Disclaimer: I don't, nor will I probably ever, own the rights to Silent Hill. They belong to Konami so the only things I actually own is myself, one of my future OCs who will appear in either this chapter or chapter 9, and the plot for this fic. Sorry for the long update; I haven't been in the writing mood in the last little while due to... a personal reason that shan't be disclosed, and only 2 people know of. (Bows respectfully)

"Talking"

Thinking

Emphasized

"Shouting"

Flashbacks (With kids/teens)

Other flashbacks

(Demon speaking to Demon)

(Demon speaking)

Also Flashbacks (From the past)

Fear

This chapter, and the entire fic itself, is dedicated to my faithful reviewers whose words of encouragement and inspiration fuel the fire for this fic; if it weren't for you guys, I would've discontinued this story. (Hugs all her reviewers) Enough chit-chat! Let the insanity begin!

Authoress' Note: At one point I will possibly introduce a character(s) and/or an original monster(s) from one of the games, so be on the lookout for an AN, m'kay?

(Sharon)

Sister... Chelsea... where are you? I, I want you here with me... don't leave me behind again. Somebody... anybody, please make the pain stop.

Groaning timidly under my breath, I slowly pried my heavy eyelids open, pausing to blink once or twice to clear my vague vision before I was finally able to lean my face away from the concrete ground, and tenderly pressed my hand to where the- Wait... am I bleeding...? My brows pinched the bridge of my nose and I slowly withdrew my hand away from the back of my scalp, looking on as my blood dribbled down the pads of my fingers to the center of my palm with a dull, disoriented, glazed sheen to my vision.

Okay... I know now why I was in so much agony when I woke up, but... what I wanna know is WHY and HOW I came to be injured in the first place. I swear if I find out whoever did this to me, I'll be... well, I'll be seriously pissed off is what I'll be! I mentally screeched, absentmindedly sensing a wave of dispassionate, blazing, white-hot fire boiling my blood as I glared disdainfully at the redness oozing down my hand, watching as my life fluid trickled ominously warm crimson rivers.

Pain is such a fickle thing... it gnaws away slowly at the fragile barriers of sanity we all possess... snapping, cracking, breaking... crushing and virtually destroying it until there's nothing but shredded remnants of your former sanity.

Where the hell did that come from...? More importantly, how did I end up here? Well, that doesn't really matter right now, considering that I want to scream, bitch, curse, swear, punch, kick, thrash, destroy, maim, eradicate, and officially MURDER whoever did this to me! But, first things first, Sharon dearest... it's time for your daily self-check-up, courtesy of yourself.

Okay, now wasn't the time for bullshit. God, why didn't you give me a full brain instead of a quarter and a half brain... While I tried to ignore my momentary stupidity, I cautiously shrugged my shoulders, craning my neck downward and and sideways a bit, blinking once to clear my vision while praying to the Lord Himself that the only injury my body sported was the blistering red, oozing blood-and-layered-in-a-thin-coating-of-sensitive-pus and painful throbbing sensation I felt on the back of my head. A seemingly satisfied and obvious pleased sigh of relief slipping past my lips when I saw that my shoulders appeared to be in proper working order, and (what I found to be more thankful for) wasn't gushing out tiny crimson rivers like there was no tomorrow.

"Okay... I'm not bleeding there. Stupidity and Creepy-Ass-Stuff-That-Always-Happens-To-Me: one. Sharon and Her Stupidity-That-Will-Most-Likely-Get-Her-Killed-Someday: zero. Joy to the fucking world... oh well, I won't be dying today, thank God for that much... or whatever supernatural force that isn't going to let that happen to me."

Okay... let's see now. Head is bleeding: check. Shoulders that aren't broken or injured: check. You have no sweet clue as to how you got here and you're seriously pissed off: check. Other bodily functions and limbs that have yet to be checked and looked over: not-so-checked.

