I.

Douglas peered between the narrow slits of the park bench, watching and waiting. He tried to control his breathing, despite the pain in his leg, the headache, the bruises and cuts. If he made a sound, he knew that there was no way he would be able to protect himself.

He only had two bullets left. There was no way he could pull off an assault on the creature that now lurched past the bench. The deformed version of some four-legged mammal moved slowly, carefully...waiting for the smallest hint of the existence of someone drawn into its world. It stopped for a moment, sniffing the air. The air rushed into its nose, blocked by some mucus, so it made a slurping, disgusting sound as it repeatedly sniffed.

As Douglas watched the creature's movements, his mind went to Heather. Where was she? Did something happen to her? What about Claudia?

He tried to push the questions out of his mind, not wanting to face all the possibilities of what could have happened. Heather could have been overpowered by Claudia and now sat helpless. Maybe Heather didn't make it to Claudia at all, falling victim to some new horror that caught her off guard. Maybe Heather defeated Claudia, but was overtaken by her own power.

The more Douglas thought about it, the more unsettled he became. He shouldn't have let her go off by herself. But there was no way he could have stopped her. She knew more about what was going on than he did and Heather was probably the only one that could stop it.

Still, Douglas couldn't bear the thought of something happening to her. She was too young and had already suffered too much. There was no sense in her losing her life too. If anyone should be another victim of this godforsaken hellhole, it should be Douglas, at least that's what he thought.

The malformed animal sniffed a few more times, then shambled down a dark path, becoming one with the ever-increasing shadows. Douglas let out a breath, thankful that he wasn't found, but also to relieve some of the pain he was in right now.

He knew that something had gone wrong once the scenery had changed. Everything went from reasonably sane, minus the creatures, to some kind of dark twisted version. Rust, blood, and corrosion stained everything in site. The ground turned into a steel grate, the only thing separating Douglas from the dark abyss that extended infinitely into the earth. Even the creatures had changed.

Douglas managed to pull himself away from his spot into a more secluded area of the park, biding his time until Heather came back...if she came back. Douglas didn't want to face it, but if Heather didn't come back he had to figure out what he would do. With two bullets, Douglas could think of only one option.

II.

"These people," Christine said disbelievingly. She stared in horror at the writhing, wretched souls that tried desperately to escape their fleshy prison. The writhed and twisted and opened their moths wide in silent screams and perverse manners.

She took an unsteady step backwards and felt a body blocking her path. She spun to be face to face with Trey.

"Let's get out of here," Trey said, still unsure of what they were seeing or what it meant.

"There's a door over there," Michael pointed to the large steely door that looked too heavy to be an escape route, but it was all they had at this point. Michael took the lead, pointing his gun at every wrenching figure, ensuring that they were not caught by surprise. One dangerous movement by any of the figures and they would be dealt with, swiftly and fatally.

Michael walked slowly, his steps deliberate, but at the same time, softly finding their spot on the floor with each step. He just had another close call with—The Butcher. It was a stupid name, but that's all he could come up with instead of just calling it a creature. Michael felt that there was definitely something different between The Butcher and all the other creatures they had run into. The other creatures didn't have a purpose or certain measure of control over themselves, unlike the butcher. He killed Stacy and now, for some reason, The Butcher had now targeted Michael, or so he thought. The Butcher could be simply killing whoever was in his way at the time and Michael just so happened to always be in the way. Either way, having an intimate encounter with that blade wasn't really something Michael wanted to experience.

When he got to the door, he tried to open it, but to no avail.

"It won't open," Michael reflexively said. He wasn't surprised by the blocked path, but it meant that they may have to go back down to face The Butcher.

"Wait, there's something there," Christine said, noticing a small, yet thick book lying near one of the writhing figures.

"Go grab it, Trey," Michael urged.

"You've got to be kidding. It's right near that thing. You have the gun, you go get it," Trey shot back.

Michael grinned sheepishly as he stepped gingerly toward the book.

Heather strode past him confidently and impatiently. "We don't have time for this," she snatched up the book quickly and turned away from the writhing figure. "We have to—"

Heather was both surprised and scared by the sudden wrenching of her arm. Her gun clattered to the floor as she struggled against this new force that suddenly had taken a hold of her.

She tried to quickly wriggle her body away, but she only seemed to make the grip more firm and unyielding.

Michael and Trey immediately rushed over to help.

"Heather, hold on!" Trey shouted as he and Michael swatted at the flailing arms of the figure that was only moments ago totally affixed to the wall. Its upper body was free and it reached for Heather, trying to pull her into its fleshy prison.

Michael found his arm grabbed as well. Before he could react, the body split in half, the one arm lifting Michael into the air, and the other one pulling Heather toward the pulsating trap.

"Let me go!" Michael shouted, still thinking that he was dealing with some kind of rational, normal being. However, the body, now in two halves, refused to give up its new found prey.

Christine was horrified. Not only had one of the squirming prisoners come to life, but now it grabbed at Heather and Michael. Christine took a step toward them when she heard an unsteady step from behind her.

Turning slowly, she peered over her shoulder, and then turned to face whatever was behind her.

Christine was frozen in place by shock and horror. Her windpipe clenched shut, denying her air and blood suddenly throbbed in her head. Her eyes tried to adjust to what she was seeing, but it only made her dizzy as she tried to focus.

Finally, she was able to put a name to what she saw, "Sean."

III.

"Dammit," Douglas groaned as he let himself relax behind his hiding place. The pain was subsiding, but he could feel his body weakening from a lack of sleep and blood loss.

