They ran back through empty streets.

It was getting darker and the fog seemed to be getting thicker and smelling even more like smoke.

At times, Travis could barely see the girl running next to him. That scared him more than the monsters. He had to stop himself from reaching for her hand, had to reassure himself that no, she was not going to vanish just because he couldn't see her for a little bit. Besides, he could still hear her, hear her footsteps and her breath.

But then, this was a warped messed up town and they weren't the only ones with abilities.

He almost reached for her hand then, at that thought, but then he could see her again and they were back at the house. She raced up the steps and he was right behind her.

The door had been left hanging open. When he saw that, Travis knew. And he thought that she knew too, for all that she went running ahead calling their names, mostly calling for her dad but also for Vincent.

"They're gone!"

The room was a mess and the couch where Harry had been sitting was covered with-

"Blood." Travis hadn't realized that he'd spoken out loud until Cheryl made an incoherent cry. Travis spun to see her kick at a book on the floor, sending into it flying into a lamp had been intact.

Travis winced at the sound as it shattered.

Alessa had done stuff like that too, sometimes. Memories laughed mockingly in the back of his head as Travis moved closer. "Alessa-"

"Don't call me that!" she yelled, spinning around and waving hands in the air "Don't you dare call me that! I-" waving her hands around as if that could express what her tongue couldn't. Tears in her eyes almost froze him for a moment, but then he reached out and gently took a hold of the hands she was waving in the sir.

She was glaring at him but she wasn't pulling away either.

"I don't think they're dead," Travis said simply.

She stopped glaring at him and just listened, eyes wide.

He went on. "Look, there's no bodies, right? There'd be no point to carrying around dead bodies. So they must be alive. Dahlia's probably holding them wherever she's got Claudia. Your father wouldn't let himself be taken without a fight, and I doubt that Vincent just stood there either. That's where some of this blood came from. We just need to find Dahlia, stop her, grab Claudia and Vincent, rescue your dad and get out of this messed up town for good."

"…how do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Stay so calm?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I just- I have to. Come on, let's see if we can find anything useful."

OoOoOo

As far back as she could remember (ignoring Alessa's not quite there memories), Cheryl had always known that she was adopted, that Harry wasn't her biological father. She'd had a moment or two of curiosity about her birth parents, but even though her mother had died when she was little he'd always been the best dad a girl could ask for. The fact that he'd apparently rescued her out of this place only reminded her why she'd loved him so much.

But now he was missing, targeted because of her. And so was Vincent and they still had no idea where Claudia was, only that if they found Dahlia they'd find her.

Cheryl turned and stared down at the photos now lying on the floor instead of on the mantel.

When she'd first heard the stories, the fact that she'd known Vincent and Travis before had made her a bit nervous. Partially because they things about Alessa- about her- that she didn't, partially because she knew them but she didn't remember and what did they expect of her?

She stared at the picture of her child self that she didn't remember. The smile almost seemed to mock her.

I know and you don't. They're my friends, not yours. I have the power, and you don't. What are you going to do now?

...I'm not to let them them kill me. I'm not going to let them kill Dad and the others either. I don't know if I can stop the ceremony, but at the very least I'm going to throw a big wrench in their plans.

She thought the smile turned approving.

"Cheryl?"

"Coming."

In the kitchen and the study, they found some heath drinks, another first aid kit in the bathroom, and in what appeared to be Vincent's bedroom, they found a shotgun in the closet.

"He may not like getting his hands dirty but at least he believes in being prepared," Cheryl said as Travis lifted it out. "Is is loaded?"

"Yeah. Only with one shot though."

Cheryl began rummaging through the dresser and produced some shotgun shells. "Come on," she said as she placed them in his open hand, "let's go end this."

As they stepped outside, a bell began to ring. As one, they looked at each other.

"The church."

The sanctuary was empty, but they found enough drops of blood, scattered here and there to lead them to a door, which lead further into.

When they entered, there was a map on the wall, obviously drawn by a child.

Cheryl took it down from the wall with slightly trembling fingers. "I drew this."

Travis drew closer and she spread it out so he could see it. It looked like any map any child would draw, but it did match up with what he remembered (which was very little) of the church's layout. Then he noticed along the bottom, four small figures, in a line, holding hands, all in blue school uniforms. He brushed the bottom and nodded.

She followed it up carefully and they began walking again, following the faint trail of blood. Following corridors further in, rooms that were vaguely remembered, but not quite right.

Lines and burning abstract shapes, began to carve themselves on the walls and move around. They watched them for a moment before moving on. They didn't seem like they were hurting them, and they didn't have time to spare.

In that hallway, the trail disappeared. Maybe they let him treat it, maybe they just cleaned up after themselves, or maybe it had just started to close up.

In any case, they were now on their own.

Checking the map, Cheryl made a couple notes on it, and then opened another door to another room, and found themselves in a living room, complete with windows that looked out to trees and grass and houses in the distance.

"It's your old house," Travis said, stepping forward as he looked around. Briefly Travis wondered how they could be somewhere so obviously nowhere near the church, before reminding himself of how the normal rules of reality had abandoned them a long time ago.

"But it was burned down… we must be in the other world again," Cheryl said, also beginning to walk forward. "I remember hiding behind this couch," she said quietly as she approached it but then Travis called her and they moved onto the next room.