Once I felt not-so-terrified as to actually pry open my heavy eyelids after having to close them shut silently again, it only made the pain pulsating with a burning and fiery hell of a passion to worsen with ten-fold the agony, and pain is such a fickle thing, like I mentioned before; it sneaks up on you as unexpected and predatory as Death, catching you off guard before it leans in for the kill and making you wish to all the insubordinate, otherworldly forces imaginable to take you straight down the dark and dank tunnel that eventually lead to the pretty white light; the Godly radiating light of purity that made your life flash before your eyes.

... Did I suddenly have a near-death experience without realizing it had actually occurred or something... Curse my idiocy! Curse... fuck this goddamn pain to Hell and back! I, I, I don't want to feel any more pain... never, ever.

My wounded and mildly depressed spirits rose up a bit; the fact that I was still able to maneuver about freely calmed my nerves and dosed my mind, swamped with insane images and even wilder musings than I had previously thought, in a hazy wave of peace and bliss. The only thing that could make the situation any more bleak and downright hopeless was- All I can see is darkness, and... nothing else. Just... total and utter blackness. ... Maybe I really did die, and I just don't know it yet. Oh wait... stupid me. That's a really, really, not-so-good-it-boggles-the-mind horrendous sign. Opening one's eyes and being greeted by darkness; having no sight and you can officially declare sheer blindness.

Yep... this... is... definitely... a seriously... bad sign...

I'd like to see how this situation could possibly get any worse. Wait, my hands are... they're wet? I don't want to be in the street anymore. Wait a minute... since when was I in the street...? Oh yeah... that's gravel and dirt under my ass there. "Aw, hell. Here I am bleeding from a freaking wound on the back of my head, my hands are wet with God knows what, I'm pissed as fuck and I don't know why I should even be pissed off for starters, and I probably have finally gone off the deep end because I'm talking to myself. And... oh, double hell... somehow, I don't think I'm making any sense either."

Cautiously, I raised both my hands and tried to make twin fists, hoping they weren't bruised (not that they were as far as I could tell and feel), bleeding, and/or broken in a gazillion places, thus requiring medical attention; I swore under my breath, my eyes watering slightly, and I moaned as if I was being tortured. For Christ's sake! Fuckin' A! Goddamn needles! Apparently, my arms and hands had decided to pick a few moments ago as a perfect time to go ahead and sleep.

"Fuckin' A... how long have I been out here?"

Wasting whatever ounce of determination, strength, and resolve I had left, I forced myself to sit upright, wincing feeling a couple sharp edges of pebbles digging into my back and lower backside, but at least I had some slice of success. Some success is better than having none at all. And the word 'success' in my case means I pushed myself up into a sitting position, only to fall down and roll on my back like a dog playing dead.

Oh joy... time to muster whatever remaining strength I have so as not to vomit, perhaps? Perhaps, yes, perhaps. My GOD! Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! Dear me... I have such a stupid-ass mind and way of thinking, don't I? Ah well... least I can see the clear blue sky, and I have a good, painfully obvious-as-day idea as to where the rest of me is; all my limbs are attached, and aren't wounded.

Speaking of wounds and limbs... wait, my limbs. Yeah, I should probably check how the rest of my body is holding up, even though I can't feel any blood gushing out like a fountain anywhere else. Hm... let's see, where to look first? Hands are A-okay, so no worries needed there. Shoulders are alright too, so maybe... stomach? Legs? Feet? Sudden, abrupt waves of pain shot my nerves when I attempted for a second time to sit in an upright position, but I ignored the haziness vaguely distorting my vision for the moment, concentrating solely on my previous goal so that the pain was only minor.

A barely audible 'hmph' slipped its way past my lips when I rested all my body's entire weight on my buttocks so, at least that way, I'd be able to fully assess the damage dealt to poor ol' me. Which is kind of queer and stupid-looking; assessing the damage on your own. It's like CSI, only less fun and enjoyable to watch. Looking down, my midriff, knees, legs, and feet was soon displayed to my eyes. Hmm... no blood anywhere down there. Joy! But, oh no! I don't have my footwear on! What the fuck!

"Wait... I have other pairs at home, so... why am I freaking out? Maybe it's because you're a friggin' twat! Damn it... I'm talking to myself again."

