The rest of our walk around the lake was less than exciting, though one event did catch our attention. Hearing a fog horn, we turned our attention to the lake, spotting a river boat. "Oh! The Little Baroness from the arcade game!" I stepped into the woods for a better look, watching the boat chug along. It slowed to a stop before, without warning, was pulled under as easily as a toy into a child's bath. Deciding it was best to back up from the lake, we continued on, checking a few dilapidated houses on the way. Never finding anything of interest in them, we kept going, reaching the Lake View Hotel. "Okay, if we don't find anything here, then I'll be surprised." I looked up at the building, looking for any lights or moving shapes. "James spent a lot of time here. There must be some clue of what he's up to now."
Josh suddenly pointed up at one of the lower windows. I looked over to him, then to the window. "What?"
"There's a guy up there. Some older guy, looks like." I squinted at the window, frowning. Josh dropped his arm to his side. "He's gone now. I swear he was there, though." With enthusiasm, he walked up to the door, opening it. "Let's get in there and check it out!"
I laughed, keeping close behind him. "Josh, you're like… weirdly into this."
The entrance of the hotel must have been nice at one point, but now it was nothing but a run-down has-been building. The hallmarks of abandonment were clear and present: paint peeling off the walls, coats of dust on every horizontal surface, and bits of ceiling plaster on the wrong side of the room. We stepped further into the atrium, gazing at the surreal beauty of a wrecked work of art when we heard a man clear his throat. The three of us turned to the source of the noise: the reception counter. Standing behind the counter, his head covered in dust and grey hair, was a man clothed in a dark grey suit, his jacket unbuttoned and his collar lacking a tie. He spoke in an aged, hoarse voice. "You are guests in the hotel?"
I looked to Josh and PH, stepping closer to the counter to set my fingers on the counter. "Ah… Yeah. We are." I nodded back to PH. "We're with him." The man nodded, gesturing for us to follow as he turned and stepped out from behind the counter. We followed him back into an office near the counter, watching as he opened a trap door in the wood floor. From below, we could see light glowing in whatever room lay at the end of the steps. I gestured for Pyramid Head to step in first, Josh and I following close behind. The nameless man stayed behind, closing the trap door as we descended. The stairs had led us into a dark, cramped tunnel lined with strung lights. We followed the lights further down the tunnel, keeping a hold of each other. I wrapped my fingers around one of PH's belts while Josh clung to the strap of my bag, intent on staying together should anything attack. The further in we went, however, the more we heard a soft, pleasant sound from within.
"What could that be?" Josh whispered, holding tightly to my bag. I shook my head as we continued in, giving PH's back a pat. He lifted his knife in front of himself, keeping it at the ready. As we drew closer to the sound, it grew louder, identifiable now as singing. A large group, by the sound of it. Josh peered PH and myself. "No way… The cult is here?" Before us, the tunnel ended, opening into a large room below. More steps led down from the tunnel into what was, by all accounts, an Order sanctuary. The round room was lined with risers, on which many dark-clothed people stood. In the middle of the room, the floor sank into a circular pit, a blonde, white-robed man standing in it. Josh and I stepped out of the tunnel, peering down at the man in the middle. "Who's…" He reeled back. "Oh, FUCK no."
The man raised his eyes from the gathered masses to us, smiling serenely. His blonde hair, dirty and stringy, reached down to his shoulders. It had a gentle wave to it, much like my own. His chin was unkempt, a short beard covering it. Even though his appearance was somewhat normal, perhaps only slightly unusual, it was his smile that worried me the most. A familiar smile, one that I'd seen in renders of the fourth installment of the Silent Hill franchise. It was the smile of a serial killer, of someone who found everything entertaining for the fact that nothing was sacred anymore. "Ah." Walter Sullivan's crisp, baritone voice echoed in the chamber, calling the group's attention to us. "And there they are, brothers and sisters. The ones who will facilitate our salvation."
"Oh, god, he's not talking about US, is he?" Josh whispered.
I shrugged. "Maybe…" I nodded to the most deranged man in Silent Hill, speaking up. "Yeah. We're after James."
"With whose blessing?" Walter stepped to the edge of the pit, his hands lazily at his sides.
I hesitated. Did he expect someone in particular? "With… With Valtiel's blessing." I nodded. "But he didn't explain much to us." If I needed to, I could try to lie well enough to keep us safe in this situation. If that failed, there was always Pyramid Head. I couldn't tell if it was a good sign or not, but Walter's smile broadened.
"It was once thought best that the Order remain separated into different sects." He looked to the crowd, walking slowly around the edge of the pit. "Three sects, however, do not hold strong. They can be torn apart one at a time." He opened his arms to his sides, looking back to me. "The Sect of the Holy Woman, the Sect of the Holy Mother, and the Sect of Valtiel have come together in our time of need. Without our unity, the heretic would kill us all." He gestured to me, looking again to the crowd. "God has brought our salvation to us. An entire trinity." He looked back to me, his unsettling smile still in place. "Let us offer our thanks to you, for you shall lead us back to our sacred place."
