Celty drove closely behind Kasuka, Ruri and Shinra. She would rather drive right next to them but they were trying to remain inconspicuous since it was painfully obvious they weren't allowed up to the ghost town. To remain as anonymous as possible was the goal.

But that goal was quickly shattered when blue and red lights began to flash behind them.

Celty looked over to see a single police officer on a bulky black American bike. She was thankful it was just one but her common chase through the streets by another police officer made her jump out of her skin with fright. Out of habit, she wanted to speed away as fast as she could. But she knew that wouldn't bode well for their investigation if she did.

So, instead, she pulled up to the passenger side, tapped on the window and indicated that they should pull over. She noticed that Kasuka had already began to slow down before she guestured to them. And on the next opporutnity, they pulled over completely out of the road onto a shoulder and put the car into park. Celty circled around them so she was by Kasuka's window and typed a message.

:What do you want to do?:

"We'll abide by the law. Getting in trouble won't bode well for us or Nii-san."

:I thought so.:

The cop parked and got off the bike, walking up to the foreigners.

"Sir," the cop—apparently a woman—said as she looked at Celty. "Can I get you to back away and get off the bike?"

Celty obeyed, having Shooter back up—making it look like she was doing with her legs—so he was in front of Kasuka's car then dimounting.

"Stand over here, please."

Celty obeyed.

The cop then bent down to stare at the people in the car.

"Good evening."

"Good evening." Kasuka said.

"Where are you folks heading?"

"...To Blahms, ma'am."

"...Really?"

"Yes."

"Funny, we got a report saying you guys were heading up to Silent Hill."

Kasuka didn't answer.

"Where are you folks from?"

"Ikebukuro, Japan."

"That's a long ways."

"Hai."

"Come to see the sights?"

"...Werl, no actuarly."

"Then to explore? We've had plenty of people come up here to see our ghost town Silent Hill. But I got to tell you, it's dangerous for civilian's to go up there. It's closed off for a reason."

"We know."

"Yet you still want to go up there?"

"...We have oul leasons."

"...Okay. Let me see your license or Identification cards from all of you."

Celty stiffened noticably.

'Am I going to have to run after all—'

"Excuse me." Shinra leaned forward. "Don't meant to be difficurt but Celty's warret isn't on her pelson. And she can't lide in cars because she has crustlophobia."

"Where is your ID, ma'am?" The cop turned to Celty.

"I've got it."

As Kasuka and Ruri handed over their's, Shinra dug into his pocket and pulled two cards out.

'What? Shinra! When did you make me a fake ID?!'

"What's your name, sir?"

"Kishitani, Shinra."

The cop stood up and then paused to stare at the ID's. They were all in Japanese and they all guested she couldn't read them.

"Alright." She leaned back down and held the cards to Kasuka. "Let's not beat around the bush. I know you're heading to Silent Hill. I can't let you go up there. Now, what I want you to do is turn around, go back to your hotel or wherever you're staying and stay away from the place. It's far too dangerous."

"I'm sorly but we can't ." Kasuka said. "We have to go up there. It's important."

"What's so important that a group of Japanese would come all the way to America for?"

Kasuka didn't answer immediately, contemplating if he should tell her or not, then pulled out his phone and went to his pictures. He then held the phone out, where the cop took it.

"My oldel blother, Shizuo. He's rost. He carled me saying he was in Silent Hilr and he needs help."

"We thought he had died." Shinra added. "Then we got the carl saying he was arive and in Sirent Hirr."

"We have to know if it's tlue. If the carl is real or fake." Ruri finished.

"We have to get up there." Kasuka said. "Nothing wilr stop me flom finding my blother."

The cop looked up at him then down at the picture.

She then sighed.

"I can't let you go up there. It's too dangerous."

Kasuka's grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"However, if you have a police escort, then you won't be breaking the law."

Their eyes widened.

"I'll take you up there. We'll look for your brother together. But I want the whole story once we get there, got it?"

"Yes, thank you very much!"

She nodded. "What are your names?"

"Heiwajima, Kasuka."

"Hijibe, Ruri."

"You already know mine!"

The black rider typed on her phone—having changed the language setting to English. :Celty Sturulson.:

The cop cocked a brow. "Why did you—"

"She's mute." Shinra called. "She got bulnt in a fire a whire back that destloyed hel vocal colds. That's arso why she weals a fulr body suit and she doesn't rike taking her hermet off alound stlangers. Cuz of scals."

"...I see. Okay. Well, I'm Cybil Bennette. Nice to meet you all."

Cybil then went back to her bike, mounted it, and pulled up to Kasuka's window while Celty went to her bike.

"Follow me, got it?"

"Hai."

And with that, the cop sped off with the two vehicles right behind her.


Shizuo became lost. Having spent so much time trying to calm his nerves, he had no clue where the three monsters disappeared to or where Izaya's voice came from. He had two options: go straight down the hall to the second turn or go down the first turn to the stairs.

In the end, he chose to check the neighboring classrooms of both halls for a clue and stumbled into a classroom that was right before the stairs.