Hazily, it dawned on me that the worst pain was in my nose. Cautiously, and treating my nose it though it were constructed out of glass, I gingerly pressed my index finger against it. "Goddamn it!" Alright then, more caution needed for the next time your nose gets cracked and starts oozing out blood, you stupid moronic idiot. I sincerely hoped it was just bleeding really bad and not, in fact, broken. It didn't matter anyway; a fresh river of crimson just started dribbling down the front of my shirt.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh... damn me. My nose went and exploded."

What the hell? "My nose went and exploded?" How stupid can you get? Oh sweet Jesus, that's a funny sentence.

"Ha ha ha ha... heh, heh... eheheheheheheheheheh." My voice sounded raspy, and very maniacal. My lips tugged and twitched violently as a smile was trying to form, but the left side of my face was too screwed up to work properly.

"Are you okay? You don't look so good."

I blinked, then twice or three times more, a barely noticeable frown tugging at the corner of my lips when, upon lifting my dim, slightly obscured vision, I saw a little girl staring back at me; her features creased with lines of curiosity, her eyes shining with the same bewildered, intrigued light. Dark hair. Dark blue eyes. Plus, she had that dress-overalls thing going on. Maybe around five years old, but no older than eleven. I had no sweet fucking clue.

What the hell are you looking at, kid? Oh, right... I'm the one spouting blood out of two wounds I didn't have before, and possibly resembling a buffoon drunk off their ass while looking and dressing the part. But, still... she doesn't have to stare so mindlessly at me.

Don't get me wrong; usually I don't mind kids, but this kid was creeping me out for some reason. It's not every day you have a young child like her staring back at you like you'd just grown three heads. For a moment her lips parted, and I thought she was going to say something, but she didn't, and I absentmindedly sighed to myself when the faint onslaught of a migraine began to pound away lightly against the sides of my soft yet slowly-being-set-on-fire brain; having this kid looking strangely at me, and not in a considerably good way, was making weirder stuff happening to me, and possibly affecting my brain. My paranoia must be finally getting to me... I mused silently, mentally groaning in discomfort as the Pain inside my stiff and sore mind soon worsened.

"Uh... um, yeah kid... never been better." Oh! My throat feels like a scorching fire! That's awesome.

"No, when I asked you if you were okay, I was talking about your hair and eyes. They're very ugly. Are you fully sane in that fat head of yours?"

Well, praise the Lord! Thy tormentor has arrived and thou is wishing thy head wouldst be struck!

"... Um, what... what did you just say, little girl?" I asked her through clenched teeth, resisting the sudden urge to lean forward and smack her across the face; if she can act like this to someone who's at least fourteen years her senior and more wiser than she lets on, how the hell does the little twit treat her parents? I wasn't too positive if the 'I wish abortion could occur between the ages of eight and twelve' expression was being revealed across my face, but I was sure as hell trying to.

"I said 'Your hair and eyes are ugly'. Are you really so stupid as to not understand proper English?" she asked in a childishly superior and matter-of-fact tone, her pale lips tugging in the slightest at the hints of a small smile, or a possible smirk, threatened to grace her lightly tan features; my lips twitched violently again, no doubt a different, more uncharacteristic smile, or smirk, of my own was threatening to etch into my pale features.

"Heh, heh... say kid, where is your Mother? Where is your Mother so that I may explain to her what having a paraplegic for a daughter will be like?"

She looked at me, stunned as a bat, for a few minutes in silence, then she giggled and ran around the corner. Just another chapter in the ever-so-entertaining story of my life. Hey, corner! Here we go, I'm in the alley behind the ice cream shop.

Dear God... maybe, in a few years, or decades, ahead of today, I'll probably look back on this and laugh.

Laugh until I'm blue in the face, or until the men in white come and ship me off to the happy hotel. Yup. Yes indeed. That's me. Insane, and yet not so crazed. Let me insert one of those freakishly long and dull sentences that will mean nothing because nobody will give a damn, simply because they either don't care or they don't want to waste their time.

Well, fuck, it was pretty hilarious then.

Nose explosion. Heh. 'My nose went and exploded'. Another heh needed there.