I looked to my companions, trying to judge whether or not they thought the situation was safe. Pyramid Head held his knife vertically, its tip rested on the floor of the stair landing. He seemed relaxed for the time being, even if he was still ready for trouble. Josh did his best to look relaxed as well, but I could see his knuckles whiten as he gripped his board and nail. Assured that they had my back, I descended the steps. "You can offer your thanks to us with your assistance." Reaching the end of the steps, I stepped to the edge of the pit, my eyes locked to Walter's strange, entrancing gaze. It unsettled me that I couldn't tell what he was thinking. "We need to know which church James is in."
Walter kept smiling. "All of them."
I sighed. "…Okay, that doesn't help me, you or anyone else here."
"This will, though." He turned away towards a member of the crowd, gesturing for them to step forward. The veiled woman stood, holding up a black box. Walter lifted the lid open, delicately removing something from within. He held the object in both hands as he turned back to me. It was about the size of a drink coaster, mostly white with red designs inscribed into it. I tilted my head as I raised my hands to accept it. "The Seal of Metatron. It's true that we can't help you find James… But when you do find him, this will give you the power to overcome him." His expression hardened only slightly as the seal left his hands. "When the time is right, banish him from existence." Walter lifted his arms, turning about to the crowd gathered. "He will pay the price for his slaughter of the true believers!" The crowd cheered and clapped, excited at the prospects of whatever this "banishment" meant. I cheered as well, deciding I was better off trying to fit into this group of psychos than I was trying to be better than them. As the cheers subsided, Walter thrust a finger to point at Pyramid Head. "Step forward. Do it now."
I turned, looking to PH. Obediently, he trudged down the steps, reaching the edge of the pit. I watched warily, uncertain of what was going on. Walter pointed down. PH dropped to one knee, his knife screeching as it scraped the floor, sliding down at his side. Walter slipped one of his hands into his sleeve, pulling out a small, ornate hammer. "You, of course, are to keep the saviors alive on their mission." His strange smile endured as he lashed out, striking PH hard on his helmet with the hammer. PH growled, his hand twitching as he raised it to his helmet to stop the vibration. I looked to Walter questioningly. He returned my gaze, a regrettable event in itself as I found myself unable to look away yet again. It was something about his eyes, the manner in which they were opened. Or maybe it was his eyebrows, lifted slightly in the middle in a somewhat pitiful way. "The first will serve you well. If he doesn't…" He held the hammer out to me. My hand lifted on its own, reaching to take the hammer. I felt the air pressing against my eardrums as I stared into the man's eyes, as unblinking as mine were at that moment. My heart pounded in my ears, my breathing slow and shallow. Of all this I was hardly aware, my thoughts empty and my eyes fixated on Walter's.
My mind suddenly lurched back into motion, resisting the effects of whatever was affecting me. I clenched the muscles of my arm, pulling my hand back. I finally blinked, shaking my head. "…No. I don't think I'll need it."
Walter watched me for a moment, then retracted the hammer. "Very well." He turned back to PH, struck him again, then slid the hammer into his sleeve. I shifted my weight, watching as PH again held onto his helmet. I thought back to the sewer after he had bashed the door open, remembering how long it had taken for him to finally recover. My heart ached, but I didn't reach out to him. What would the cult do if I helped the guy their certifiably insane leader kept hitting on the head with a hammer?
"Walter." The man looked back to me. This time, I made sure to consciously blink. "Why did you call him the first?"
"That's what he is." Walter nodded. "The first."
I raised a brow. "…Okay then." I looked to PH, then back to Walter. "Well. We'll be going. Things to do." I tore my gaze from him, looking to the gathered cultists. "Bye now." I gave a small wave, turning to the steps. As I turned away, I felt a cold hand grip my arm, holding me still. PH rose from the floor, roaring. I looked over my shoulder to see Walter's creepy gaze and clammy hand on me. I reminded myself to keep blinking. "…What?" I glanced questioningly up at Josh, who shrugged.
As I turned my attention back to Walter, he spoke. "There is something more you must do here."
"Uh…" I nodded. "Alright. What is it?"
He reached over, slipping the hammer into my bag. "Upstairs. In the suite he once stayed in." He released my arm, nodding. "You'll find some answers there first."
I raised a brow. "The room he stayed in? James?" Walter nodded again. "Alright…" I looked back to PH, finding him quite tense and ready for a fight. "Let's go, guys." PH seemed to look at Walter before he nodded, trudging back up the steps to Josh. I looked back to Walter. "Thanks." His lips parted as his smile broadened and he lifted his hands, raising his fingers in what appeared at first to be the peace sign on both hands. I shuddered as I figured out the real meaning of it, quickly ascending the stairs to leave with my companions.
