"Darkness In The Hole Of Her Mouth"

(8)

More hours passed, he wondered if he was really getting out of here. The weight of the bullets in his pocket had gotten considerably lighter lately, that would be a problem. It wasn't long before he had something else to worry about, that blaring siren came shuddering through the walls and the tiny light on the ceiling began to dim. Standing up, he took a few deep breaths as the luminescence in the room faded. Taking out the knife and holding it in one hand with his gun in the other, Chuck was ready. When the Darkness had finished descending and two nurse monsters had materialized in the padded cell with him he wasn't afraid. Fortunately they were in front of him, he shot the first one in the back of the head and stabbed downward at the second, the razor sharp blade sinking deep into the monster's neck.

The one that was shot fell forward, dead, the other dropped to its knees and tried unsuccessfully to pull the knife out of its neck, Chuck blasted it through the skull and the tattered form slid onto the floor. The cell door was open now, he moved out of the Special Treatment room back into the hall. Brookhaven had undergone the change, the walls were stained and rusted, the floor filthy and cracked. He could hear voices coming from the main hall, he walked out to find the building around him lit up from some inner fire, embers slowly falling out of the burning walls. They illuminated the floor with an eerie red glow as well as lighting up the two men in front of him.

The first was the Dark Man again, the other was a curious sight indeed. It seemed to be a man dressed in armor, amateur made it seemed. He was covered head to toe in it, a flashlight of some kind stuck into the helmet with its beam pointed at the Dark Man's face. It looked pretty silly to Chuck, but the shield and heavy looking sword the knight carried was no joke.

"Whose that?" the knight asked, quickly turning his head for a second to put the beam on Chuck and then put it back on the Dark Man.

"No one of consequence." The Dark Man said, without looking away from the knight.

"What's your name friend?" The knight asked, but the Dark Man held out his gloved hand to stop Chuck from speaking. "He is not your business here, pay him no mind and answer my question."

"I'm not your pawn, remember who you are talking to."

"I would advise you to do the same." The Dark Man said, stepping forward.

"It wouldn't be a good idea for us to fight." The knight warned.

"You would lose..."

"Yes, but I would take pieces of you with me. Trust me, they would be pieces you would miss."

"There is no need for violence, Victor Rosencrantz. We are not enemies."

The knight laughed. "You expect me to believe that?"

"It matters not what you believe. Harken to me. Relinquish the ceremony."

"Why should I?"

"Because the one you have been watching is in grave danger."

"Julia...?" the knight gasped.

"She is close now. The dark one sense her trespassing where she does not belong, he will not tolerate this."

"You bastard..."

"Time is precious. What say you?"

The knight reached into the pocket tucked in between leg plates and pulled out a letter of some kind, handing it to the Dark Man. He took the paper and spoke quickly, "She is in the basement, take the laundry shaft in the room behind me down to the first floor, exit and go right, past the open hallway into another room on the right, take the garbage chute down but beware, there is only one exit out of the basement and he will most assuredly be guarding it."

The knight bolted and Chuck listened to him clank away, the sound disappearing into the gloom. "What was that all about?" he asked.

"A dangerous ally and a helpful enemy. Do they come any other way?" the Dark Man sighed.

"Uh, in English?" Chuck asked and the other smiled, causing a shudder to run down Chuck's spine.

"Do you have it yet?"

"Have what?"

"Not so, then." the Dark Man said, shaking his head sadly. "Revenge is never a straight line."

Holding out his hand the other man waited patiently. Chuck found himself handing the knife back, still wet from the creature he had killed just moments ago. Giving back the knife, Chuck felt light, almost like he was dreaming. "One last place to check, if it doesn't work out, I'm going home."

The Dark Man sighed heavily. "Tell me, why do you forsake that which you must hold most precious?"

"I forsaken nothing." Chuck said.

"You have forsaken everything. We are almost out of time...when you have lost your sense of direction, go back to where your story began, and will end." The Dark Man turned away and walked into the shadowy corridors, Chuck didn't try to follow. He made for the door with the keypad on it that had kept him from the wing of the hospital. In this world the door simply didn't exist, he walked into changed part of the hospital that housed the patients.

