Chapter 28: Pentagram Ending
Brown eyes opened. Blinked. Scanned the surrounding area.
A horribly lit, derelict subway car, and Adrian was sitting in one of the dirtied, blood caked seats. His head pounded unbearably. His legs were numb. His hands were bound behind his back by a bloody rag. "What the hell is this..." he trailed off, deciding to look around to see for himself. The only sound came from the rickety grinding of the train against the tracks, but it was no match for the smell of the stale oxygen and festering human body parts that wafted throughout the car. And it suffocated him without mercy.
'Just breathe through your mouth... breathe through-'
That was when he realized- his mouth was taped shut, forcing him to take in the disgusting stench. Blood dried on the corner of his mouth, presumably from the harsh blow he took that knocked him out. If he was able to, he would've puked right then and there. Things couldn't get worse...
'..don't think that, things always get worse when I think that.'
His inner rambling did not save him from the situation indeed getting worse. The train screeched to a stop. Adrian stared as the door at the end of the car slid open. He leaned to the side to look out the window, to try and catch a glimpse of where he was. A sign out on the platform, barely distinguishable by an unsheathed lightbulb, showed him.
'Lyne Street'
Wherever that was, it was nowhere near Adrian's home. If he could bring himself to care, though, he would have stayed seated in the blood soaked subway car. However, Adrian had other plans. He stood up, and walked carefully towards the open door. Ade's steps along the aisle were definitive, slow enough so he kept himself from falling over from the dizzy spell that plagued him. "Almost there," he spoke aloud- wasn't like anyone was around to care that he was talking to himself. Nor was anyone around who would have asked what he was murmuring behind the tape that muffled his speech. He gritted his teeth and forced himself on. Just a few more steps...
...and a towering figure filled the open doorway. Adrian's heart sank.
'You have to be kidding.'
There Pyramid Head stood, knife clenched in its hand as tightly as ever as it stepped fully onto the subway car. The doors creaked shut loudly behind it, and the train took into movement once more. "Oh come on!" Ade yelled, but again it came off as little more than a slightly louder than average grunt. Nothing was going his way at all. Whether he deserved that or not, he didn't know, but at that moment all he asked for was to live- and the monster's presence was a definite threat to that request.
Adrian looked around for an exit, but there was none. Unless-
'-the next car!'
He turned and made his way for the car door. Put his back to it and tried to get his bound hands to push it open. It did not work. "Come on, open please..." he whined under the concealing tape. He could've thought of something worse to say than that, but feared working himself up at that point- he would've probably done something as traumatic as black out if he got overexcited with the condition he was in. He turned and faced the door, trying to think of some way to get it open, just as Pyramid Head trudged forward.
'Kick the glass in and go through the opening?'
Ade immediately dismissed that- he had no strength to put all of his weight on a single foot, and he had no sense of balance what so ever- he was lucky to even be standing on both feet. However, the options were incredibly minimal. His hands had no slack to try and punch through the glass, which made that a useless plan. Whatever Adrian did, though, he needed to think it through and do it in a matter of seconds and he knew it. Pyramid Head knew it, too, it seemed- its slow movements were deliberate, wanting to let the human live fearfully for just another few brief moments...
...and then it heard something it didn't expect to hear, from an action that was done out of complete desperation.
'God this is going to hurt...'
Adrian took a deep breath and held it in... brought his head back... and slammed it hard through the window- shattering it enough to take out a large chunk out of the top. Whatever survived had a huge web of cracks in the middle of it, easy enough for Ade to turn and push out with his hands. The blood that tricked down Adrian's face he could deal with, that one wound wasn't going to kill him. The thought that he was going to die to a monster wasn't.
'No. I don't want to die.'
That revelation allowed Adrian the mental strength he needed to let himself fall back into the window, leaving his head and arms dangling in the next car- but it also left his kicking feet dangerously close to the monster that approached. He twisted. Writhed. Bled profusely from wounds created via sharp glass. Anything to escape his pursuer. Anything to escape a certain death. And just as the monster's hand was about to grasp an ankle, Adrian's body fell into the next car, where he landed on his back over numerous little shards.
