Here's the next chapter for Silent Hill. The next will be up within two days (I promise) because this one is admittedly almost a teaser. Still, it brings back everyone's favorite anti-hero and introduces yet another creature!

A large courtyard garden. That was the sight that greeted Richard as he swung the double doors open. Trying to hide his surprise at seeing a garden in the midst of a school, he swung the penlight in a tight circle to check for any other creatures that might be hiding in the shadows.

The light, small as it was, revealed nothing. Turning to his radio, Richard released a small sigh of relief when it only crackled dimly in the night.

He walked slowly forward, small baby steps carrying him through holes in the waist-high hedges. As he moved he swung the penlight from left to right, squinting to make out shapes in the gloom. The only movement was from a small gutter that water dripped from, sending pings of sound through the yard.

He'd nearly reached the center of the garden when his light illuminated a vague form a few yards ahead of him. Stopping instantly, Richard's pistol came up faster than he'd believed it could and before he could stop himself he fired a shot.

The courtyard was instantly illuminated by the burst of fire before again falling into gloom. In the brief flash of light, Richard saw the figure standing in front of him jerk to the side, but still remain standing.

A second shot followed the first, again ripping into the person's body, and still they remained standing. This time, however, Richard had seen something by the flash. Taking a few steps closer, his penlight played up the figure. The light revealed bloodied Nike shoes, torn and tattered pants, a shredded shirt, and a face the grinned as if the figure had enjoyed the torture.

Torture was an apt word for what the figure had gone through. Held to a metal cage by bits of rusted wire, nails, and a rope around his stomach, the person had been hurt beyond anything Richard had ever seen. Numerous cuts marred his skin, the blood now dry and crusty, limbs hung at an odd angle from the snapped bones within them though several had been broken so savagely as to rip through the skin, what Richard had originally thought to be a rope around the man's waist now revealed itself to be his intestines, now holding him eternally to his prison.

Then Richard's eyes played further up, to the slashed and bloodied throat and finally to the face…or what remained of it. The lower jaw was missing, and shards of teeth poked through where the lower jaw should have been. Cataracted green eyes stared out from their sockets, with missing lids that would never again cover them.

In a moment of horror Richard realized he knew the body, knew who the man was that had been so horribly tortured. He stared at his own body, at his own desecrated corpse, and his own ruined face.

"Do you like my gift Richard?" An all too familiar voice asked from behind him. "I had it made especially for you."

Ripping his eyes away from the abomination in front of him, Richard dropped into a low crouch even as he spun around. The pistol led the way, but even before he'd completed half the turn he felt a hand close around the weapon and himself flying through the air.

He landed with a painful thud five yards away, the force of the landing forcing the air out of his lungs in a loud whoosh.

"Haven't you learned anything?" Walter Sullivan asked. "You'll never be as fast as I am Richard. Didn't you like my gift?"

Richard groaned, a pitiful sound next to the commanding power of Walter's voice. At the same time, the serial killer's voice began to rise until it became all encompassing, drowning out any other noises in the courtyard.

"Doesn't it have a certain beauty to it?" He asked as he walked over to where Richard lay prostrate on the dead grass. "I know you don't see it now, but eventually you'll understand."

"You're insane." Richard managed to whisper from the ground, a little air finally making its way back into his lungs.

Walter stopped suddenly, looking strangely at Richard. "Insane?" He asked quietly, voice back to normal. "Yes…" He whispered, drawing the word out with a slow sense of astonishment. "Yes, I suppose you could say I am."

Richard managed to put his hands under his body and raise himself to a single knee. "You kill for the fun of it. You murdered Father Jeremiah and countless others."

"Nineteen others." Walter said quietly. "But none of that matters now." In a strange gesture, he reached down and offered Richard a hand. Pushing it aside, Richard finally got to his feet and stared his fear in the face.

"You've killed twenty people. Now you're going to make it twenty-one. Well, I won't die as easily as you think I will." With a deliberate motion Richard drew the knife that had been strapped to his leg, and held it in front of him.

A small chuckle escaped Walter's mouth. "I have no intention of killing you…yet."

The shock Richard felt must have shown on his face, for Walter continued.

"There's something about you that intrigues me…a certain quality that I'm curious about." He stopped and looked at Richard, cocking his head to a strange angle as he did so. "In fact, I think you might have the ability to…"

"The ability to what?" Richard asked angrily, his fear out-weighed by his anger.

"Nevermind." Walter said shortly, turning and walking back towards the tortured corpse. "Think of this as a warning. He wasn't as careful as he should have been in Silent Hill. The keeper caught him, and if he catches you there's nothing even I can do to save you."

"I thought you said that YOU made this for me?" Richard accused.

"I lied." Walter said simply. "Something that you're all too familiar with."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Walter chuckled again, the sound sending shivers down Richard's spine. "I'm sure you'll find out…after all, this is Silent Hill." He spun around suddenly, and faced Richard. "One last bit of advice. Watch out for the Chupas. They're not deadly on their own, but the little bastards like to hunt in packs."

"Chupas?"

"You know the creatures I'm talking about." Walter said impatiently. "Now take this and keep moving." A fast flick of his wrist sent the Beretta flying back into Richard's hands.

Then, Walter walked away, disappearing into the shadows as if he were one of them. Without wasting another moment, Richard turned and sprinted back to the entrance, stopping short when he saw that there was no escape.

Heavy chains and locks barred the door. Taped to the largest lock was a small white note which Richard picked up and read.

You don't have a choice. If you want to escape the school, you'll have to go through it. There is no turning back now. Remember…I can't save you from the Keeper. Don't try to undo the chains. Henry tried for five days and couldn't. You don't have that kind of time."

Richard had no idea who Henry was, but he knew that if the man had spent five days working on the chains, there was no way he could undo them in a few minutes.

Using the tape that had held the note to the door, Richard attached the penlight to his pistol. It still wouldn't provide much light, but now he had one hand free. As he finished, his radio emitted a quick burst of static. The sound sent a fresh bolt of adrenaline through his body…it also terrified him of what was behind him.

Pushing his fear aside, Richard walked back to where the corpse had been and saw the body was gone. Only bits of blood and flesh remained in the wire cage.

His mind reeled. It was impossible for it to be gone! He'd only been by the chains for a minute at the most, and he should have heard any attempts to remove it!

Seconds ticked by as he stared at the gruesome cage. He had no idea how long he would have stood there if a piece of the cage wouldn't have fallen to the ground. It was roughly three feet long and made of solid steel.

Reaching down to pick it up, Richard saw two other items lying behind the cage. The first was a dingy grey nurse's hat with the words Silent Hill Hospital stitched in red. The second was a bloody wedding ring.

Dropping the pipe, Richard picked up the ring and had his worst fears confirmed. Inside was his wife's name. Slashed deeply through the metal was a series of jagged scratches that formed another name atop the gently flowing cursive of his wife's.

Keeper

Putting the ring into a pocket, Richard hefted the pipe. It would be a better back-up weapon than the knife. Holding it tightly in his hand, Richard crossed the courtyard to search for the Keeper of the school to get his wife back.

Behind him, standing by the chained door, Walter smirked. His game was just beginning.