The walls were not on fire in here, though he could still somewhat see their glow and feel the heat. The doors were marked S1, S2, 3 and so on, he started to long walk to 313. His hopes even for that sank when he saw the end of the hallway, a dozen or so rooms down. There couldn't be that many cells, Chuck went as far as he could go and inspected the wall. It was solid, there was nothing in this wing but S1 through 14, another elevator and a stairwell. He was about to give up when he noticed something on the door of room 14, it was a red slash of some kind. Aiming his light at some of the other rooms, he saw that room 11 had three such markings, the same diagonal red slash repeated thrice. Going all of the way back to the first cell, he saw that room 3 had two markings on it.

Three doors, three marks, room 313 being his goal. They had to be linked, maybe the note he picked up back in River's house was in some kind of code after all. There didn't seem to be any numerical system to it, the marks didn't have an order that he could make out. Maybe they had to be added? The numbers of the rooms plus the number of slashes on the door made 5, 14 and 15. That didn't seem to help out any, he tried adding all of them up but that only came out to 34. It still didn't make any amount of sense compared to the room 313...or...34 broken into 3 and 4 added up made 7. 3, 1 and 3 also made seven. Could it really be that? S7 had no special features, nothing on it that separated it from the other doors, but he opened it anyway.

The metal bed frames in the room had been twisted into bizarre sculptures that were vaguely humanoid, the malformed arms made to show fear or warning. They were arranged along the walls, leaving a path in the middle to the only other thing in the room, a small table with a box covered in barbed wire. There was a strange way his light made the shadows of the sculptures appear to move with his every step. It was unnerving but as long as only their shadows moved Chuck wasn't afraid. The object on the small table was metal lockbox with no lock on it, a bramble like mess of barbed wire coiled and looped around it. Chuck took off his jacket and carefully peeled off layer after layer, moving the wire down, pushing it back, pulling it loose. It took nearly twenty minutes to get it to where he could open the box, and there was writing on the top of it.

Putting his now torn up jacket back on, Chuck angled his light down to read the words. It stated "Here Lies Ingrid Cold" engraved into the metal lid of the box. Opening it gently, there seemed to be nothing but slate gray ashes in the box. The light on his chest moved ever so slightly along with his breaths, catching something in the ash that gleamed. Unsure if this was really someone's ashes, his curiosity overcame the hesitation. Trying as hard as possible to keep the powder like contents of the box off of his fingers, Chuck gripped the tiny piece of metal with his index finger and thumb. He pulled up as a silver chain of some kind rose out of the ashes, that smooth motion making small clouds of ash dust rise up.

After it had been completely freed from the box, the chain turned out to be a necklace with a square locket, not even and inch by an inch in size. There was something about the way it looked in the light, shining like a diamond even with a layer of ash on it. Polishing the thin necklace on his jacket, Chuck absently wiped his hands off while studying the item in front of him. He could at once tell that it was a holy artifact, it gave him a feeling of peace and at the same time, invulnerability.

Turning around, he saw that the metallic sculptures had moved from their original positions. Now they were pointing at him, reaching into his path with tangled arms. Chuck wasn't concerned, putting the pistol away he clasped the necklace on his neck, letting the locket rest over his shirt. It was time to leave and he couldn't be more ready. When he came out of the cell, there was a doctor monster standing in front of the elevator. Its face was missing, there was some kind of bulbous growth on its back and in its right hand it held a gun.

A few minutes ago terror would have gripped his entire body at such a sight, but that happy feeling didn't allow him to be scared. The creature dragged itself in his direction, drawn to the light on his chest. Still unalarmed Chuck put out his hand and the creature stopped dead in its tracks, frozen like a mannequin. Chuck walked around it and hit the button the elevator, waiting patiently for the doors to reveal the rusty, cage like car. Hitting the button to floor one, he toyed with the idea of heading down to the basement to see if Julia was okay. The knight was taking care of it though, what was his name, Victor? It must have really been her in the Special Treatment room, if they ever met again Chuck would apologize.

