

Upstairs to the second floor was where Josh had gone. He had checked the door to enter the first floor apartments, but they had been locked. The second floor door had opened fine which led into the second floor hallway. Here in this hallway it was darker than the others which had provided him not being able to see the map. Josh just ran down to the last door in this dark hallway and twisted the knob, it was broke and somehow stuck in place. The doors here seemed to be like that until he reached one that opened easily. "Heh, this is getting easier," Josh said proudly.

The room had provided static as Josh walked into the middle, but he could not see to get out. He turned and saw the figure of a patient and quickly pointed the board of wood at it slamming it down with the board. "Jesus, thought it was getting easier," Josh told himself.

Josh left the room after finding nothing and turned to hear the static again as a patient started down the hallway. "Where did this one come from," Josh pondered hitting it down also and walking on. He entered another room and looked inside.

The room here provided light that came off of a dress standing in the middle of the room. It was black and elegant. The light seemed to be like a corsage on the dress, but without a rose. Josh walked to the light and found out it was a flashlight. This would help him greatly. Josh quickly grabbed it and put it in his shirt pocket.

Just then Josh noticed something appear from the bedroom doorway, which the thing had busted down in no time. This thing was shaped weird, the radio made a sound that sounded like a howling beast. It had legs, four of them to tell you the truth. The legs were used as legs and arms, appearing in both places. It had a human body, without a head. Josh pulled up the board and looked at this thing. The thing was referred to as a Mannequin.

Josh hit it once and was hit away as the legs arm kicked him hard against the wall not too far. Josh jumped out of the way as the leg came once more and enter the wall, keeping it stuck. Josh hit it twice before the real legs kicked him in the shins. The leg in the wall then was freed and kicked Josh onto a couch located in the apartment. Josh stood himself and sidestepped its kick once more and hit it with the board once more before watching it keel over, but it still moved on the floor. Josh hit it crazily with board while it lay there until he hit muscle and could see it with his eyes.

"What the hell is going on here, first those armless things and now something with four legs. God what kind of fucked up place is this?" Josh asked looking around the apartment. The flashlight was all he needed from inside, so he stepped out into the empty hallway once more before heading into the stairwell.

The stairwell led up to the last floor that Josh needed to be at, and inside to the third floor hallway. This area made a creaking sound as if something was moving. To his right was a small bared area that blocked off his exit.

Josh looked through the bars to see a key laying there. He put his hand through the bars starting to reach for it. Five inches away, maybe he could use the board. 'No I can't use the board,' he thought to himself, 'I'll need it incase those things try to attack.' Josh started to reach more and more. He came close, and that's when it happened. A small girl ran to his hand and stomped his foot down on his hand. "Ow, son of a bitch," Josh said withdrawing his hand.

"Ha ha," The girl mocked Josh and kicked the key away before moving on forward through the building.

"Hey, wait you stupid brat," Josh said watching her run off. "Wish I had a gun to shoot her down."

Josh turned and walked into the closet room opening it to find it bare, but with a shopping cart in the middle of it. First thought that came to Josh was homeless, but hey he needed to think about other things at the moment. He went to the shopping cart and looked inside to find a handgun, most likely a 9 mm. pistol, sitting inside which he did not hesitate to pick up.

"Could've used you a second ago," Josh said looking the gun over.

Josh moved hastily to the second floor since the third floor had only let him access three doors, only one could be opened. Inside this hallway Josh walked down it and found a turn he had forgotten to take before. Suddenly there was a screaming sound, which had caught his attention. Josh moved slowly down the hall and stopped as the radio made noises, this time it sounded like nails on a chalk board or metal dragging on the ground. Josh looked around and found bars blocking his path once more. He held the light to the bars and barely jumped back as he saw the presence making the sound.

It was almost too human-like for this place. It wore something like an apron covered in blood which was one of the three things that gave off its malevolent presence. The second thing was the large pyramid shaped object on its head, or even so it might've been its head. The third and final thing that gave this one away, its gigantic knife that was about the size of a sword. This was called a Pyramid Head.

Josh stared at it for minutes seeing it make no movement whatsoever. It gave off this red glow and lighted up the darkened area around them, which wasn't the best thing right now. Josh stood himself from falling over and looked to his right. A door to an apartment and that must be how this thing got to the other side. Josh opened the door and heard the radio silence immediately.

Inside this room was a television showing white noise. Josh looked in a sofa chair before the television and found a dead body laying there. Something about it made him think of home, more of his father for some odd reason. "Explain the screaming," Josh said walking away from the body and to a shelf picking up a key here. The label on it read clock in room 208. Josh realized he was in 208, which made him look around until he found a clock. Josh looked around the room until he found writing on a wall across from the clock. Josh looked at the writing and read it allowed.

"Howard It's pointing upward toward the left

Mildred It's pointing clearly left, no doubt about that one.

Scott It's pointing to the right clearly."

Josh started to think to himself and turned to the clock thinking he might have something. He opened up this large grandfather clock which had been covered by a glass door. Josh twisted the hands until it was at a nine hour. He flipped around the minute hand to the nine which slightly raised the hour hand, and then moved the second hand to the three, which had made a clicking sound. Josh closed the glass door and looked at the side of the clock.

"The one who solves the riddle may move the intrusion and move on to the darkness."

