Chapter Seven: Cinders And Ash

The corridors seemed to close around her, the darkness choking her tiny light like a rag doll in the mouth of a canine. Julia couldn't tell where the muffled scraping sound was coming from but it was getting closer and closer, increasing her panic. Her first instinct was to just start running, it didn't matter where just as long as she wasn't here anymore. With the real Silent Hill in place, this was as dangerous as it was illogical, the thought of inadvertently stepping off the metal grating into the void she had seen on the streets came into her head. This was the only thing that kept her from bolting down random passage ways like the fear was telling her to.

Ignoring the scraping, she moved forward steadily, looking down every path with her light to see if there was anything there, a monster, a ladder, something. She ran out of path to tread quickly, stopping in front of a dead end, openings going both left and right. Before she could make a decision, she heard the scraping change from slightly dampened sound to a clear, eardrum tearing one. She whirled around to what was making the noise and nearly dropped her gun.

It was some kind of humanoid creature, wearing a thick, mottled skirt of dingy, stained material that looked like it had been stitched together by a blind man. Its torso and arms were bulging with muscle, its skin a pale whitish yellow that refracted her tiny light eerily. The source of the sound was a giant rusty butcher knife of solid metal, screeching against the floor from its massive weight. The most striking of its features was the head, it was wearing some kind of dark red helmet of metal and sharp lines, seemingly formed of triangles. Whatever it was, it was huge, covering most of the creature's torso and extending behind it.

Julia could barely hear her own screaming over the din of the gunfire, she was pulling the trigger harder then she ever had before. The shots ricocheted dangerously off its large head, causing it to jerk back and forth slightly but not very much. The bullets that ripped into its body left holes but nothing came pouring out, as if it had no organs, no fluid. Suddenly the muzzle flashes stopped and she could hear herself shrieking quite clearly, the only other sound a faint clicking that she realized meant she was empty. The creature seemed to shake off the barrage it had just taken and starting moving towards her again.

Backing up, she dug for another clip, popping the empty one out onto the floor. There was no reason to care about picking it up, time seemed to speed up as the creature came steadily forward and she couldn't get reloaded fast enough. Finally she slipped it in and starting firing again, the flashes lighting up the murky area and the white body of the monster in front of her. One of the bullets bounced off the wall nearby when it pinged off the creature's head, but she didn't stop until the gun clicked back at her.

The shots didn't seem to be doing anything but slowing it down, it kept advancing even after the second hail of gunfire. From its right the monster's body began to light up on its own accord and memories flashed in front of her eyes. She was going to die here, she knew it then and she couldn't even think to move. A different sound other then the scraping formed, almost a thudding, then she realized it wasn't the body lighting the monster up, it was something coming at it.

From the tunnel ahead of her and to the right a pole appeared and skewered the thing in the ribs, a moment later a shiny body followed, pushing the creature against the wall with the momentum. The giant butcher knife came up and Nobody dove left towards her, the huge sword passing over where his shoulders would have been and slamming into the steel wall as if it were paper. Nobody sprang to his feet and kept going, grabbing her hand and almost yanking it out of its socket as he took her right.

"Run!" he yelled as if she needed more prompting, their feet rattling the floor beneath them. She could barely see anything as he pulled her along, his bobbing headlight showing more of the dingy maze she had been trapped in but he seemed to be navigating his way though it easily. They came to something coming out of the floor, it took her a second to recognize it as a piece of fiber and a metal chain rising upward into the air.

He wrapped the chain around his arm and swung her close into him as if he was giving her a one armed hug. The armor was cold and it kind of hurt to be forced against it like that, she almost said something when he spoke first. "Jump onto my neck and hold on tight!"

Her mind wasn't working like it should have been, but the scraping sound could be heard now that they had stopped running, she didn't waste time asking why. Holstering her gun, she jumped onto his torso and held on for dear life. Nobody got the chain around his other arm and she felt his leg move, something clinking free. Suddenly she was in the air, rushing upward, and then she was in the middle of a human car wreck. They tumbled together, elbows and knees colliding, something hard coming across the top of her head.

Skull throbbing angrily and body bruised from the thrashing she had just received, she tried to focus her eyes on where she was. The room was cracked and peeling, the ceiling seemed to have a vein running through it, pulsating grotesquely. Nobody was on the floor nearby, his headlight showing some kind of laundry area. The chain that was around his arm was in the room across from then, disappearing out of a gaping hole in the wall. The metal man got to his feet unsteadily, retrieving a shield that was leaning against the wall.

"What…just…happened…" Julia managed.

