I'm sorry for this taking so long to post. College has been getting busy since it's about over. I appreciate the comments, and to the loyal readers out there, please leave suggestions and ideas you'd like to see me implement. Also, if I've made any mistakes in plot or names please let me know. I've been researching, but there's always room for error. Thank you,

David Struve A.K.A Aedian Grendle

"I can't believe it." Richard said, the shock of what Father Jeremiah had just told him sinking in. "They summoned demons to watch over them?"

Father Jeremiah hesitated for a short while before shaking his head. "In a word, no. They summoned those specific demons not to watch over them, but to keep their true intent a secret."

"Their true intent?" Richard asked nervously. "You mean they had more than one reason for summoning the demons?"

On the radio Elvis finished singing about his shoes and the Eagles began crooning about driving down a dark desert highway.

A deep sigh was the only sign Richard had that Father Jeremiah had begun to talk while his attention was diverted by the radio. The dark frown on his face told him that anymore lulls in attention would not be tolerated.

"I don't know the true reason the original demons were summoned, only that eventually they weakened. They'd spent years protecting the town with little in return, and they needed certain rites to continue their work. That was the beginning of The Order, the true power behind Silent Hill and the scariest thing I've ever seen."

The small hairs on Richard's neck stood on end as Father Jeremiah leaned forward to speak, lowering his voice as if members of The Order stood directly outside his door waiting for a reason to incriminate him.

"The Order is the true reason that Silent Hill slid so far into darkness. Most in the city believed that the demands of the demons to continue to protect them were far too much. Certain key members, however, banded together and sacrificed those that didn't believe as they did. This led more demons to be attracted to the city. Now, nearly every demon, lesser and greater has their hand in Silent Hill."

The chills traveling down Richard's spine continued unabated, growing more ferocious with every passing second. He didn't want to know anything more. He wished now that he'd never opened the damned box Sarah had left. 'Why didn't I listen to her?' his mind screamed at him even as he asked Father Jeremiah the question he knew could lead to his death.

"How do I get to Silent Hill?" He asked seriously.

"I can't tell you that yet." Father Jeremiah said quietly. "You don't know everything you need to."

Again consulting the book in front of him, the priest nodded at some random fact and began talking again. "By the time The Order took power over the city, it was only a hundred years ago, and Silent Hill was thriving. One of their first acts was to build both Brookhaven Hospital and Brookhaven Mental Institution. Most people applauded their thinking, and within five years an orphanage had been added to the list of luxuries the town had. It was all a lie."

"You mean they didn't actually build any of those things?" Richard questioned.

"No they built them." Father Jeremiah explained. "However they had an ulterior motive for building them. All three buildings would attract citizens, adding numbers to those that could be sacrificed. Also, they would have a steady stream of people to experiment on for the rituals. A crematorium in the basement of the hospital ensured that. All they had to do was burn wood and put it in an urn…then they had a body to give over to the demons."

"That explains the hospital and the mental institution, but the orphanage…" Richard began before his eyes widened in horror. "You don't mean they killed the children!"

A quick headshake silenced him. "Not most of them, though compared to the alternative it could have been better for those children. The school was used as a center to begin preaching their perverted gospel. Children were encouraged to speak to do acts to get the demons attention and be 'blessed' by them. You must remember that The Order was in power now, but they needed a figurehead. It would be ninety long years before that finally happened, and in the meantime the town became darker and more evil."

Richard stood up and began pacing. Across the room his shadow followed him, throwing random objects into darkness. "Didn't anyone notice what was happening?" He asked angrily. "Not everyone could want to be a part of The Order."

"And they weren't." Father Jeremiah explained. "Only a few dozen members of The Order existed in the town. The rest were innocent people that saw outstanding citizens leading outstanding lives. On the outside, everything appeared to be perfect. Yet by 1990, things had begun to happen that The Order couldn't explain."

On a hunch, Richard opened the first scrapbook and found the only article about Silent Hill in the few years around 1990. Fire Destroys Homes in Silent Hill.