Rumble, rumble. Damn it, I just ate. God, don't I have anything better to do than stuff my face 24/7?

Rumble, rumble. ... Apparently not.

Say, where did Maria and Carla run off to? And where's my sister?

... Oh. I just made myself sad again.

(Chelsea)

Seriously, allow me to ask myself this, what in God's name possessed me to leave Dad's car when it was working before, and since I have some experience in how vehicles work, I just had to be a complete idiot and leave it anyway?

I had pondered and reflected upon the events that occurred within and outside school territory more times than I bothered to keep track of, but it seemed every time I thought about that freakishly, be-damned-than-Hell horror-movie-flick-like dream thing that happened in class earlier, not to mention the weird, anonymously sent letter I found in my Dad's car (now tucked away in my back pocket for safekeeping), it was less illogical, and more ridiculously insane, than last time.

Truth be told, I just wanted to know what it was I had 'Seen', and why I was envisioning it.

I just couldn't make any sense of it, though sometimes I never made for good logic. When I remembered that time in my childhood, and how blank and unresponsive my sister had been, I just felt so angry, like I wanted to go right up to the next person I saw, tear their head off their shoulders and spit down their throat. It was like someone was screwing around with my head; I was remembering, and Seeing, things that didn't make even the least bit sense.

I had heard whispers.

I slowed my fast pace just a bit to peer into a few of the nearby deserted shops. I was moving quickly before; I figured the faster I moved, the faster I'd be able to seek temporary shelter out of this frigid, slightly overcast day. Sadly, it didn't really matter how fast I walked or jogged at times, since I didn't really know where exactly I was headed, or if wherever I was now was the direction my sister and her two accomplices had taken.

I just felt the sudden urge to leave school and head straight home, which I did, but now, looking around the desolate streets deprived of any signs of life or not hearing any passing vehicles, I realized I had wandered pretty damn far from school grounds.

Not only that, but I wasn't quite sure where I was. Stay calm, Chelsea. You're not lost, you just... don't know where you are yet.

"Fuck." I whispered, though nobody was near, and it was quite clear that I was the only living soul on this empty street, but still... I always feel awful if I swear in front of kids. Since I was in the vicinity of a fair I decided it was best to shut my big yapper. Wait, a fair? What in the name of hell is a fair doing here? It's the middle of December. I was sure they only came during the summer.

Grudgingly pressing onward, lead like a dog on a leash, but not by an invisible collar, rather by strange music and children's laughter, my pace once again quickened. The sudden noises seemed to be just past Annie's Ice Cream Shack, which was only two blocks away.

Damn, it's quiet around these parts. Almost... too quiet. I kept moving forward, but risked taking a swift glance at my wristwatch. 1:30. I wanted to find my sister and the other two girls before school ended, and before Mom found out that not only had I skipped school, returned home without her permission (not that she was there in the first place), but that Sharon had also skipped school, and had dragged two teenagers along with her.

On the other hand, I was curious as to why a fair would be all the way out here.

That last thought made me pause. Curiosity had made me look like a total ass once this morning. Perhaps the same thing would occur here as well? I'm not an angry person, but it takes a lot to piss me off, unless the person's being really, really stupid and says something I wouldn't normally find to my liking, but that otherworldly hallucination had triggered something. But, the second I tried to remember what it was, I saw the black board again.

My dear child... come home. Written in an obscenely, horrifying manner... written in blood...

Then the whispering began again. It sounded like schoolyard chanting. Sounded like children's voices. Young children. Chanting... with taunting and sneering tones.

"Witch."

"Devil."

"Spawn of Satan."

"Outsider..."

"... freak of nature."

"Don't let her touch you."

"... maybe she'll cast a spell on us."

"Did you hear what she did? I heard she..."

"She'll kill you."

"... out to get us."

"Witch..."

"Witch..."

"Witch..."

"Witch..."

"Witch..."

"Witch..."

"Witch..."

"WITCH!"

I wanted to just fall to the ground and beat my head while slapping myself silly. Or, what would be more fun, take my bewilderment and rage out on the first person I saw... And I felt pretty tempted to do so after seeing someone I had never seen before in my life was standing in the middle of the street, looking a bit lost, and puzzled. Like he, or she, had misplaced something and didn't know where they had last put it.