"Be glad it worked." he breathed, extending a hand down to her. It hurt more to stand, but she wasn't about to lay down in here. "I'm just glad I installed a codpiece."

"What's…"

"Never mind, come on, we have to get out of here."

Somehow her gun had remained in the holster, when freed it she saw the light was moving erratically against the floor. Her hands were shaking badly and she couldn't make them stop.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Fine…I just…we need to get out of here fast don't we?"

"Yes."

She breathed and nodded, he jerked his sword free and led her out of the room. The hospital had changed drastically, the walls seemed to be moving underneath the thin layer of cracking paint. The hallway floor was little more then a grid of metal, just like the streets outside below the grate there was nothingness, stretching out to infinity. Julia kept her eyes on Nobody, who seemed to be unsure of where he was going. They made a left and he let out a pent up breath. She looked ahead and saw a door with a small blue man on it, badly marred.

"Can't you hold it?" she asked incredulously.

"That is not what I'm doing." he huffed, opening the door. There was something standing behind it in the changed bathroom, something almost human but with blackened, burned skin. Nobody calmly put his sword into its skull, jerking it back out and running in through the chest. The monster fell to its knees, hands vainly trying to grab onto Nobody's neck, but the large collar he was wearing kept it from ever touching skin. He kicked it to the floor and fell across it with his blade, severing its head clean off in a gory stroke.

"That was so gross." she blurted, blood spurting out from the neck, but he just shrugged. Reaching behind her, he closed the door. His mask obscured most of the features of his face, but she could tell from his eyes that he was shaken.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"One moment." he said and as if some invisible clock had gone off, he opened the door again. The hall looked nothing like the first one, not that it was particularly comforting. These walls seemed to be burning from the inside, embers leaking out onto the floor. This time he moved unerringly, working through the halls quickly. He burst through another door, this room unoccupied. There was however, a large gaping hole in the wall, leading out to more chain link ground and a wall of some sort.

Nobody hopped out and looked both ways before motioning for her to follow. They clanked along the chain link alley until coming out in front of Brookhaven. It looked so much more sinister now, some of the rooms glowing from a light inside. She shuddered, never wanting to go back there again.

"Come along, don't dawdle." Nobody chided. She noticed he had put his sword away, so she relaxed just a fraction, just enough to get blood flowing in her fingers again. They walked down the street, if it could be called that, past haunted and changed buildings until he led her into one of them. The front part of the building was a small place for rows of mailboxes and a cramped office. Nobody slid down the wall like she had seen him do before, removing his mask and helmet, keeping the light pointed at the wall next to her. Julia imitated him, switching off her light and shuddering.

"We gotta stop meeting like this." she said.

He grunted, staring off into space. She was nervous, she got to talking when she was nervous, at least when there were other people around. "What was that thing in the basement?'

His eyes focused on her, then moved back off. "Pyramid Head. He's…some kind of manifestation. It wasn't a good idea to shoot at him, I'm not sure he can be destroyed."

"Yeah, well, tell me that now instead of when I'm half dead from fright. I would have been all dead if you hadn't shown up again…how do you keep finding me right when I need you the most?"

"I don't try to get mixed up with other people. I was going to the hospital anyway to look for some other guy anyway and I sensed you in the basement."

"Other guy? Chuck?"

"No…was he the one with the frizzled hair and blue jacket?"

"Yeah, you saw him?"

"A little earlier. Do you happen to know his last name?'

"Last name?" she blinked. "Ah…Taylor. Chuck Taylor."

"Charles Taylor huh…" Nobody said. "What were you doing there anyway?"

"I…" she had completely forgotten about the file, she hastily checked to see if it was still there. Despite the tumble and escape from Brookhaven, it was still there. "Oh thank goodness. I was looking for my brother's file. He apparently stayed there for a little while when he was a kid."

"Hmm, that's interesting. I trust it was worth the risk?"

"Oh yeah, definitely. Funny thing is I wouldn't have even found it if it weren't for the guy on the phone."

"What?"

"Oh." she said, realizing that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to talk about it, but too late now. "Well, I was on the third floor in this room when the phone rang and some man told me to look in the basement. He talked weird, it kinda reminded me of you."

Nobody stiffened, only for a moment, but she saw it. "I mean, no offense or anything…"

"It's okay." he said, looking up. "I think I know who you're talking about, but that doesn't matter."

Around them the very floor started to rise up like smoke, as if it were made from gas, dissolving into the air. All the objects just melted away, the dark Silent Hill lifting up like a bad odor, fading into the ceiling. Julia would have been surprised and amazed, but she just watched with a sort of detached interest. Nobody didn't seem to care, watching the motes of reality fade in front of him.