'Yes!'
He bought himself time, but it couldn't last long. No more than three, maybe five seconds. If only it was enough to make the next stop, if the train would stop again at all, he could simply evade the monster until then.
It was then that Adrian shifted his head as back as slack would allow, to see an upside down car door staring back at him at the other end of the upside down hall. It could have been no more than fifteen yards away, but to a tired, defenseless man, that was a hell of a long way.
Then there was the thought that that door would not work either, and the thought of Adrian having to break glass with his head again did not bode well.
'Who am I kidding... it's over.'
He exhaled through his flared nostrils, and looked hopelessly up as the car door was ripped ruthlessly from its hinges. The large, bloody butcher with the pyramid mask soon stood over the defeated human. Tilted its head in confusion, almost as if shocked that he finally gave up.
Adrian lied there, and did not move. Too frightened to, but even if he wasn't, he wouldn't have. Where could he have gone? He simply waited for death to say hello.
And then it did.
Brown eyes opened. Blinked. Scanned the surrounding area.
---
Adrian's mind was taken over by a powerful and domineering headache that refused to assist in battling the darkness everywhere.
'Where am I now?'
He tried to cut through the darkness, but it was no use. He tried to stand, but his legs were too weak. After repeated attempts at getting to his feet, Adrian eventually gave up and relaxed on the dirty floor. There wasn't much of a substitute anyway- there was a nearby cot, but it looked way too unsanitary to even go near. Other than that, though, the room was completely empty.
'Can't lie here all day... wait... why ain't I dead yet?'
He thought back to the train. He was sure that was it... but if he managed to survive that, there had to have been some other motive for this capture. Either that-
'-or it was just another dream.'
He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that had to be it- he wasn't cut up from the stunts he pulled on the train, there was no way that could have been real. It was all okay... unless of course something worse was going to happen.
'Oh God.. don't think that, please.'
He tried to recall those last few moments in the backyard, but it only made his head hurt even more. He had a large knot on the back of his head from the shot he took, which had enough force to demolish a car.
"Not like anyone here would give her a decent burial anyway-"
'-more-'
-he stood up and turned around- caught a glimpse of Cybil lying face down in the grass-
'-more-'
-felt the huge fist bash him over the skull. Felt his knees buckle before he helplessly fell down-
'-more....'
...saw the pyramid shaped mask staring down at him.
"No..."
That was when he realized where he was. Confined space, no windows, barred door... "I'm in prison. A really, really fucked up prison." He was right. The small cell had no other tangible purpose other than containing the man- the guilty man. And nothing Adrian could say, nothing he could do to reason with whoever- or whatever- put him there would change the fact. He deserved to be locked up for what he had done.
'Just not here! Not in this fucking cell, in this fucking prison! Iwantoutofthistownanywhereanyplacebutthisfuckingtown!'
For it was obvious where he was. What was outside. The absolute last place he wanted to be.
"What do you want?!" he yelled, and yelled to nothing at all. No one seemed to be around to hear the man's cries, and if there was anyone around, they probably did not care to hear any of Adrian's snivelling. No one would care, except him. His life was legitimately over, whether he survived this final encounter in Silent Hill or not.
And that led to the question... why fight death any longer?
He writhed his hands under his feet and in front of him, which allowed Adrian to push himself to his feet. He stumbled drunkenly toward the barred door, and pressed his body against it in hopes that it would give under his weight- however, it stood its ground. He glanced down at the lock, and there he found out why the door didn't budge.
A huge padlock chained the door shut.
'There has to be a way out of this room.'
Adrian looked around, searching the room thoroughly for any alternate means of exit. No other door, except the locked one. But maybe, it would be the only door he needed.
"What's this.." he trailed off as he limped towards the cot in the far corner of the room, noticing a long, narrow object on it. He sat down on the mattress and picked the item up, studying it through the darkness. His eyes subsequently lit up in relief.