"One of the classrooms at the school." Cheryl wasn't sure which of them had spoken, not that it really mattered.

All the desks had been shoved into the back of the room, leaving only one in the middle of the room and the teacher's desk in front.

Since the child's desk was closer, they approached that first. As soon as they saw that it was covered with graffiti, they knew who's it was.

Alessa, the girl who Cheryl still had trouble thinking of as herself. She stepped forward and traced her fingers over the insults carved so deeply in.

"Thief. Go home."

She remembered how angry Miss Gordon had been when she noticed, and how she had apologized to Alessa, telling that there was a shortage of desks and she couldn't give her a new one.

"Cheryl."

She looked up, and he was looking right at her.

"Look inside," he said softly. "I…I think there's something inside."

"Okay, I'll check." there was something inside. A folded piece of paper, sitting on top of her books. It had her old name on it. Carefully, she picked it up and started reading it.

Travis hesitated a moment before stepping closer. "What's it say?"

"You're the one that wrote it."

She looked more at ease now, and he smiled as he responded. "Yeah, but that was a long time ago."

She looked down at the letter and smiled before folding it up and putting it carefully in a pocket. "I'll show it to you later, okay?"

"Alright, but I'm not going to let you forget about it."

Still smiling, she opened her mouth to respond.

Then the desk exploded.

Both of them were sent flying- her into him, cushioning her landing-

They landed and looked up.

It was monstrous, like the nurses, but not. It was male, but it was almost like parody of maleness. It was all muscles, muscular arms almost too much to bend. (Almost like a child's idea of manliness? whispered Alessa's voice but Cheryl focused on watching the thing and how it might attack). No legs, just a huge torso with huge arms and a head with a mouthful of teeth.

It roared and reached for them.

Springing to their feet and backing up and reached for weapons, Cheryl shot it several times in the upper part of the torso and Travis had sent two shotgun shells into its massive body when it sent its fist flying out.

"Look out!" Travis knocked her out of the way and rolling over, the fist passing just above them.

"Thanks," she breathed and their noses were almost touching.

We don't have time for this!

"Don't mention it." And they began scrambling to their feet.

Travis moved away, doing his best to be a distraction. "Hey, over here!" and emptying the shotgun into it.

A growl and another swipe, this time aimed at him, another dodge. This one isn't like the others. Almost like its thinking-

Then a massive meaty hand pinned him to the ground, knocking the breath out of him, pinned so tight he can't even move.

He heard Alessa- no, Cheryl- call out his name and the monster said something.

What?

Travis tried to say something but the weight of the hand holding him down wasn't giving him enough air.

"Peter?" and that was Cheryl's voice and the sounds of boots hitting the floor as she backed up step or two.

"You-remember-me-now-do-you?" it was a monstrous, grating voice, but familiar…

-Peter, the biggest kid in his grade and most of the others. Vincent had seen him carving on Alessa's desk and Travis had gone to make him stop picking on her- but he'd had all his friends with him and they just began beating him when he tried and one of them had started yanking on Alessa's hair as Travis had begun to fall to the floor. She'd screamed and Peter had just fallen over-

"You-killed-me," the monstrous voice insisted.

"I didn't mean to. I-" and for just a minute, she sounds afraid. Then her voice changed. "I had to do something. You were hurting him, and I was afraid. I was a child, I didn't understand my powers.

And now you're hurting him again. Let him go. Now." Her voice didn't tremble at all.

A laugh that didn't sound right, almost like a bark or a gasp. "And-if-I-don't?"

"I've killed you once already. And you're not a child now, you're not even human any more. Now you're just a monster. I'll say it just once more. Let him go."

Laughing again and reaching for her with his free hand and she was running forward- things beginning to blur-

Travis blacked out.

"Hey, hey you! Help me!" Cheryl's voice. She sounded worried- how long had he been out? "He can't breath! Travis is dying!"

And then, slow footsteps approaching and the sounds of two young women grunting and slowly the hand covering him began to move.

He gasped and was finally able to breathe, coughing.

Cheryl came into focus, leaning over him. "Travis, are you okay? Are you okay?"

He couldn't speak yet, but managed a jerky nod.

The other person was leaving, he noticed out to the corner of his eyes. Long blonde hair, long black dress, weird style. Couldn't see her face though, couldn't focus enough to make out features.

Cheryl noticed her leaving too. "Hey thanks!" she called out.

A brief stop and she turned her head as if she were going to turn around and look at them, but she didn't. She just kept walking.

"Hey, who are you?"

She started moving quickly now, almost as if she were afraid and practically ran out the door.

Cheryl stared at the door, confused, then turned to look at Travis who was breathing heavily, but no longer rasping.

"Weird," she muttered and then frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He rasped then coughed once more. "Fine." That sounded better. Sure felt better. "Why is it you keep saving me today?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You keep ending up in danger," she said, smiling.

They both laughed. It was slightly weak, slightly tired, but it wasn't fake and it wasn't hysterical.

Her hands moved from his shoulders to his wrists and tugged and helped him up. Smiling, he followed her until they were standing together.

OoOoOo

It was just the way Heather stated in 3 that "Alessa could kill people just by wishing for it". She made it sound like it had actually happened, but unless I totally missed something, it's certainly not something that happened in game.