One more chapter to go! As usual, WIP. Tried to do some stealth stuff in the first half of this chapter. Hope it doesn't come off as ridiculous

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-Chapter 12-

-No Escape-

Jacob awoke late into the night, his sleep undisturbed from the terrors the nightmares brought to him. He found it a bit strange, although welcome, that the nightmares didn't come to him this night and left him to face the day as a tired, emotional wreck. His room was dark and quiet, save for the incessant ticking of the clock on the far wall. He couldn't tell for sure, but judging by the hands, it must have been around two in the morning. Quickly jumping out of his bed, he threw on a pair of dark pants and a black sweater he had laid out on his desk earlier. After getting dressed, Jacob knelt before his bed and extended his arm under it, trying to feel for his duffel bag. When his fingertips felt the familiar fabric, he quickly pulled it out from the bed and started throwing several sets of clothes into the bag along with a flashlight, bottles of water and snack food he managed to take from the cafeteria. He didn't expect to be on the road for too long, but it felt good to be somewhat prepared. When his duffel bag was full, he slipped his arm through one of the handles and swung the object behind his back, slipping his sock covered feet into his sneakers. He took a last look around his room and made his way to the door.

Twisting the knob gently, he opened the door ajar and peered through the crack to scout the hallway. Normally Sisters would be moving too and from different hallways to make sure no one was out of their rooms after curfew and tonight was no different. He spotted several Sisters walking past his door, some walking by themselves, other traveling and chatting in pairs. This particular floor of the dorms was constructed into a giant "H" design, rooms lined both sides of the area and were connected by a small hall at the far end of the opposite hall was the exit Jacob needed to go through. When he detected no other Sisters near his room, Jacob quickly slipped through the door and gently closed it behind him, trying his best to not make any sounds. He tiptoed towards the connector, and threw his back to the wall. Peering slightly over the corner, Jacob spotted two Sisters talking amongst themselves in front of the exit. Scanning the area, Jacob tried to figure a way to get the Sisters away from the door and allow him to exit unnoticed. He reached into his bag and pulled out a water bottle and weighed it in his right hand, his right arm feeling a bit sore but noticeably better than before. Looking towards the other end of the hall, Jacob threw the bottle towards the far end. The bottle slammed against the water and Jacob heard the Sisters let out a soft, startled cry. From his position, he watched as the two women began making their way towards the source of the noise. Hiding around the corner of the opposite hallway, Jacob watched the Sisters go by. Shifting his body into a low position, he hurried through the connector, down the hallway and to the exit. He carefully but quickly opened the door and slipped through, watching the women examine the water bottle before firmly shutting the door.

Jacob crouched in the central hall on the third floor, lining the walls were doors leading to various classrooms and utility closets. Towards the middle of the hall was the main staircase leading to the Assembly Hall, lobby and cafeteria. Jacob strained his ears but couldn't hear any voices from Sisters and crept passed the central stairs and towards the fire escape. Turning the steel handle, he made his way through the door and descended the three flights of stairs. He carefully opened the door when he reached the first floor, peering through the small opening he created. The lobby was quiet, a single Sister sat at the reception desk busying herself with some manner of work. He crouched down for a minute to figure what to do. The problem was that while the exit was right next to the reception desk, the door to the fire escape was on the farthest side of the square shaped lobby. While he sat silently in thought, he saw another Sister enter the lobby and make her way to the busy Sister. The two huddled together close and started talking, although he couldn't make out the words, Jacob assumed they were having a gossiping session, as the two women would let out high pitched giggles from time to time. Jacob was preparing to head back up the stairs and find another way out when both Sisters moved away from the reception desk and headed through the door that Jacob and Jessica went through in Alternate Hope House. Hoping that the two women were going to he lounge, Jacob did one more look around the empty lobby and darted from the fire escape and reached the large double doors. Looking over his shoulder briefly, he twisted one of the spherical doorknobs and ran out the door.