'Don't question it... don't ask why it would be here, just put this baby to good use.'
Adrian slithered the stainless steel katana from its sheath, staring at its sheer beauty. He was so entranced by such swords that he had to buy one of his own at one point. But now... now he would actually have to use one, and he hoped the few days of learning how to use such a weapon would help. Smiling, Adrian put the tip of the blade to the fabric that restrained his hands. The cloth ripped in half quickly from the sharp steel edge underneath it. Adrian hoped the same would happen to that padlock.
He approached the door once more, and this time was certain that it would open whether it wanted to or not. He took a deep breath, trying to focus... trying to get himself together. He'd have to if he wanted to get the door open.
He held the sword high over his head, and brought it down over the padlock with as much force he could put into the strike. And it was just enough, as it caused the rusted metal to split crudely in half- in essence, letting the chains drop to the floor with it.
"Yes..." Ade muttered in relief as the door then creaked open slightly on its own. He had one obstacle out of his way... but now, Adrian would have to be careful, because things weren't that much safer outside. No way it could have been safer outside. Not with Pyramid Head possibly still around.
Adrian stepped out of his cell in fatigue. He looked to his left- dead end. To his right- a long, endless seeming hallway. And with no doors in sight, Adrian knew what he'd have to do.
"There will be light at the end of the tunnel," he softly promised himself as he staggered forward, the katana gripped so tightly in his hands that he could've turned the handle into ashes. Chances of there being a light to greet him at the end of that dreary hallway were slimmer than one could ever fathom, but it didn't hurt to believe in such a chance; as long as the person believing it had enough of a grip on reality to know that such a chance would probably not happen. It was obvious Ade understood his slim chances of a happy ending- he was walking with a purpose... walking with the knowledge that they would be the last few steps he would ever take.
Those steps, however, stopped in their tracks when Adrian managed to spot something on the floor. A torn piece of paper, which probably would have gone undetected to the untrained eye. Curiosity always killed the cat, and it did in this scenario also as he bent down to pick the paper up.
What was on the paper was scrawled in erratic red text- big enough to make out through the darkness.
In the years of the primal course
In the dawn of terrestrial birth
Man mastered the mammoth and horse
And Man was the Lord of the Earth
The page was torn after that. "Okaaay..."
What could very well have been the next part of the paper rested on the ground just a few feet ahead. Adrian slinked forward to read it, even though he wasn't so sure if he wanted to after the creepy first excerpt.
He made him an hollow skin
From the heart of an holy tree
He compassed the Earth therein
And Man was the Lord of the Sea
The torn page ended there. Adrian frowned.
'Should I really be reading Edgar Alan Poe at a time like this?'
No... it was someone different and he realized it. Adrian could faintly recognize the words from high school English class. No specific name came to mind as to who the poet was, but he was sure he remembered the name of the poem itself.
'The Pentagram...'
Another torn scrap of paper lay harmlessly in the near-distance. The first thing Adrian did though was look up and at his surroundings- he was still safe, but the papers almost seemed like a distraction, a ploy to get his attention on something else for a few brief seconds.. long enough to-
'-for fuck's sake, Ade, stop thinking about the worst.'
Even given the terrible situation, he couldn't draw his eyes away from the writings at his feet. It was unsettling, yet eerily inviting all the same.
He controlled the vigour of steam
He harnessed the lightning for hire
He drove the celestial team
And Man was the Lord of the Fire
And yet again, the page was cut off from an abrupt tear in the material. Adrian stood up, if only for a moment, before he found the next torn piece to go with the rest of the writing- and then, he squatted down to read it as well.
Deep-mouthed from their thrones deep-seated
The choirs of the aeons declare
The last of the demons defeated
For Man is the Lord of the Air
The final piece of paper laid farther out, just noticeable through the dank setting. How Adrian could concentrate on the writings in such a stinking place, even he could not come up with an answer. He was sure, though, if he could read the first four verses, he could surely read the last one.