"Let's go." he said, rising.

"Where?"

"My place. It'll be safe there."

"What then?"

"What do you mean what then?" he asked.

"I mean after I stay at your place and maybe get some sleep? You gonna disappear again, let me loose to get almost killed again?'

"Julia, he's looking for you now. If you don't come with me he might find you again."

"What do you care?" she said, startled by her own tone. She went on, softer. "I don't even know you, and you keep coming out of nowhere saving me. You won't even tell me your name. Why should I trust you?"

"It's not enough that I have come to your aid more then once?'

"No its not. There's a reason you keep following me, there's a reason you're staying in Silent Hill. People don't just hang around a place like this because they want to, they don't fight for no reason and abandoned the ones they fight for a minute later."

He remained quiet, his face stony. "Either you tell me…" she said, "Or leave me alone."

Nobody looked hurt, as hurt as someone like him could be. He turned away, putting his back to her. "You really want to know?"

"I think I've made it clear." she asserted.

"I'll tell you, but not here. We need to get upstairs where we can be safe. I promise I'll explain."

That seemed to be as good as it got, she pulled herself off the floor and followed him up a couple flights of stair in the old building to the top floor. There was a large lobby of sorts at the top of the stairs, this must have been a fancy kind of place before. In the center of the lobby was a large symbol of some sort that reminded her of a pentagram, but it had a lot more lines and designs she had never seen before. The door in front of it was unmarked but the thick threshold around it was covered in more symbols, from one side of the floor to the other.

"What are those things?" she asked.

"Protection." he said, unlocking the door with a key she didn't recall seeing him get out. Julia was right about the apartments, this one was large and what little furniture was left had been pricey at one point. The floor had a depression in the center of the room where the living room had been set, most of it was gray and dusty. The kitchen and a hallway were on the right, one large opening to the left that had lights on already. Nobody flicked the switch near the door and the somber living room was lit up by gently glowing lights on the walls.

"Bed, bathroom, food on the right." he said, hanging his metal objects on what looked to be a hand made rack of some kind. Julia shut the door behind her, taking off the gun harness and setting the iron and .45 down on the kitchen counter. Inside the fridge were packets of preserved food and dried meat strips, she opened the jerky and thoughtfully ate it while Nobody stripped off his armor and hung in on the rack. He disappeared into the chamber to the left, she quickly finished the jerky and followed him.

The next room was a sight to behold, a high ceiling at least fifteen feet up, walls curved together like a cathedral dome. Almost to the top there were shelves of books, a hooked ladder going to the highest shelf. A long, thick, burgundy carpet with Indian designs covered most of the floor. There was that old paper smell of musty things aging quietly in the air, the lone occupant sitting on a European style chair that looked like something from Masterpiece theater. It had a large backing and soft velvet cushioning, curling arm rests that were probably hand carved. Nobody looked different without his armor on, underneath it was a pair of somewhat tight fitting black pants and a long sleeve, cotton black shirt. He was reclining comfortably in the chair, one elbow against the armrest, hand on his chin. He looked almost normal, but a little sad at the same time.

"Where did you get all of these?" she asked, sitting down on the carpet in front of him.

"Some were already here, most of then I had to find and bring back here." He didn't seem to be paying much attention, brooding about whatever it was he was going to tell her.

"Look, if you need some time alone to think I can go somewhere else." she offered.

"No its okay." he sighed. "It's just been a while since I've had to think about what's happened. I don't ah…get company very often."

"I can see that. Well, whenever you're ready I guess." He sat for a while, thinking, but when he started talking it was like an avalanche.

"My mom used to talk about it like it was a holy place. When I was 7 or 8 she told me about the day I was born. She wasn't expecting to go into labor for another two weeks, so my parents were visiting some family where we lived around here. On the road her water broke and the nearest town was a tiny place nestled into the mountain, overlooking a calm lake…"

"Oh my…" Julia breathed, trying not to interrupt but unable to keep it in.

"They spent five days here while my mom recovered. There's so much history here…its hard to believe so much has happened in one tiny little place. She remembered it fondly, she always had this happy look in her eye when we talked about it.

"I don't remember my father. After I was born he wasn't the same, it was like he was waiting to get that hold on my mom. He was…abusive, controlling. Mom knew that I couldn't be raised like that, she secretly began to start stashing money away. When the time was right she took me and moved to Vermont, changing our names. I grew up without a father but happy, she told me he had passed away in an accident when I was just a baby. More or less true I guess…its funny, I used to think about how things could be better if I had a dad.