Speaking of said person wearing said forlorn expression, the moment I was within their range of vision, the mysterious figure's neck made a soft, yet clear, cracking noise when their head snapped sideways, staring at me, but not really staring at me. It's like she's staring into my soul... how absurd.

"You've finally arrived." I stopped dead in my tracks, staring straight ahead with unblinking, observing eyes, trying to figure out the meaning behind what she had just said. Just what is this crazy woman getting at? Her bare feet made soft 'tap'ing noises as they timidly struck the recently paved road, but she didn't seem to take notice of the loose edges of concrete digging into the soles of her feet and causing them to bleed, and still she continued to approach me, still beholding that uncanny, blank and seemingly deceased gleam in her eyes.

I, on the other hand, stood perfectly still to get a better look at her. Not to mention so I can kick her ass if she tries anything... Her hair had an unnatural platinum blond sheen to it, falling across her shoulders and caressing the lining of her oval-shaped face with each step she took, her eyes were a dull ice-blue and a faint, barely noticeable light of curiosity and recognition shined briefly in those twin seas of color before that strange light was extinguished. Her clothes were an odd sight; obviously not of this day and age, the outfit seemed to resemble the kind of style gypsies would wear, but other than that there was nothing exceptionally peculiar about the woman.

"Um, yeah.. that's... that's really nice and all lady, but I have to go now. So... I'll be going now. Bye." I gave her a simple wave and nearly walked by her, but she stepped sideways and stood firmly, purposely blocking my path. I glared at her sternly. "Get out of my fucking way! I have to go and find-"

"Your sister... correct? You needn't worry about her, Chelsea. She is out of harm's way, for the moment. But, shall we get down to the matter at hand? This doesn't concern your sister, but it does concern you."

How the fuck does she know my name? And... how does she know about Sharon? Daddy had always told me that if a stranger knew your name, or anything else that you considered personal business, it meant bad news, but this 'stranger' was beyond bad news; I could feel it. "Look lady, I don't know who the fuck you think you are, but if you don't get out of my way this minute, you'll be sorry!" I spat tartly at her, narrowing my eyes into cat-like, dangerous slits.

"You don't remember? You can't recall anything about your past, can you, Chelsea?"

"I remember my past! I remember-"

"You remember nothing. You can't lie to me, child. I See everything. But, while it does puzzle me as to why She would allow you to see Her memories, it doesn't puzzle me why your feeble mind cannot seem to recollect any memories. Your... 'sister'... she has unknowingly replaced what you and her regard as memories, but are not what they appear to be. They are... false recollections."

"Well, fuck you, bitch! It is you who knows nothing! You don't know me, and you'll stay away from my sister! After I find her and once we get home, you'd better believe our father will hear about this!" I growled in seething dispassion, my tiny hands had curled into fists during my little rant and now they shook violently; it took nearly all of my self-restraint not to punch her right between the eyes.

"He's not your father, and Sharon isn't related to you; she was never your sister. ... I'm sure you have noticed that Sharon was different from all the other children, yourself included; you knew you two could see, hear, and envision things no one else could, especially when you two were alone and in the dark. Your foster mother thought you two were simply crazy; insane; cursed children who flaunted their abnormalities about while telling your adoptive father false tales of what She told you."

"Crazy... you're fucking crazy, lady! You... you... you have seriously lost it! And who is 'She' you keep ranting and raving about? Who is 'She'? WHO!"

She smiled and looked upward. "She is You."

She is... me?

My brows pinched the bridge of my nose, again trying to make sense of what she was saying, but, like herself, the words she spoke were shrouded in mysterious and beheld a hidden meaning, and I couldn't pinpoint any reasonable logic as to what she was saying. But, at the same time... I feel as though I've met this person somewhere... but, I can't remember when or where.

"Listen... um, lady... I don't know where my sis- Sharon is right now, she might be hurt."

"You needn't be concerned for her well-being. What you should be worried about is who you truly are, your true origins, and how you came to exist; more importantly, that which you must become."