Machinery churned above him when the doors closed, sending the car down into the darkness below. It took longer then it should have to get to the bottom again, but the doors opened and he was back on the ground level. Despite the way the hospital had changed, he found the way he had come in easily. There didn't seem to be an exit there anymore, only the corpse of a dead nurse monster. In no particular rush, Chuck casually searched through the rest of the floor. There was a garden area that he didn't see coming in that seemed to be missing a large chunk of wall. The opening lead out onto the street, if it could be called that, Chuck gladly left of Brookhaven.

The entire town had been transformed into the much harsher version of itself. The street wasn't even solid anymore, it had been replaced by rusted grated that held itself up over an abyss below. There were no stars in the sky or lights on anywhere besides his, the buildings that he wandered past were likewise dark and decayed. The Dark Man told him to go back to the beginning, that was somewhere across the water when he hit the dog creature. Even in the changed town it wasn't hard to find his way around, the giant and even more sinister looking Lakeview Hotel told him he was going the right way.

Picking his way through the northern end of South Vale and going through the residential area Chuck found the bridge that stretched across Lake Toluca. In the lake's alternate form it was black and choppy, unlike the calm serenity of the normal version. His steps clanked hollowly on the metallic bridge as the water churned below, in the murky water he could have sworn there was another light beneath the waves. Whatever it was or might have been, it didn't concern him now so he pressed on.

There wasn't much different on this side of water that he could see, Chuck made for the closest home he could find. What he found didn't offer much by way of friendly greeting, the house like everything around it was consumed by the rusted metal and blood that dominated the landscape. The front door was made of bars but unlocked and Chuck let himself in. The steps of the house had changed into a long ramp that ran into the living room from the second floor. Picking his way past something dead on the floor he headed upward. The first threshold on his right lead to a room with a broken wooden bed and a pile of creepy looking dolls nearby. Their lifeless eyes reflected the light coming from his chest in a nearly human way, it was unsettling but not beyond his control. Setting his gun down on the floor by the bed, Chuck wearily climbed onto it. The day had been long and stressful, he clicked off his light and eagerly slipped into a dead sleep.

It was much later when he woke up again and the Darkness had scampered away. The faint light of day was coming in past fluffy beige curtains. It used to be a little girl's room, toys and stuffed animals scattered around the room and on the other pieces of furniture. Chuck dozed for a while longer before rising, it was a pleasant rest indeed. His fingers closed instinctively on the locket on his chest. It was warm to the touch after being pressed against his body for so long. Retrieving his weapon, he left the now normal house and continued going east, deeper into the central Silent Hill area. Unsure what to be looking for, he simply wandered in the direction that he most likely had entered the town from.

When he saw the house he was drawn to it immediately. It was tall, sitting on a small hill with a wooden fence and gate with stone steps leading to a weathered graying porch. There were trees on both sides of the house which was painted a dark green. Although the paint had faded over time and the lawn obviously left alone, it was still a very nice house. The sight of it tugged at his mind in a curious way, Chuck could have sworn that he had seen it before. There was a very good chance that he had walked by it before during his time on this side of the lake and simply didn't remember, though that seemed unlikely.

The front door was open and he crept into the musty home. Going into the houses in the town always made him feel like an intruder even though the people that lived there had abandoned it long ago. This one however was somewhat inviting, with the charm around his neck there was nothing to fear either. A thorough search of the first two floors yielded nothing special, all that there was left to check was a door in the kitchen. Chuck opened the thin brown door to find stairs that lead down to the basement, aged steps descending to another door at the bottom. There wasn't a light in here so he clicked his on as he walked down the dusty stair case.

There was a plaque embedded into the ancient door made of tarnished bronze. There was too much dust covering the inscription to read it, Chuck had to wipe it off with his sleeve in order to make out the words. It read simply, "Burning Inside With Violent Anger"

Chuck stumbled back, tripping on the steps and landing hard on them. He scrambled away, back up to the kitchen and slammed the door behind him. Sliding down the door Chuck sat panting, not truly comprehending why he was so afraid. He just knew, like he knew about the locket hanging around his neck, that there was something different about that door. It wouldn't be a good idea to open it now, but perhaps if the Darkness was there the plaque would be gone or the basement would be gone altogether. Chuck had to stay now if for no other reason then to find out why that strange writing held such a power over him.