Arise, O Man in thy strength!
The kingdom is thine to inherit
'Til the high gods witness at length
That Man is the Lord o-
And there, the page was cut off again. Just like that; the ending of the poem, missing. Having read the poem before, Adrian knew safely that he had the end of it hidden away in his mind somewhere, but whether it was going to come out easily or not was something Adrian didn't have the time to find out. Maybe there was another piece left to be discovered of the shredded lyrics, but there was none. And upon further inspection, the piece he had just read from was nowhere to be seen; vanished, as though it never existed at all.
Even if it didn't exist, though, the poem's end would have to be left unknown, just as Adrian's fate was going to be left unknown to him until he crossed beyond the wooden door in front of him.
He stood there for a minute, as if there were an easier way to escape the prison he found himself trapped in- even though no matter how much he thought, he knew there was no other way out of the hall aside from the door that blocked his immediate path. In the end, there wasn't much to think about.
Adrian detached one hand from his sword and reached out to grab the doorknob with it. It turned easily in his hand, and he pushed the door open slightly, stepping into the gigantic room. It reminded him of that room back at the hotel, except there was no inexplicable lake of fire in the middle. Instead, in the middle of the room was a small stage, well lit by the swinging lightbulb on its canopy. The stage was empty, except for something else that hung from the top of it. Ade leaned forward to get a better look, and then took a couple steps forward in surprise.
"Beautiful." Adrian shook his head in disgust at the noose that swayed back and forth almost tauntingly, beckoning him to put the knotted rope to use. But there was something else, something watching...
"You're the one responsible," Adrian said, knowing of its presence- but he did not turn to look at it. "You killed my brother. You killed Maria..." his voice grew shaky as he trailed off, if only for a split second. "You're going to kill me."
Movement could be sensed from Adrian's far left, and the figure that emerged from the dark confirmed his accusation. Any other time, Adrian would've winced in fear at the sight of the large inhuman with the pyramid shaped mask. But at that moment, all he could manage to do.. was emit a slight, inexplicable laugh.
"Why do you wear that stupid mask?" he questioned, not bothering to stare at the monster straight on. If he did, his calm demeanor probably would have washed away.
What he didn't expect, though, was an answer.
Perhaps for the same reason that you wear yours.
It wasn't one that spoke aloud, but one that sunk deep into Adrian's mind- and it wasn't an inner voice he ever recalled having. Ade's smile faded from his face, as he focused on the source of the voice. "If you're going to kill me, then do it." He stood in place, without a flinch or a single baby step away from his pursuer. Not even when the figure broke out into a run.
Before Adrian could react, the knife wielding creature was closing in on him, running in huge, stomping strides. It drew its gigantic weapon back as it ran, lifted it up over its head, and slammed it down. Adrian barely dove out of the way, just in time to watch pieces of the tiled floor shoot up at the spot where he had been standing. The sound of the impact was the equivalent of a hunting rifle going off just inches from Adrian's ears- loud and extremely painful. He quickly rose onto his feet, though, wasting no time in gaining a little distance between him and the monster.
'Just wait... just wait until you can get one good swipe at it.'
Ade watched the beast yank its blade from the floor it slashed into, and waited impatiently as it turned and calmly walked towards him. It was in no hurry this time- now its main goal was seemingly to intimidate the much weaker human. Adrian swiped his sword in hopes that Pyramid Head would back off, or at least slow down. However, the creature was not impressed and kept walking; the monster's large body was practically centimeters out of the katana's reach. Enough of a short distance for Pyramid Head to waste no time winding up its right hand to fling its knife once more.
Adrian sensed this, and lunged forward in one swift movement, and there he stuck the creature in its chest with the sharp steel. Unfortunately, it did not stop the monster's big wind up. With the katana buried two inches into its chest, it sent its knife crashing down once more, and Adrian once again narrowly escaped being sliced in half.