"What are you saying...? I don't understand you!"

"Don't you See, Chelsea? Your powers are needed; that is why your 'sister', as you call her, and the other two girls, play a role in this as well."

"So... what you're saying is... this 'woman' has given me powers? And... my sister too..." I muttered more to myself than anything, my long, sharp canines digging and grinding into the soft flesh of my bottom lip while I silently racked my brain in the hopes that I would recall any point in my life when I acted out of character. Nothing came to mind.

"I am Claudia..."

(A/N: I don't own Claudia, and she's not mentioned or seen in the Silent Hill movie, I don't think, so I obviously don't own her. Konami does.)

I snapped my attention back to her, stunned for a moment. "So what?" I emphasized my statement with my hands, gritting my teeth further into my lip, and not caring that a tiny trickle of blood oozed forth within the small wound.

Wait, if she told me her name then that means... "Claudia, right? Did you... are you the person responsible for making all this Spooky Stuff happen to us? To me? To my sister? And... to Carla and Maria?"

Claudia's eyes glimmered with an unreadable emotion; her ghost-white features creased deep with lines of sheer joy, and she smiled, or her lips were set in a grim line that resembled a smile, causing my puzzlement to worsen. "It was the hand of God."

(Maria)

There's nothing there, nothing there, nothing there... there's nothing anywhere!

Well, in Reality, there was something here, actually quite a number of somethings here; I was in the vicinity of a local park, so there was a swing set, a jungle gym, a slide, two see-saws, and a few benches. But, before that, I had 'Seen' something... something else.

"Oh... oh dear God."

I was sure I must have looked a sore sight to see for the group of young mothers who gawked at me with wide eyes full of shock and disbelief; remaining near their young like hawks to their brood. After I was far out of sight and away from their children, they returned to chit-chatting idly away, most likely questioning as to why I was running away in sheer terror, but then it dawned on me that I should get out more often since I was exhausted after scampering nonstop down two blocks before finally stopping to catch my breath.

But, dear Christ of almighty... after seeing Carla get riled up like that... "Oh fuck."

My legs suddenly decided to give out then and there; I collapsed to the ground, coughing and breathing harshly, sounding as if I was trying to choke up a lung, my hands struck the pavement first, hard, but I still continued to wheeze and pant, ignoring the sudden pangs of pain tightening in my chest; sighing, I shifted my gaze downward, staring blankly at the ground, and making my glasses to slip a bit over my nose. Nothing is making any sense anymore! Am I losing it already? Oh shit, what if I am going crazy? How much of what I 'Saw' back there... with Carla... was real?

I KNEW coming to this fucking town was a bad idea, but nooooooooo. My Mommy just had to ignore my pleas and whining and bitching and move here anyway. Fine then, if I wind up getting discovered gut, strangled, bleeding, bruised, and raped in an alleyway tomorrow, then it'll be my M- No, I can't blame her.

Eventually, my eyes started to get moist, and I scowled darkly seeing my glasses were starting to fog up. You pathetic, big-ass baby! Don't start crying now! Don't you dare! ... Your new friends aren't here to comfort you and you want to bawl like the whiny little bitch you know you are. I sucked back the tears, and forced myself to take a shaky, shallow breath while wiping away the cold beads of sweat that began to gather and trickle down my brow, my face scrunching as I pondered about what happened, and what had caused the albino to want to get away from me as quickly as possible.

Carla, she had... her ice cream, she... threw it at me, babbled something that sounded like 'Monsters', and took off running without looking back. Reflecting on that particular scene, and remembering how confused I was seeing the look of mortal horror plastered on the girl's face before she fled, I frowned and glimpsed down at my shirt; warm trickles of mint flavored ice cream dribbled down my front, decorated with chocolate chips, and two flattened cherries. And... there was more red splatter than there should have been... a crimson hue that didn't look like twin globs of crushed fruit... red that didn't seem to come from the ice cream.

"Did they make you 'See' it too?"

"Oh, come on, don't feign ignorance. Did you see the way the white-haired one smiled? How happy the kid with the glasses looked? How the Psychic Psycho and her Miss Suicidal Fuck Up of a sister grinned when they made us 'See' what they See? Well, did you?"