Izaya caught a glimpse of the girl running through a wooden door at the end of the second floor hall. He quickly ran down and pushed the door open, the door slamming behind him.

He found himself to be in a bathroom—most-likely a girls from the lack of urinals. There was a bench welded into the floor in front of a row of lockers with the stall doors on the other side. But he didn't spend too much time to dwell on that as he heard sobbing coming from one of the bathroom stalls. He turned his flashlight on and knelt down to look for feet. There were none.

He felt anxiety rise at the thought of pushing the doors to see if someone was there. He didn't know what to expect. He didn't know what'd he stumble across.

But he had to help Alessa.

"It's okay." Izaya soothed in English. "It's okay."

Izaya went to the first stall. Holding the flashlight steady, he reached out. His hand shook as he touched the wood.

He pushed the door open.

Nothing.

He let out the breath he had been holding in.

He went to the next stall.

Pushed.

Nothing.

Third stall.

Locked.

Izaya was surprised at that and pushed a little harder. The door wouldn't budge. The raven hunkered down to look into the stall, flashing his light up towards the toilet.

Izaya light flashed on a creature, that hissed at him and lunged forward. The raven screamed and fell back, slamming into the bench with his shoulder blades hard. The creature landed in front of him, giving him a glare.

In which Izaya glared right back at him. The creature was nothing more than a small pale yellow cat with blood red eyes.

As soon as the two made eye contact, the cat turned and ran.

"Stupid fucking cat." Izaya growled as the cat disappeared into a hall in the wall under the sinks.

Izaya let out a heavy sigh, slightly embarrassed by being jump-scared by a cat.

He heard sobs coming from the next stall, which was the widest. He stood and went to it.

"Hey, it's okay." Izaya said. "I'm sorry I yelled. I want to help you. It's okay."

Holding the light steady, he pushed the door open.

Automatically, he backed away and put a hand over his mouth.

There was a man in the stall. But the man was very much dead with barbed wire wrapped around his wrists and pinned to the wall so it looked similar to a Crucifixion. His head was tilted back due to barbed wire wrapped around his eyes and connected to his ankles that were bent backwards over his back. He wore a dark blue uniform that looked similar to a janitor's body suit, however it was torn and shredded—most-likely by the barbed wire. The name tag was still on his suit, showing his name was Collin.

'What the hell?' Izaya felt his eyes get misty. 'What did this man do to deserve this?'

Izaya wanted to leave. But he stayed only because of the scrawling on the wall behind the corpse.

DARE YOU

DARE YOU

DOUBLE DARE YOU

Arrows pointed down to the dead man.

Izaya scrutinized the man and noticed there was something sticking out of his mouth.

'No way. There's no way—I have to be overthinking it...'

The raven reread the words and looked back to the mouth over and over until he worked up his nerves.

"...Okay..." He said to himself, putting the flashlight down on the bench. "Okay, I can do this."

He stepped forward again and again until he was in the stall. He kept his eyes locked on the mouth, slinking his hand underneath the barbed wire. He could hear his heart beating in his ears. Cold sweat going down his spine, his hands were shaking, and he was holding his breath although he wasn't aware of any of this. All he focused on was the object so he couldn't think of what he was doing.

He grabbed it and slowly pulled it out. Once his hand was free of the barbed wire, all Izaya's sense's came rushing back to him. He had just pulled something out of a dead man's mouth. Out of a dead man's mouth. The concept alone was absolutely disgusting but the fact that he had done it made his stomach clench.

He turned and hacked, feeling bile rise in his throat. He ran away from the stall, grabbing his flashlight and heading to the door.

He swung the door open and rushed outside; only to screech to a stop. Three...things were in the hallway. They looked like men decked out in leather mining suits and the prospect of them being human only intensified when the three shined flashlights at him. But he had absolutely no clue if they were friendly or not. So he allotted to run back into the bathroom and shut the door. He heard their heavy footsteps approaching as he pulled out the key ring. He tried one key but was no good. They were getting closer, he could hear them as clear as day. He tried another key. Wrong again.

"Come on, come on, come on."

He tried another.

*Click*

He let out the breath he wasn't aware he was holding in and pressed his back to the door.

Something slammed against the door, making him jolt. He gasped and pulled the key out of the lock.

'Shit. Shit. Help.'

The slams were now repeating.

"Oh god. Help me." Izaya closed his eyes shut. "Help me. Someone please. Shizu-chan. Shizu-chan, help me. Help me. Shizu-chan."


Shizuo heard repeated banging echo throughout the hall. He looked up from the desk he was inspecting—one that was covered in chiseled English words that he didn't know—and looked around himself. Quickly, he pinpointed where it was coming from and ran to it, followed closely by his black cat friend.


The banging sound changed from beating on the wood to metal on metal. Izaya pushed against the door hard, knowing they were using a crowbar on the door handle.

"Help. Shizu-chan."


Shizuo ran up the stairs and saw the three monsters banging against a door at the end of the hall.