"You're trying to tell me in a town that summoned demons for protection a fire was unusual?" He asked dryly, pointing to the article.

Father Jeremiah chuckled, sensing the question for what it really was. "No, the unusual part was the reason it was started. That was the beginning of the end for Silent Hill."

"The end?"

"The fire was started for a reason." He hesitated, tears welling up in his eyes and spilling down his cheeks in twin trails of glittering crystal. "Poor Alessa…she deserved better in life than she received."

Richard felt another set of chills run down his spine. Alessa had been one of the names in the leather book Father Jeremiah held. Though it hadn't been in the original text it had been slashed into several pages, the pen used to write it forced down so hard that it was a miracle the pages hadn't torn.

"You recognize the name." Father Jeremiah said, not a question as much as a statement. "And that's good. It will make what I'm going to tell you much more believable."

"Father, I've stuck with you through a town summoning demons for protection and establishing a cultic movement that threatens the lives of hundreds of its citizens. I don't give a damn what else you say, but say it fast. My wife's in danger." Richard demanded.

"After you hear about Alessa, you'll be lucky if you don't go screaming out that door and try never to hear about Silent Hill again. From now on even the mention of the town will bring images to your mind so powerful that you won't sleep for a week after you return…if you don't kill yourself before that time is up. So I'm asking you one last time, do you want to know the truth? Do you truly want to try save your wife?"

The question hung in the air as the aged priest waited for its answer. For the first time, Richard began to question whether or not it was worth going to the city. Sarah could already be dead, and he could quit now…

"I swore an oath Father." He said, as sure about this answer as he'd ever been of one in his life. "Till death do us part, and I won't turn my back on her now."

For the first time in the already long afternoon, Father Jeremiah smiled. "Then as you're in the city, keep that ideal close to you. It could help you more than you know."

"Tell me about Alessa."

Again grief clouded the priest's eyes, seeming to deepen as he talked. "Alessa was a good child, but born to a fanatical cultist named Dahlia. She was one of the leaders of The Order, and had been one of the first to begin using White Claudia in her rituals."

"Is that some kind of ritual to summon demons?" Richard asked.

"No, it's a drug found only around Silent Hill. By the time Dahlia assumed her position in The Order, most of their priests were addicted to it. It's even possible that she was under the under the influence of it when she began her most heinous crime."

"The fires?" Richard guessed, wondering what that would have to do with Alessa.

Ignoring Richard, Father Jeremiah continued speaking. "Yet Dahlia had a daughter named Alessa. Alessa was…gifted I suppose you'd say. Perhaps from a side effect of the White Claudia during pregnancy, Alessa developed powers that bordered on supernatural. She showed a moderate level of skill in telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and even mind reading. You can see how this was a problem for her with such a fanatic for a mother."

Richard nodded, though the question hadn't been meant literally.

"The children in The Order's school soon found that Alessa was special, and began to avoid her. After years of emotional torment, Alessa threw herself into the rituals and her psychic powers grew. This was when Dahlia suddenly decided that Alessa was the perfect figurehead for The Order, but there was something that had to be done first. In a horrendous ritual, Dahlia burned her home with Alessa in it."

"Dear God!" Richard exclaimed, nearly retching in horror. Ironically, the Eagles finished singing, and 'We Didn't Start the Fire' began to play. Instinctively, both men reached for the radio and Father Jeremiah snapped it off even as Richard unplugged it.

"God had nothing to do with it." Father Jeremiah said sadly. "The best thing would have been for Alessa to die, but she survived…somehow. Yet with the ritual complete, her wounds would never heal, keeping her in a permanent excruciating pain. Her soul had also been infused with that of Sammael. The combination of both forced her already existent psychic abilities to explode."

"What happened then?" Richard managed to choke out.

"I can't be sure, but the town began to turn dark and evil. Some thought it was the power of Sammael finally taking the town, while others thought it was Alessa seeking revenge. Either way, that is all I know."

In an instant, Richard was on his feet. "What do you mean that's all you know? What about Harry and these articles? What happened to Silent Hill?"