"Somehow, I don't think that was the reason. They looked just as scared as we did."

"No, no, you're wrong! It WAS them! I SAW how they reacted; it was unnatural, I tell you. Didn't you see how joyful they all looked? I just KNOW they're the sole reason for this place being shot to hell and back."

"Are you sure, that maybe... they were pleading for us to help them?"

"I'm not entirely sure why I'm going to say this, but... I think they all want to kill you. Kill me. Kill everyone; they want everyone except themselves to perish."

"Why?"

"I don't know; I just get this really unnerving sensation whenever I see them, or I'm near them."

"Even if that were true, why would they want to kill anyone, much less everyone in town?"

"It doesn't make sense when you stop and think about it, right?"

"... What makes you think that I'm lying? You didn't see the demented gleams their eyes beheld, did you? You don't think it was the least bit strange?"

"... It did look a bit odd. But, that's what the four of them are: eccentric. Nothing more."

" 'Eccentric'? How can you find the grounds to say that? They aren't like us! They are NOT normal, not by my standards, and I'm sure as hell you'd agree with me if you pried your head from your ass!"

"What? Just what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that... okay, so maybe they aren't what we'd consider to be normal, or sane, but that doesn't-"

"It doesn't WHAT? Doesn't give me the privilege of WHAT? It doesn't give me the right to scorn them? To look down on them and mock them for being the scum of the earth? Ask anyone who lives near them; they'll tell you all about the Creepy Stuff they've heard coming from their houses late at night."

"Piercing screeching, children crying, insane bouts of laughter, weird chanting, and unearthly moans coming from the darkness... once I heard a local reporter went into the sisters' home to investigate the source of the noises, and she was never heard from again."

"That's bullshit, and you know it. All that talk is just local gossip; made-up stories just to have something wild and unheard of around these parts to discuss, to entertain the teens while they're out in the woods swapping stories and passing out alcohol."

"No, it's true! A lady in red told me! Someone from the church, I think."

"... have been found!"

"Did Claudia tell you this?"

"Yes."

"Then it must be true; her Sight rarely fails her."

"Father, do you honestly think God will bring about Paradise? Usher in a new Beginning? Bestow Her serenity and blessings upon mankind, to cleanse the Sinners of their hellish pasts'?"

"If She wills it, my child. If God Herself wills it to be so."

Maria, child, you've officially gone insane. How terrific! Now if only the men in the white coats were here to escort you to the happy hotel, you'd be all set for life! Yeah, fucking right. My ass they will.

You shouldn't blame your ever-weakening mental state on yourself, Pet. You were insane before you came to this town.

I frowned. Okay, out of all the things I expected to hear, a creepy voice wasn't one of them. Puzzled, and startled, hearing this voice, I looked up from my ice cream splattered shirt and took a swift glance at my surroundings. Nothing is here.

I am here, sweet child. I've always been there... inside you... watching you, waiting for the perfect time to come and tear you apart.

Where are you?

'It' chuckled; a deep, throaty laugh, and then 'It' spoke again, its voice ending in a velvety purr. Seems you weren't paying attention to what I told you, child. I'm inside you; dwelling deep within that frail mind of yours. Feasting...

Feasting? Feasting on what?

Your hidden Fears... of course, how can you possibly Fear what you cannot see, that which has no body, but it takes its own form whenever needed? I have no eyes; no ears; no mouth; no sense of taste. And yet, I have all of these delectable senses, I possess so much more too. And it's all thanks to you, child.

My legs suddenly had the energy to move again. I rose quickly enough to make me dizzy and took off running, not waiting for my disoriented state to pass. I just ran. The sane part of my head warned me that I looked intoxicated, and I was most likely dressed the part too, but that was the least of my worries at the moment; as I ran, that psychopathic voice in the insane part of my head still laughed at me, still poked and prodded away at my brain, still teasing me with the chance that I had really lost it.

"Oh God... oh... God..."

(Carla)

Darkness... Darkness is all that I am, all I have ever been and will be, all that's greeted and protected me since my birth...