The next three days passed by swiftly while he dug through the house. It belonged to a couple in their 50s that had moved here a few years before the town had simply stopped functioning. Pictures of their children decorated the kitchen, living room and bedroom along with a fashion sense from the sixties. It reminded him a lot of his grandparent's house, the way that everything seemed to be orderly and undisturbed as if no one lived there. Even the bed was made upstairs when he spent the first night there, Chuck never bothered to make it after that.

Sitting in the living room working on some of the abundant crossword puzzle books, Chuck wasn't paying attention to anything else when the long blaring horn sounded from across the water. His heart leapt into his throat as he quickly rose, retrieved his gun from the table nearby and bounded into the kitchen. Part of him was scared but it was overshadowed by his excitement to be doing something again. The light coming from outside dimmed, Chuck kept his hand on the light until it was completely pitch black. Turning it on, he opened the door to the basement and shined it down the steps. The door was there but transformed into a thick steel one that was thankfully missing the plaque.

Going down the steps, he could see that there was light coming from underneath the door. When he stood in front of it at last, Chuck noticed there was no handle but the door swung inward on its own accord. Behind it was a tunnel of some kind that was lined with torches burning on the walls, steel grating on the floor. In front of him stood the Dark Man, face ashen, hands bloody. The locket on Chuck's neck grew cold against his skin but he wasn't afraid.

"Chuck." the other said.

"Dark Man."

"I have protected you the best I could. I watched over you when you were vulnerable and felled your enemies with my own hand. But now the time has come for you to go where no one else can follow."

"I'm ready."

Gesturing with his red hand the Dark Man led him down the tight corridor. It was quite a long tunnel, the evenly spaced torches running into the distance. It was impossible for something this large to exist under the house in the real world Chuck realized. Neither of them said anything, but he did notice that under the grating they walked on there was a shimmering underneath as if somewhere deep below them there was water.

At the end of the tunnel was another metal door, this one with a large hatch in the center. The Dark Man exerted himself against the wheel mechanism with a short grunt. The metal screeched in protest, rust falling from it as it turned and grudgingly spun open. There was an audible thunk when the lock finally opened, giving way to some kind of boiler room beyond. The door they passed through led to a catwalk high above the floor of the room which was packed with monsters. Massed like sardines they lined the walls and crowded the small area, but none of them stood near the only other exit. Directly in front and below of the entrance Chuck came through, past rows of sickly monsters was a massive circular door with another hatch in the center. Guarding it however was the Red Pyramid thing he had seen days ago, its giant blade slick with gore and bits of flesh.

It was uncomfortably hot and Chuck had the distinct feeling that he was descending into hell when his guide began moving down the walkway. He brought the pistol into his hand which felt slick in his sweating grip. "Fear not the lesser horrors." The Dark Man instructed. "But He is here to stop the beating of your murderous heart. I will pray for your safe passage."

"What is he?" Chuck asked, nervously following the other man down. Though the room was warm, the locket on his chest was getting colder by the minute.

"The guardian, the avenger, the redeemer, the executioner. My power is great but that which is divine cannot wholly be suppressed."

The Dark Man wasn't making any sense as usual but he had bigger things to worry about when they reached the floor of the boiler room. It was easy to see Pyramid Head even with all the other creatures in the room as he towered over them all. Chuck's hand instinctively grasped the locket at the sight of that terrible helmet, but the Dark Man bade him to stay put. The creatures didn't seem to notice the black garbed person pushing his way through them to stand in front of the pyramid creature. Suddenly the Dark Man started to assault the monsters around him. They were so overcrowded most of them died on their feet and remained upright slumped against others nearby.

Once a small space had been cleared out the Dark Man started laying out bodies at the feet of or more accurately at the end of the butcher's smock Pyramid Head was wearing. After hauling six or seven dead and dying creatures to the front and stacking them into disorderly piles, the Dark Man knelt to his knees in front of Pyramid Head. Holding his arms out at his sides as if presenting his victims, the Dark Man bowed his head low and stopped moving. Several minutes passed but nothing moved or even reacted when Chuck began to step forward.