He shuffled backwards on the ground, moving away from the figure in a crab-like manner before he maneuvered onto his feet. Ade stared in shock at his blade still stuck in the monster's chest, but he was mostly dumbfounded that Pyramid Head didn't even seem to care. It simply remained fixated on the human it was determined to kill, although it didn't seem to be in a hurry anymore. Maybe it was because it felt it had all the time in the world to kill him, but Adrian was trying not to think about that.
Adrian waited, watching Pyramid Head continue to approach, looking for the right time. Pyramid Head wound up and swung horizontally this time, and Adrian ducked at the last possible second, before leaning up and attempting to grab his katana.
The problem, though, his weapon was inexplicably stuck.
And then, all at once, a huge rush of pain surged through Adrian's body. He howled in agony, and shoved himself off of the giant knife, tumbling backwards to the ground in a bloody mess. Pyramid Head didn't seem the slightest bit satisfied with making a mere wound in the human's stomach, and leaned forward to finish the job. It slammed the knife straight down, the blade piercing Ade's chest.
A gout of blood spurted from Adrian's lips as he coughed in undescribable pain. Pyramid Head seemed to be a bit stunned that the human hadn't died yet, when in reality the blade missed his heart by a matter of inches. Unimpressed, Pyramid Head grabbed the handle of its knife and wriggled the knife around in the still living body, obviously taking appreciation in the sound of Adrian gasping in protest of what it was doing. Finally, Adrian decided to do something about it.
He reached up as high as he could, blood dripping down his hands and arms as his fingers flailed for something just out of reach. Pyramid Head leaned down out of inquisition, but it was obviously regretting that decision when Adrian latched both hands around its mask, and yanked on it as hard as he could, prying it off.
Agh!
Adrian couldn't see what was under the mask through the blinding darkness, but the creature was obviously upset enough to back off. It pulled its knife out of Ade's chest as its free hand tried to cover its face, only to end up falling to its knees. It dropped its knife, letting it clank loudly on the floor, allowing it to bury its face in both hands. Adrian forced himself to sit up, and he watched the figure closely. Then, when he realized it was more interested in concealing its face, Ade boldly stood up and hobbled over to it.
Adrian reached around the figure's back, grabbing his katana again. That time, he was able to force it out of the monster's chest. He then slowly circled the knelt creature, and grabbed cruelly at its gloved hands, forcing them apart to show its face...
...and then, Adrian dropped his katana in amazement.
'What the... no... how the fuck..?'
Blonde hair, brown eyes, unblemished pale skin... Adrian knew exactly who the face belonged to. It was the person he'd been looking for all along... it was Sam.
It was himself.
If you kill me, the voice said, invading Adrian's mind once more, you kill yourself. You cannot live without me as I cannot live without you.... you are me.
And it was then that Adrian remembered the end of that poem. It was what the Sam before him was. 'His Spirit...'
Adrian stared in disbelief, even though it made sense. He just couldn't accept the conditions of killing the man before him. Adrian wouldn't be able to kill him, not without taking his own life. He picked up the katana anyway, however, trying to think.
If you kill me, you kill yourself, the voice stated again. Adrian looked into his own brown eyes, and let his gaze linger. He made his decision.
Tu fui, ego eris...
The katana was raised high into the air, before it sliced into the smooth skin. A geyser of blood painted Adrian and the rest of the area red, and Sam's headless body fell limp to the ground, his brown eyes staring into nothingness.
Adrian spat out a wad of red saliva as he stood there, feeling weaker and weaker by the second- no thanks to the blood that seeped through the wounds in his torso. He looked at the corpse at his feet, and sighed. Whatever those last words of Sam's meant, he didn't care. It was all over. He would die, and die knowing that he got the vengeance he had been looking for.
"It's what you deserved. I'm not like you... I'm not... you deserved this, but I.. I... heh, I'm still breathing.. I'm still..." he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. Adrian turned and fell forward onto the ground, katana dropped just next to him.
His eyes blinked, but didn't open again. Adrian did not want to die in a lifeless stare, and he wouldn't. Adrian Mason went to sleep and in turn, he would never wake up again.