I groaned, prying my eyelids open slowly, a pained, choking noise coming from the back of my sore throat as I blinked to clear my blurry vision, groaning again feeling an unknown source of numb, searing agony originating somewhere on the back of me. I cringed, feeling my body stiffen for a brief moment when I was finally able to ease my head off the ground, pressing my hands to my temples and gently rubbing the pads of my fingers into my tender skin, moving my hands in semi-circle motions.

Okay, stay calm, Carla, stay calm no matter what happens... First, you have to remember what happened before, and then figure out how you came to be here... wherever 'here' is exactly.

Something moist and sticky was dripping all over my shirt and dampening it heavily... something that didn't smell like food... Taking a weary glance down, my eyes quickly doubled in size seeing the many trickles of crimson oozing down my shirt, a few red rivers slipping inside and making the areas stained with a superfluous amount of red deepen in color... but where did all this blood come from?

Flashback

Monsters... blood... bodies... monsters, blood, and bodies... everywhere.

Darkness... choking blackness... disillusioned Reality... shattering the mind... sheer Insanity.

"Maria? Sharon? Chelsea?"

A timid voice, calling out to people who seem to exist no longer... all alone in a dark and dank world...

White hair drenched in nervous perspire, red eyes narrow in fear and anxiety, pale hands drifting up to grace One's alabaster complexion. Unknowing, alarming Fear striking One's heart, pulsing wildly within the body; choking back tears, forcing all negative possibilities from inside One's frantic mind, running rampant with mindless self-doubt and concern.

Sky's a sea of shadows, desolate houses stand dilapidated, empty, and devoid of life, streets filling up with a foreboding mist, rendering One's vision nearly useless; sickening shade of red brown, the color of filth; a dreadful melancholic gray, supporting Their deep sadness; sinful hue of deep, deep red, blistering abyss black, colorless and meaningless colors all stand for and yet mean nothing, nothing but to One.

"Where is everybody? Why is it so quiet?"

One's fear is oh so obvious, plain as day, eyes widening hearing faint steps coming from ahead, taunting One with the small chance that someone else may lurk behind the misty veil obscuring One's vision.

"Someone... is here?"

A child with jet black hair and demonic black eyes; lifeless; emotionless; a sadistic grin etching into porcelain features, shoulders quivering insanely, the body tilting from side to side while humming a melodious tune; ancient rune symbols appearing on One's face, returning the grin and bending One's back in a courteous bow, sharp canines glistening with spittle, blood splattered nails dripping droplets of crimson rain upon the ever-shifting ground.

("Who are you, monster? She told me you died a long time ago... how is it you still breathe Life? She and her sister exorcised you from the other girl, then they butchered you in a manner so horrifyingly sweet, yet here you are.")

One loses the superior sneer, lines creased deep in puzzlement and shock appear on One's face, frowning in the slightest seeing Him grinning like a maniacal adolescent girl, boiling undeniable rage coursing through the body the more He continues to stare, the wider His grin became, the brighter the light of ruthless sadism gleamed.

("I'm just like you, Monster; I am Nothing, yet I am Everything. I am You. I am Her. I am Them. I am Everyone who can comprehend and experience pure Hate. The Two Half-Soul girls know this well; they know Hate. It is nearly everything they've ever known, whether they wish to believe so or not, they hate You, not the human you possess. Just... You.")

Closing One's eyes, reflecting on what He way-laid on His free will, discovering nothing but sheer nonsense, reopening One's sights and seeing He vanished into the malevolent veil of fog, as if He had never been there, but feeling blood oozing from a wound deadlocked in the center of One's flesh... a wound that wasn't there previously... a wound sketched to resemble a cultist crest like symbol.

End Flashback

Authoress' Note: Gah! I'm sorry my lovelies, but I must end it there! And please forgive me for not updating for... well, a long time. (Wide eyes) So, hopefully, this will keep you all in high spirits before I update on my other fics. Lost In Darkness will most likely be the next fic to be updated (at last!) so be sure to keep an eye out. (Bows in respect to her reviewers)