Using the path the Dark Man had made to get to the clearing, Chuck still had to brush uncomfortably close to the monsters around him. When he came to the clearing Chuck moved around to the left and actually had to push some of creatures out of the way to break free of the mob. He was less then two feet from Pyramid Head now, the locket on his neck an ice cube. He couldn't make out how the thing was able to see with that thing on but at least it seemed to be frozen where it stood. Chuck kept as much distance between himself and Pyramid Head as possible while he edged around it to the hatch.

The wheel was sufficiently difficult to budge that he had to put his gun away in order to get both hands on it. When it gave way and turned Chuck pulled out the pistol again and cranked the wheel quickly around. The door cracked open and a beam of white light burst in, Chuck slipped inside and shut the door behind him.

As if the tunnel he had come down wasn't improbable enough the view before him was flat out illogical. It seemed to be the inside of a giant cathedral, the dome ceiling rising well over a hundred feet in the air. Rows of benches and columns of white that supported the structure stretched out, delicate painting on the dome above him and intricately crafted stonework on the floor. Although the walls and unpainted surfaces were bright white the entire cathedral lacked any religious icons whatsoever. The very center of the room, if it was even a room, a cylinder of pure light poured in from an opening in the ceiling, shining down upon the shoulders of a single person.

So used to the dim light of Silent Hill, Chuck had to raise his arm to shield himself from the sensory assault. When his vision adjusted to the radiant glow he could see the person in the center more clearly. It was still hard to look at but he was fairly certain that the person standing there was Troy, the one had had risked life and limb to find. Eagerly rushing forward Chuck waved and smiled, running past row after row of benches towards his friend.

Stopping short of the center Chuck waited for Troy to walk casually out of the beam. The other man was all smiles and charm, at his charismatic best. "Troy…is that really you?" Chuck breathed.

"Hey buddy." his friend said with a smile.

"Man, you have no idea what I went through to find you." Chuck said, unable to keep a grin off of his face. "There was just…oh forget it, I'll tell you later, let's just get away from this godforsaken town already."

"Can't do that." Troy said sadly, the smile fading from his face.

"What?"

Troy sighed heavily and walked over to lean on the nearest bench. "Chuck…how long have we known each other?"

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"Just think about the answer." Troy soothed. This wasn't the time for reminiscing and his memory never was very good but despite himself Chuck thought back to grade school. It had been a while since he had tried thinking about this but like an accident or a good birthday some things stayed with you forever.

"Fifth grade." Chuck responded. "You sat two rows ahead of me next to Chris Matheson. We used to eat lunch by the table closest to the playground."

"Good. You remember. Now think back to when I moved away."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I-"

"Chuck." Troy said sternly. "Focus. Remember." The commands settled into his mind like hooks caught on his head with someone pulling on them. The images were so fuzzy and his head hurt and the room started to spin but the feelings passed and the images cleared.

"Seventh grade…you…you moved away. I was really sad…"

"Of course you were. I was too. Who wouldn't be?"

"But…you're…you've…this doesn't make any sense. If you moved away when we were kids then…why can't I remember when you came back and when we were friends again?"

"Think."

"Wait...this doesn't make any sense..."

"You have to think now Chuck. Its time for you to remember everything, so that you will understand while you're here. When did you first see me again?"

"When...when she broke up with me..."

It came back to him now why he was here and what had happened before. This whole trip, Troy, the Dark Man, Silent Hill, it all made sense. As if he was reliving something that happened to him in a dream, the last few months of his life broke free from the self imposed blocks that kept it hidden.

Sandy Williams was the love of his life. They met in high school and had been dating through her first year of college. Chuck didn't have to money to go so he stayed at home and worked to save up enough to get them a place to live. In secret however he had planned to buy a ring and take her out camping, proposing to Sandy somewhere high in the mountains. It was supposed to be the happiest day of his life but one weekend she came back home to tell him things weren't working out. It was almost like a movie the way he saw himself talking to her. She complained that he was holding her down and that she had met someone else in college.

He was devastated, something like this never factored into the perfect vision of the future that he saw for him and his would be fiancée. Chuck thought of himself as strong but he cried like a baby when she was gone. Resolving to try to find a way to change her mind, Chuck plotted his options to get her back. It was around this time he started to see Troy again, the last best friend he had, only updated to match Chuck's age. Jokingly Chuck invented a past and some ways they would have spent their time together only in retrospect it was constructing this imaginary friend.