A shrug was his only answer. "I don't know."

"How did you know all the other information the…" Suddenly he started thinking. He'd never seen any pictures of Father Jeremiah's parents or relatives on the walls, in the few years he'd known the man there'd never been any mention of a family.

"The orphanage!" He blurted. "You went to the Silent Hill Orphanage!"

"And survived." Father Jeremiah confirmed. "I was one of the few that wasn't used for a ritual, die of exhaustion, or for anything else. There were only three of us that came from the orphanage and assumed roles within The Order. Myself, Sarah, and a man you already know."

"But I don't know anyone else from Silent Hill." Richard said, forcing himself to ignore Sarah's name in connection with Silent Hill.

"You've already used it to get my attention. Walter Sullivan also survived the Orphanage, though heavily mentally damaged. His death is a boon to society after his killing spree. Ironic that he died in Silent Hill after all those years."

Richard nodded. "And you escaped?"

"When I left, Walter had already begun his killing spree. He had always wanted to find his mother, and had started a ritual on getting her back. I truly don't know many details, only that he hoped to use a ragged doll someone had given him. Yet after he left that marked the beginning of the end for The Order. They had fewer and fewer people coming in, and then Alessa was burned."

"That was the final straw?"

"Easily. I'd known Alessa since she was born, and she was a good child." He said the words again, stressing them harshly. "A good child! She didn't deserve her fate. Afterwards, Sarah and I visited her frequently. Each time we saw her pain and suffering, but there was nothing we could do. Her nurse and Dr. Kaufmann refused to let us give her anything for the pain, and so we left in the night. It wasn't the right choice, but neither of us had any illusions of joining The Order. We only sought to bring it down from the inside. Now Sarah evidently works to bring it down still. I've long gotten over my hate."

"How is it you joined St. Peter's after all this?" Richard wondered.

"By lying. I told them I'd had years of religious training. I never said to which deity."

From deep inside the church, a bell began to toll, marking five o'clock. Though the two men hadn't been in Father Jeremiah's office long, it seemed as if an eternity had passed.

"I need to go." Richard said quietly. "I don't have anymore time Father."

"Understandable." Father Jeremiah said just as quietly. "But there's one last stop you need to make."

Even as he said those words, Father Jeremiah opened a desk drawer and withdrew a small cigar box. He carefully set it on his desk and opened it to reveal several bundles of cash.

"This is part of our missionary fund." He said while counting out bills onto his table. "There's no greater missionary act than what you're doing." He finished counting and handed a stack of green hundred dollar bills to Richard.

"There's two thousand dollars here. I'd recommend going to the gun shop three blocks down and purchasing a handgun. There's a dark force in Silent Hill. I wouldn't go in unarmed."

Nodding, Richard pocketed the money and led the way out of the church. As the two men exited St. Peter's, brilliant lances of sunlight stabbed at his eyes. Yet for all the sun, a black mass of clouds billowed on the horizon.

"I think your question's been answered." Father Jeremiah said seriously, motioning towards the coming storm front. "Silent Hill chose to reveal itself you to. You've given them no choice. They know how to get you to Silent Hill. They took your wife, and now you follow."

"Wish me luck Father." Richard said before he walked to his car, and opened the door.

Calling his name once, Father Jeremiah tossed Richard the box of books that he'd carried from the church. "This is the only way you'll know your enemy."

Without another word, Richard started his car and drove in the direction of Grady's gun shop.

As the car passed from his sight, Father Jeremiah re-entered the church and walked to his office. Outside the door, he paused as a long forgotten smell assaulted his nostrils. Accepting his fate, Father Jeremiah opened the door and entered.

Inside, he sat at his desk and fingered the rosary beads he always carried. "I know you're here."

There was no response to his statement until a figure detached itself from the shadows cast from his lamp nearby.

"It can't be!" Father Jeremiah gasped. "You're…"

As the figure walked over to the door and slowly closed it, Father Jeremiah began to pray. Seconds later, he joined the God he'd served for so long as a form long thought dead claimed his life.