Shizuo didn't know why. He had no evidence to assume anything. But his gut told him Izaya was behind that door. And those three were after him.

He quickly looked around himself and grabbed a cup that sat on the ground. He chucked it.

His aim was off and the small object missed the creatures, shattering next to one of their feet. But it got their attention.

Shizuo ran, followed again by the cat.

He heard the three giving chase.


"And that's what happened." Kasuka said to Cybil, who now drove their car up the windy road. They left Cybil's bike a little way past the bridge—which had been fenced off but the police woman had the key—and were now heading slowly up the road along the side of a mountain.

"...So you don't even know if he's alive."

"No, I don't. That's why I have to come hele."

Cybil nodded. "...Do you have dust masks?"

"I think so." Kasuka opened the glove compartment. "We were tord the air alound Silent Hirl was toxic."

"That's right. How many do you have?"

Kasuka counted. "Four."

"Uh oh."

"Certy wilr be fine." Shinra said. "She has hel hermet."

"How thicks the padding inside?"

"Thick and fruffy."

"...I'm going to check when we get there."

"E~h? But she can't take it off!"

"She'll have to. I can't let her go up there if it's hazardous for her."

'Oh~ no.' Shinra grabbed his phone.

:Officer Bennette wasn't to check your helmet to see if its insilated.:

"Okay, then when you do that, Celty wilr come into the car and I'lr take the hermet, okay?"

"What about her clustrophobia?"

"I'lr be with her so it's okay."

"...Fine. Did you just text her?"

"No." Shinra smiled.

Cybil glowered at him in the rear-view. Then she looked back to the road and slowed significantly.

"We're here."

She pulled over, Celty following right behind them.

While Shinra and Celty went with their plan, Kasuka got out and looked down the road. An old sign stood a little ahead on the other side of the road, the paint cracked and chipped.

Welcome to SILENT HILL

"Nii-san."


Shizuo ran after the cat, hoping putting his trust in an animal wouldn't lead to his downfall.

'Come on, little guy. Don't do me wrong now.'

The cat turned into a classroom. Shizuo followed.

And then the cat was gone.

'Oh no!'

"No. Where'd you go, little guy?"

"Mrow!"

Shizuo jolted and looked around.

The cat was in the back of the classroom, standing by a shelf.

Shizuo rushed over and quickly noticed scuff lines on the floor. Following their examples, he pushed the shelf—ecstatic to find a little cubby-hole. He hunkered down and shimmied in, pulling the shelf so it mostly hid the hole.

The cat rubbed against Shizuo but he ignored it as the thundering footsteps came down the hall. His breath slowed, his heart raced. The steps were coming closer and closer. Through the small gap between the wall and cubby, Shizuo saw them in the classroom window. He balled his fist.

They ran by.

'Eh?'

Shizuo let out his breath as confusion set in.

"Mrow."

Shizuo looked down at the cat, who stood behind him in the cubby. The cat looked at him before turning around and shimmying through a gap on the other side.

"Wait!" Shizuo called, ready to follow.

But froze when a piercing siren split through the air.


Izaya's eyes widened when the banging stopped.

'Did they leave?' Izaya thought.

Although he wanted to believe that, there was no way he was going to check. It could be a trick. They could be waiting outside the door, ready to pounce when he opened it.

He looked up at a window pane above to door. The glass wasn't seethrough but the window turned to open. He glanced over at the bench and glowered when he remembered it was bolted down. He looked around himself.

But became distracted when a siren screeched in the distance.


"Shizuo Heiwajima, Izaya Orihara, I am an officer of the law and I'm here to take you to safety." Cybil said, holding a megaphone out the car window. "Shizuo Heiwajima, Izaya Orihara, I am an officer of the law and I'm here to take you to safety."

They stopped the car and waited.

When there was no reply, they continued driving—going less than 5 mph.

"Let me try." Kasuka said.

"Here." She handed it over.

Kasuka rolled down his window.

"Nii-san, it's Kasuka. Where are you? Shizuo-nii-san, answer if you can. It's Kasuka."

Once the echo ceased, Celty had Shooter whiny—making it look like she honked a horn—in hopes Shizuo or Izaya would recognize it and come their way.

There was still no sign.

Cybil saw the dishearten expression cross everyone's face. So she pulled over and parked the car.

"Come on. Let's check the buildings."

Kasuka looked up at her. "Right."

The four passengers vacated the car.

"We're searching on foot." Shinra told Celty.

Celty nodded and sat Shooter by the car. She told him to say there then followed after the humans while Kasuka continued to call on the megaphone.


"Oh god." Izaya and Shizuo muttered, looking around themselves before the rooms went dark. "It's happening again."

The two turned on their flashlights, shining them around themselves.

The tiles of the bathroom fell off the wall while the dry wall peeled off and fell to the ground with a plop.

The cubby hole convexed outwards to make it wider as the wood splintered and the paint peeled.

'Izaya...'

'Shizu-chan.'

'I've got to get to him!'

'Where are you?!'