When the time was right Chuck invited Sandy to his house to get the last of her belongings. His parents were out, this was his last chance to win her back. He saw the conversation in such startling clear detail he couldn't imagine why he had chosen to block it out in the first place. The look on her face, the breeze coming in through the window, his sweaty hands and as always her radiance.

"Look Chuck, its over. We had some good times yeah, but that was just a high school thing. People change and move on." she said.

"But...just a while ago you said you loved me." Chuck protested.

Her face softened and she said gently, "I didn't want to hurt you. We can talk about this later, I just came for my stuff."

"How...can you be so cruel?" Chuck said, more to himself then to her.

"Oh grow up Chuck. If you weren't small time then I wouldn't have gone looking in the first place."

His hand hit her so fast it surprised the both of them. Sandy's eyes shot open and her hand came up to her face. "You loser!" she screamed. "Todd's gonna kick your ass!"

Unable to control himself, Chuck attacked her again in the grip of a terrible fury. Looking back on what he had done without flinching, he had to watch every movement as he beat Sandy to the floor. It was sickening to see himself do that to the one person he loved more then anyone else on earth but he watched anyway as penance for the deed. When he realized she wasn't breathing his past self broke down and hugged her, crying.

The scenario played out worse then he could have ever imagined but still he watched. It dawned on his past self what he had done and he knew that he couldn't be found with her like that. It was dark out so he dragged her to the garage and put Sandy in the trunk of his Gremlin. Taking his passport and keys Chuck headed south, careful to stay under the speed limit. Troy hopped in at the first stop light he came to and they headed for the border.

His heart beat like a piston passing through the border checkpoint into the US but Troy was there to soothe him. It was pure chance they decided not to check his car and he didn't complain, heading down into the northeast part of the country. Watching himself talk to an empty seat, cracking his window for non-existent cigarette fumes, Chuck could clearly remember both Troy being there and not being there.

It wasn't until they rode into Silent Hill that he began to view things that we not like the others. After hitting the dog he realized that he did pass out, but when waking up on the street it was Troy who was in control. Driving the car around the city for a bit he spotted the ruined bridge and made his way over to it. Putting the transmission in neutral, Troy pushed the entire thing into the lake.

Detached from the whole thing Chuck watched himself enter the green house that was above his head and undo the locket, holding it out into the air.

"Spirits of mist, I beseech you to hold this for me until I am ready to accept what I have done. When the time is right, return it to me and I will grant you the worship that you are due."

Chuck realized that Troy had known something about the town that he didn't, possibly because it had spoken to that side of him. Whatever the case, it didn't take long at all for there to be a response. A hand closed on his shoulder and a voice whispered behind him, one that Chuck could now identify as the Dark Man.

"I am Nothing...the Fater." the voice said. "Your wish is granted."

From behind Nothing took the locket out of his hand and slid a pocket light into his shirt. When Troy turned around there was no one there, he accepted that the voice would take care of things and sought out a safe place to rest. Finding Alchemilla, Troy laid down in a patient room that Chuck would later wake up and find himself locked in.

"So..." Chuck said slowly. "You're...not even real. And I'm a nutcase."

"Me? I exist Chuck. I exist because you made me. Thought me up, gave me my name. Troy Sheder. What's that an anagram of?"

"Destroy her." Chuck said without having to think about it. Why would he, the name was something he imagined in the first place.

"It wasn't a coincidence we started to hang out again after that bitch dumped you. I have to admit though, sometimes it wasn't easy to keep you in the dark." Troy said with a laugh.

"You mean us in the dark? How wasn't it easy?"

"No I mean you. Like when you were talking to that Julia woman and mentioned the broken bridge even though you hadn't been to it yet. Or how you used the light in your pocket without wondering where it came from."

"...I don't get how you can know things that I don't."

"You needed me just as much as I needed you Chuck. If it wasn't for me you would still be huddled in a corner somewhere whining about Sandy. You did what you had to do and I helped you get here."

"Why here? Why Silent Hill? Was this part of your plan?" Chuck asked, forgoing the sheer oddity of asking himself questions.