"I was sixteen when I woke up out of my sleep to smell smoke. When I opened my door the heat almost knocked me down, even today I remember that blast like it just happened. My living room was completely engulfed, everything was on fire. I was scared but I didn't know if mom had gotten out or not. I called out to her, I heard her yell something back, I tried to make it through but the fire…it burned my legs, my knees. My room was going up behind me, I…I jumped out the window. I don't remember getting to the hospital or the ER at all.

Nobody took a couple of deep breaths, when he starting talking again his voice was full of pain. "She didn't make it. A few days later a man came to visit me in the hospital, someone I'd never met before. He said he was an old friend of hers that entrusted him to deliver something to me in the event of her death. He handed me a letter and squeezed my shoulder, I never saw him again.

"It was a long letter from my mom. She told me all about what had happened, what my father was like. I spent four months in that damn room, reading her letter, recovering, getting get well cards from friends. I checked myself and went to the insurance company.

"I stayed at a hotel while I took care of mom's resting place, a small graveyard by the coast. She loved to go the beach. I had no family, no material possessions other then the life insurance check, nowhere to go, no one to go to. I didn't want to know my father, I didn't want to stay in Vermont. I took out five thousand dollars and put the rest into a savings account. Then I started looking for the one place my mother spoke of as if it were a paradise, Silent Hill.

"It wasn't easy. No one seemed to know where to find it and those that had an idea wouldn't talk. It was months before I had anything solid to go on. But when you have nothing else to live for, things become clear. I fought, cajoled, bribed my answers out of people and in the ten months after the fire I was looking at the bridge over the river. I had to go about a mile upstream before I found a place to cross, but I was inside the city limits. It was so hard to find my way around in the fog, but when I came into the city proper, I knew two things.

"One, there was something very, very wrong with this town. It wasn't hard to see. Two, that I belonged here. I knew these things on a basic level I can't describe. Right then and there I should have left, but how could I? There was nowhere for me to go. The first few weeks were the hardest, dodging the monsters, finding food. I was terrified beyond words like you were, I thought I had gone insane, but still I stayed. I learned to avoid them, I learned to hide. When the Darkness came, I found the places they wouldn't find me. Bullets stopped them, but bullets weren't infinite. I needed something else.

"During the day I explored, sought the things I needed. In the school I found the forge and I overcame my fear of fire. I harnessed it, it worked it, I found coal that would burn hot enough to shape metal. I made myself a monster to fight monsters…when the Darkness came again I was ready. At first I fought only in self defense, only when I was attacked. But then I began to hunt the things that lurked in the shadow, finding them before they found me.

"I don't know how much time had passed, but things changed. I started to feel the Darkness before it came, acquired a sixth sense for the creatures. After I destroyed enough of them they began to hide from me, fleeing if they could. I lost the urge to sleep or eat, I was scared at the what was happening to me but I didn't know how to stop it. I've been…looking for a reason why things are the way the are, maybe to stop them if I can.

"But there are places I will not go, not even in the daylight. I want to help you but…I am afraid. I am afraid of Pyramid Head. I can't protect anyone but myself, I wasn't even brave enough to save my own mother, the person dearest to me in all the world."

He put his face in his hand and didn't speak anymore. Julia had hardly been breathing, she didn't know what to say. She never expected a story like that, she felt horrible for making him tell it to her. She wanted to get up and tell him she was sorry, but suddenly he started talking again.

"Thanks…" he said, moving his hand away, "Thanks for listening to me. I've never told anyone that whole story before, it feels…good to finally let someone know."

Rising, Julia walked over to him slowly and crouched down by the arm of the chair. "You're welcome. I'm sorry I forced you to do that even though you were just trying to help. But I'm glad you did."

There was more she wanted to say, but she left the library and headed for the hallway, hitting switches and igniting bulbs all the way. When she turned on the bedroom lights, she found it to be large and unlike the rest of the apartment, it seemed to be fairly clean. The bed was a king size and covered in a light red comforter, Julia gratefully plopped down on it. There was an armoire against the right wall, a long dresser with a huge mirror that made her jump when she first saw it.

Getting off the bed, she lifted up the mirror from where it slid into the back of the dresser and laid it down. Jumping back onto the bed, she took the file from under her jacket, staring at it a while. Nobody's story kept running through her head, she tried to shake it but it was too strong. She sighed deeply and opened the folder, pouring over the information about the person she had come here to find.