Jacob stood on the central cobblestone walkway that led to a winding driveway which ultimately led to the city streets. The night air was a bit cold, barely visible clouds of mist shot from his mouth with each breath. He turned around and took a long look at Hope House. He knew he had to leave since there was nothing for him there. Not only was Jessica gone forever, but he had developed a bad feeling about those who ran the orphanage. Leaving was the best thing for him even though he had no idea of what to do once he made it back into town. Pulling his duffel bag closer to him, Jacob thrust his free hand into a pocket and made his way towards the large iron gates. He scanned these gates earlier yesterday and figured it would be no problem scaling it. Even though the gates had several large pikes atop the ironwork, they were spread far enough apart for him to squeeze through relatively unharmed. When he reached the gate, he stopped for several moments and examined the blockade, trying to figure the best places to ascend. Before he could make his move however, the siren began to wail. Jacob dropped his head, feeling as if his stomach sank to his feet. The siren grew louder and more intense, but this time Jacob didn't fall to his knees, crying. He half expected something like this would happen and tried to prepare himself. He was no longer going to give into the sinister force behind Hope House. He was tired of running, tired of hiding, tired of all the pain and darkness. If Jacob was going to get away, this was one hurdle he must deal with.

Jacob was met with surprise when he managed to keep himself conscious while the sirens sang their terrible wailing. Normally he would pass out and wake up in the alternate world, but staying awake gave him the opportunity to see the world around him physically shift. The world around him shifted from normal to alternate several times, as if the two worlds were doing battle with one another. In a space of several seconds, Hope House would be a normal looking place one moment then shift to a dirty, dilapidated building. The grass around him would go from being a cool, healthy green to a dry brown, various school equipment spread out all over the area. After about ten minutes, the sirens stopped wailing and the shifting stopped. Jacob faced the dark, nightmarish world filled with blood and rust. He looked at the gate behind him and found it covered with barbed wire and snake like ironwork that seemed impossible for any man to make.

With nowhere to go, Jacob made his way back up the cobblestone path, which was in an obvious state of disrepair, causing him to trip several times. Jacob reached the large entrance doors and noticed that, unlike his previous visit, the doors looked perfectly normal. When he turned the doorknob and pushed the door, he felt no resistance. Looking into the lobby, however, things were similar. The walls and floor were covered with blood and grime, the bodies monsters in school uniforms littered the corners. The only thing vaguely different was the use of the religious seal in the center of the room. What was even more surprising was the hooded figure standing on it.

Jacob made his way into the lobby, the doors closing by themselves, and faced the robed figure. He dropped his duffel bag to his feet and waited for the figure to speak. The robed figure placed his arms behind his back.

"Where were you off to this night, Jacob?" the figure said behind his hood.

"How do you know me? Who are you?"

"Oh, I know many things. It's my business to know about the welfare of everyone here. Besides, you should have some idea of who I am."

"I think I have an idea."

Laughter escaped from within the dark hood. The figure lifted his arms towards the hood, his hands gripping the fabric and gently pulling it away, revealing the familiar face.

"Hello, Father Alexander." Jacob said, anger swelling inside of him. Anger that this was the man responsible for taking Jessica away from him along with everyone else at Hope House.

"Good evening, Jacob. You weren't planning on leaving us were you?"

"Actually, I was. I don't think this place is for me."

"Oh, come now, Jacob. You can't leave. Think of how terrible it is out there."

"Can't be nearly as bad as it is here, Alexander."

The older man smirked. He casually walked along the lobby, stepping over the bodies of monsters. Jacob followed after him, keeping a safe distance away.

"I guess this is more than a nightmare. More than just a recollection of past events."

"You guess right, my son," Alexander spoke, continuing his walk. He stopped to admire one of the hanging monsters similar to those Jacob saw in the lounge.

"Aren't you going to explain yourself, Alexander?"

"Why should I? I've done nothing wrong."

"Nothing wrong! Look at this place! What the hell is going on here? Why did you take Jessica!"

The man turned towards Jacob and smiled. "Such things are best left to the Confession, my son. And it looks like it's just about time for yours." The older man made a hand signal and Jacob heard a faint growling behind him. Spinning on his heels he was once again confronted by Pyramid Head. His fight response went into overload and he prepared himself to do battle with the monster. Before he could do anything, he heard Alexander say from across the room, "It's best that you don't struggle, my son. You've run into him several times and believe me, he isn't to thrilled about you living through so many confrontations." As much as he didn't want to admit it, Alexander had a point. This thing looked as if he wanted to rip him apart limb by limb.

Satisfied, Alexander opened the door that lead to the lounge hallway and motioned for Jacob to walk through it. He hesitated briefly but was shoved forward by Pyramid Head. He entered the door with Alexander at his side and the monster behind them. After walking for several minutes, Jacob spoke up.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To the chapel, my son. It's time for your Confession."