Reaching into his coat pocket, he took a bottle of pills out. The translucent orange of the bottle seemed highly out of place in the dark amusement park. It was a reminder to Douglas that he was still alive and there was a chance to get out of all this.

He took two pills, roughly swallowing the circle pain relievers. He let his head fall back against the cool bench and closed his eyes. Even through the darkness, all he could see was an image of the monsters he had faced. Then through it all, he could clearly see Heather's face.

Somehow, that was enough to assure him that she was alive, and that he needed to stay alive, if not for himself, then for Heather.

He opened his eyes, surveyed the area around him for monsters, then stood. His legs were a little unsteady and he felt slightly queasy, but the feeling soon passed. He took a few slow steps, just to make sure he was able to walk without keeling over. Douglas moved more quickly now, knowing that creatures would be lurking nearby.

Douglas knew had a job to do and he wouldn't rest until it was finished. He would find Heather and anyone else he could save and get them out of this hellhole.

IV.

Claudia Wolf's eyes were milky white, seeing past physical obstructions in front of her, the things normal people would see. The dark wood pews, heavy oak doors, black candles illuminating the large church, all these things were invisible at the moment. Claudia could see beyond the objects within the normal scope of vision. As of now, she was watching the actions of Heather and the teens she had somehow come into contact with.

She watch Heather get snatched by an angel of her lord, restrained to do no more harm to this paradise that would soon encompass everything. The other teens struggled, but would be of no consequence in the grand scheme of things. Their efforts were frivolous.

Claudia smiled as the enhanced vision faded and her eyes began to adjust to the candlelight in the church.

"There is nothing she can do now...her wavering faith in our lord has prevented this for long enough," Claudia stated to the shadows. She could only catch a slight glimpse of a creature crawling across the wall, letting only a glimpse of its body be exposed to the dim light.

Claudia knew what it was. It was one of the higher servants of Samael, Valtiel. He had come to guide her in her quest, giving her silent support and encouragement. Just his presence alone soothed the pain Claudia had now and again. She could feel it growing inside of her, it was gaining strength, not only from her physical body, but from her faith as well. Samael was to be reborn and Claudia would be the mother of a god.

She winced, but let a smile cross her face as she rubbed her distended abdomen area.

V.

When Cybil looked in her rearview mirror, she knew she was in Silent Hill. The street behind her had crumbled away, leaving an impossible chasm to cross. She was actually surprised that her car still worked thus far. She turned on her fog lights in response to the thick fog that settled over the street, leaving only a few feet of visibility.

Cybil looked in the passenger seat. She was prepared this time: a 9mm, several packs of bullets, a shotgun and shoulder strap, a map, Leatherman, flashlight, and pain relievers moved in rhythm with the car as she drove along. She wore black jeans, boots, a light purple blouse, and a black leather jacket that fell slightly past her waist. Her long blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a black rubberband. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she realized that she looked years younger, with the exception of the worry and trepidation mixed into her face.

The car moved along slowly, allowing Cybil to scan the immediate area for anything suspicious or any clue that might allow her to figure out where Sean and Christine were. Hopefully, they had not come across anything dangerous, but she knew that it was highly unlikely.

As she drove, her mind wandered to Harry. What was he doing now? Where was he? Was he being called back to this place too? Cybil didn't think to at least call him, but then if she had, would he have thought she was crazy? Even after all these years, Cybil couldn't bring herself to face the horrors of Silent Hill. But now, she was staring right at them.

The car made a terrible noise from under the hood, then slowed to a stop.

Not surprised, Cybil glanced around the dash for some indicator as to what was wrong. Every light was on: the gas light, battery light, oil light, and engine service light blared dauntingly at her.

She sighed, but quickly gathered the items from the passenger seat. The good thing about the leather coat she wore was the pocket space it had. She would have no problem keeping what she had and anything she might come across on her person.

Only five minutes later, Cybil found herself walking cautiously down the street. The first thing the erupted through the fog was a sign for an amusement park.

"The amusement park," Cybil read, her mind returning to her horrific experience there. She was nothing but a victim of Dahlia's as she was possessed by a creature and forced to attack Harry. Luckily, Harry was able to save her, but the experience left her weakened and unable to help Harry. However, she came in time to see him defeat the demon form of Alessa, allowing them to escape to the real world again.

Snapping back to the present, she figured there was no better place to start than where her journey ended last time, the amusement park.

Cybil carefully pushed open the gate and disappeared into the thick fog, unsure of what her destiny would be this time around.

Notes:

Kawaru85: I'm glad you liked the action in the last chapter; the cat fight might just be you...but you have put an idea in my head...keep reading to see what happens...

Rodarian: Glad that the timeline makes a little more sense. Hopefully, other events in the Silent Hill world will be woven in as well.

Shortey: I'm glad to see you liked the cliffhanger. They're needed every once in a while just to keep the characters on their toes.

Skittlefratz: Dreams like that are never fun. I corrected the Michel – Michel thing, laughing as I did so. Glad to see that you are growing fonder of Heather. And I liked your fic by the way : )

Cat: You are quite the clever cat...I can't answer your question, but I will say you're on the right track with Christine. The next chapter should answer your question regarding Cybil and Christine. And as for Douglas, ask and you shall receive

Kronos106: Yes, you are on the right track...Christine is definitely hiding something. Hopefully, Heather will figure it out soon...

Fallen Angel-2009: I'm continuing smile