"That...was an accident. I never meant to end up here but...can't you feel it? The old gods still live here. The power of this town gave us a second chance to be happy again."

"You're not even real." Chuck accused bitterly.

"Oh, is that what you think? Maybe out there I was but here? I'm real, solid." Troy walked over and put his hand on Chuck's shoulder. The weight of the arm, the warmth of someone else's hand, it could have been a hallucination but if it was that strong then who was to say it wasn't real all intents and purposes?

"Its okay." Troy promised. "You don't have to fight anymore. There's just one last thing to take care of."

"Chucky?" said a voice behind them, one long since missed. Chuck whirled around to find Sandy standing there by the benches. She had her hair up the way he liked and was wearing the sweater he had bought her last year. Radiant as always, Sandy was the picture of beauty. He didn't believe what he was looking at and although he wanted to he couldn't look away.

"Hey..." she said, waving a little with her hand. She smiled and the light coming in front the ceiling glinted off the locket around her neck. He looked down at his own locket and wondered why he had never thought to open it. Likely it was Troy's doing but he reached down and pried it apart. It contained Sandy's picture, a tiny photograph that was taken years ago.

"Sandy..." was all he could think to say.

"Its okay Chucky." she said. He never let anyone else call him that, he didn't want people to associate him with the doll.

"So much I want to say." he breathed.

She drew closer, smiling in such a way it made his heart ache. "Forget it. Let's pretend it never happened."

"I've been doing far too much of that lately." Chuck said despondently, feeling the warm tears start to roll down his face.

Standing right in front of him Sandy stared with those blue eyes that he had loved since he first saw her. "I forgive you Chuck." she said. "Come with me. Let's go back to the way things used to be, just you and I together forever."

"Forever…" Chuck echoed. He looked her in those eyes he knew so well. Sandy stepped forward to hug him but he stepped back, shaking his head.

"What's wrong? I said I forgive you. Stay with me."

He felt that ugly feeling rising up in him again, surging up into a white hot rage that he could not put into words. He knew what to call it now, it was Troy.

"No." he growled. "I don't forgive you. You led me on, you were the most important thing in my life and you broke me in half. That's not love, that's some kind of sick torture."

"Chucky-"

"No more! I hate you for doing this to us!"

Before she could speak again, he brought up the gun and shot her between the eyes. Sandy didn't have time to scream or react, there was only a startled look on her face as she fell backwards.

Someone began clapping behind Chuck as he turned to see Troy smiling winningly. The tears made it hard to see though that hardly mattered anymore.

"Good job buddy." Troy beamed, walking over to him. "I knew you could do it. Now, you know what needs to be done don't you?"

"Yeah…" Chuck muttered numbly. "I have to give thanks to Silent Hill for my time here."

"That's right." Troy agreed, putting his hands on Chuck's shoulders. "And what does Silent Hill want for offerings?"

"More bodies."

"Very good." Troy nodded approvingly. "I thing we're going to fit in just fine here."

"Troy?"

"Yeah buddy?"

"I'll start with you."

He shot his best friend through the jaw at point blank range. Blood splattered across his face and Troy stepped back once. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and Troy dropped to the marble floor, dead. Chuck stared at the body for a while, the weight of the gun in his hand seemed to be a million pounds. This was the part where he turned it on himself but there would be no suicide today. He had come full circle to that terrible moment when everything he ever valued was destroyed by his own hand.

The people that had meant the most to him were gone and everything seemed so utterly pointless. There was nothing left, no one left, no reason to stay here, no reason to stay alive. A couple rounds still waited anxiously in his gun but they would never come out. His chest began to heave as he threw the weapon to the floor.

Looking down on Troy's body he stepped over it into the column of light. Where it was coming from and why it was shining through this roof in particular he didn't know or care. It took his vision away but there was something else in the room now. Trained senses and that special sixth sense of being in danger alerted him to creatures moving in from all corners of the room. They dragged and shambled and oozed towards him but Chuck didn't move. He continued to look up into the blinding light while the monsters converged on him. The first attack was something metal that pierced his stomach and he cried out in pain. They continued stabbing and beating until the world swam away from him and the bright light bled away into a sea of pain.