Author's Note: Once again, some swearing. It may seem unusual for Edna, but considering the situation I decided to go ahead.

I wasn't planning to do this chapter originally, but the events at Alcatraz are a vital part in Edna's story, so I included it.

Killer's description of wearing a hood was inspired by a picture I saw of him wearing a different outfit from the Shadow Hearts Sketchbook. Scans can be found at shadowhearts . beyourtruemind . net (remove spaces), under the Media link.

It's maddening to be snatched from the jaws of death, to travel from Illinois to California on car and on foot, only to be stopped by a guard.

"There is a hit man here, he'll kill my brother!" Edna cries.

The bulky man scoffs as the other guards tense, ready to draw their weapons. "Alcatraz is the most secure prison in the states, lady. Your brother's safe 'cause no one can get in or out without us knowing."

Behind her, Killer snorts and she glances back at him. When they had approached the prison he had drawn a hood over his head, letting only a few strands of unkempt hair show. His face is still in shadow and she wonders what he finds so damn amusing about this.

"Sir, please, just let me make sure he's all right."

"Sorry, sweet--"

A knife flashes as it lodges itself into his throat. With a groan the guard falls as the other officers open fire. Lady raises a hand, creating a barrier of malice around her and her two companions.

"What did you do that for?" Edna yells. A loud wail sounds, drawing more officers to the scene.

"You should've realized quicker talk's a waste of time with these bastards," Killer shoots back. With one hand he reaches into his coat, drawing out four more throwing knives. "Now why don't you get going and save your brother?"

"I can't!" There are too many guards, too many bullets; if she takes a single step beyond Lady's protection she'll be dead in an instant. She looks around, turning her back on Killer to figure out what she should do.

This turns out to be a mistake when she feels his hand on her back. "Sure you can," he says, and as simply as that he shoves her, pushing her out of the barrier. She falls on to her knees and closes her eyes. They are going to fill her with bullets, it was excruciating enough being shot once by McManus, to think of the pain from multiple bullet wounds is terrifying.

Below the siren's wail and the cacophony of bullets, Killer's laughter is almost imperceptible. Almost. Edna opens her eyes and sees a wall of red surrounding her. She hadn't known she could make a barrier like Lady could. Looking back, she sees the slouching man's shoulders shaking with mirth. "God damn you!" she shouts. He only shrugs, as if to say she'll be grateful later, and turns to deliver the first of his deadly knives into an officer's gut. Lady's shell may keep projectiles out, but they don't keep them in, and Killer uses that to his advantage.

Edna climbs to her feet and runs. The officers' attention is drawn to the dangerous duo in the midst of them; she finds it almost too easy to cross the compound. She reaches the cellblocks and approaches the nearest one.

The large hand that snakes out and envelops her own isn't her brother's. This man pulls her in roughly, making her body slam into the bars. She doesn't know what he is planning, but it's nothing good, and so she raises her free arm, killing him as neatly as she did the gangster in Chicago. Only then does his grip loosen and she backs away, shivering. She hadn't realized that even locked up, some of these men could be monsters. And they had actually planned on letting that scum back out on the streets?

She continues through the cellblock, warier now. Some men do nothing, quieted by fear, and them she passes over, but many, many more of them scream at her to let them out, shout curses and threats, bang on the bars of their cells. Her heart is already pounding fast from the siren that keeps blaring; at these frights she simply opens a Window, and allows man and beast to decide which is more monstrous.

It's hard to keep track of time in here; the siren seems to blur each moment into the other, and these brutish, filthy men all look the same. None are her brother. They are all trash, thrown into prison for their crimes, and none of them deserve to live.

Part of her tries to hold back, realizing some of these men might be in here for the same offense as her brother--they haven't harmed anyone--or some might even have been wrongly convicted. But every time she looks into a cell and sees a stranger, it seems more and more likely she'll never find her brother, or worse, find him dead. The fear seems to take over, and before long she finds herself wandering through the screams of dying men. She must be dreaming, but nightmare or not, she can't believe what she is doing. This is not her, but someone—no, something else.

Somehow Edna ends up back outside. She's gone through every cell, but Al isn't here. She thinks she should be crying, but the thought that this may be only a bad dream keeps her plodding along. When she hears whimpering, she looks up and sees three of the prison guards backed up against the fence. Only one of them is injured. Killer must have gotten bored. Without a thought she extends her arms, beckoning another beast to this world.

Behind her there are footsteps and she turns around, expecting to see more guards ready for death. Instead there is the strange group she invited to Ricardo's performance and Mao, but the person she notices first is her brother. "It's you! Thank God," she cries out.

"Edna…" He looks uncertain; if she didn't know better, she would say he is afraid, but even if he is, she can protect him. As long as he's alive and well, it doesn't matter.

But the Window is still open, and when the beast emerges, it is facing her brother. All she can do is stare helplessly. It is a creature of malice; she can't kill it as she's killed men. Has she just murdered her brother? No—no, this has to be a nightmare, and she clutches her head, praying God will let her wake up.

The air grows thick with malice and when it thins, she is standing outside the prison. Killer and Lady are in front of her. "You never told me you could do that," the man remarks to the grey-haired girl. Her red eyes flit to him with an obvious answer before she turns away and walks back to the boat they came in. Killer follows, but only takes a few steps before glancing back. "What's the matter with you?"

"I killed him," Edna whispers, and faints.