Josh shrugged not really understanding and thought it just meant push the clock. Josh pushed it to find that it revealed a large hole in the wall, one that would let you through to the barred areas.

The gap in the wall lead to another apartment room, they were all starting to look alike and Josh couldn't really see any difference. Without thought anymore Josh moved out of the room and looked outside, the pyramid head was gone. Josh walked on and entered a room and pondered what was going on inside seeing as how his radio was going off slightly.

Inside Josh found the pyramid head and two mannequins. The pyramid head raised his knife and stabbed downward at the two slicing them into millions of pieces. Josh quickly moved for the closet in the apartment and hid inside watching the pyramid head beat the living shit out of these mannequins. When it was done it seemed to turn its large pyramid like head to face the closet and started to head for it slowly. Josh pulled up the handgun and shoot three times making it start to scream a little before running off back into the hallway. Josh looked behind him in the closet and picked up a key that was marked for the courtyard, must've been luck he guessed.

Josh walked down the first floor and unlocked a door down here opening up to the outside courtyard where the mist was present as always. Outside he saw a figure but the radio was static. "Hello?" Josh called out walking a little ways.

Jacob's figure came to his eyes as Jacob had turned to face him.

"What are you even doing here?" Jacob asked looking at Josh.

Jacob had looked different now. He still had his work uniform on but in his hands were two very powerful gun, Sawn-off's. Jacob might've been the safest person here in this whole place, but Josh felt fine with himself.

"What am I doing here? You should be answering that question for me," Josh said.

"Came looking for… her," Jacob said but more likely mumbled.

"And who's her?" Josh asked.

"You still haven't answered me," Jacob said looking up at Josh.

Static started to sound on the radio and patients came out from some bushes in the area. Jacob pulled up the sawn-off's and shot one bullet, putting down both of the patients and flinging them against the apartment's wall.

The courtyard was exactly a square with bushes and such. Though that was true seventy-five percent of the courtyard had been made with a pool that was drained out. Jacob just had stood there with the guns before putting them at his side.

"Well I came here looking for someone also. Her names Amel," Josh said looking at the now dead patients.

"I haven't heard or seen of her. But it looks like our meet is over now," Jacob said turning around to some doors.

"Wait, what's going on here in this town?" Josh asked.

"The church wanted paradise, that's all I know," Jacob said starting off into the building and closing the door behind him.

'Paradise, this is paradise. This is fucking hell,' Josh thought before looking around more.

Josh went to the door Jacob entered and found a one story apartment building now. Inside most of the doors were shut with pieces of wood. Josh only found one door that he could open. Inside this room he looked to his left and was amazed. "Wasn't expecting to find another dead body," He said to himself walking over to it.

"They were here just a second ago," A female's voice broke out from inside the apartment room, which made Josh turn to see this woman on the couch.

The woman was a little tall, her hair had a brown tint to it and seemed to conceal her face a little. She had a smile on her face, it was more of a normal one than anything. She wore a black shirt and some jeans and sat on a couch before wiping the hair out of her face.

"And who might you be?" Josh asked looking at this woman.

"My names Sammy, pleasure," The woman said standing up and extending her arm. Josh did not extend his, but only stood up next to her.

"There's a whole fridge on this mans body," Josh said looking at the dead body.

"Well you have to know what those things are capable of since you've made it this far. This guy was dead when I walked in, but I was happy to find this place bare," Sammy said looking around.

"Then how do you know it was them that killed him?" Josh asked looking at her.

Sammy went back to the couch and sat back not really enjoying the light Josh's flashlight let off.

"Well who else could've done it? Or more likely, who would've done it?" Sammy asked.

"Guess your right. So do you want to tag along with me, getting a little lonely around this place," Josh said looking around.

"Nah, I'll be fine alone anyway," Sammy said pulling out a magnum she had in his jeans pocket, "this thing has gotten me this far so I'll make it."

Josh looked at the magnum. Although Jacob's weapons had been powerful, this girl also seemed to hold some firepower in her possession. He gulped a little not really wanting to see if this woman was crazy enough to kill someone now.

"Well since your staying here, I'm gone," Josh said turning and leaving through the door for the apartment building.

"Someone's a little paranoid," Sammy said putting away her magnum and resting on the couch.

Moving back to the courtyard Josh sat on some steps seeing as how there was no real way out. "Hmmm, what to do?" Josh pondered looking around, the radio stayed quiet. He thought and then realized he overlooked something, there was that key the girl had kicked out of his reach. Josh moved back into the main apartment building and went to the third floor until he found the key laying there. Josh picked it up and it was labeled as the Fire Escape Key.

Josh walked on down the hall looking for a fire escape. There wasn't one on the third floor. Josh moved to the second floor and found a fire escape, which he opened with the key. When the door opened it was just hell over again.

The fire escape was torn down, and next to this apartment complex was, well, an apartment complex with an open window. "Bullshit, I'm not doing this crap again," Josh said trying to find another way, but there seemed to be no other way.

Josh held onto the ledge and jumped across into this new building. Something loud started to sound and Josh covered his ear and closed his eyes as he fell to the floor in this new room he could not see. This blaring sensation, what was it? The place seemed to change as if it were peeling and the peelings flew off the walls and floor.