It soon became apparent that they needn't worry out on the streets as much, as they only came across Mannequins so far. James and Dante easily dodged around them, since they only moved when the humans drew near. However, they didn't cause James' radio to emit any static until they began moving, giving them the advantage of stealth through the thick fog.
The two men had not exchanged many words, for they felt that just having another human in their presence in a desolate, hellish place like this was enough basis for friendship. James was delighted to find that his leg was quickly on the mend, now not having to use something to lean on as he walked. Though their pace was slower than either of them preferred, as long as the sirens did not go off, they felt a sense of security.
"Okay, we need to see if we can get across the lake," James said at length, studying his map. Currently, they were near Rosewater Park. He had noticed that the park seemed devoid of monsters, a relief. However, he had come across Maria there, who insisted upon staying with him. But, the Red Demon had gotten her... Pyramid Head. The older, blonde male shuddered. Damn that thing... for some reason, he felt that it was responsible for everything bad that had happened to him. In a sense, he was correct.
"The road is blocked off?" Dante asked, peering at the map, standing by James' side. He had pretended not to notice the shudder, convincing himself that it was either the cold or some thought that was meant to remain private.
James simply nodded.
"We can try the docks, but I'm not sure if even that will work. I think they were blocked off. The only building around there that we have a chance at is the Historical Society," James then said, his tired mind attempting to come up with a plan.
Dante's head bobbed in agreement.
"Better than nothing. You need to find your wife. But I think we should wait for the... the weird change to pass before we go, so that we're not caught off guard if we're in there or something," Dante then wisely instructed. He was still paranoid, just as James was. The difference was that he wasn't quite as exhausted as the older man.
Dante lifted his head a bit, also raising his eyes, studying James' facial features. He seemed to be at least seven - maybe ten - years older than himself. Near the corners of his mouth were frown lines, but they were thin, as if a bit more recent. James had a few folds on his forehead, caused by stress. A few locks of strawberry blonde hair covered them, though. Dante's eyes wandered to James' hair; there was shine to it, but dirt and grime and possible blood from monsters had taken that away. Finally, Dante studied the man's eyes. They were a deep blue, what Dante suspected were formerly vivid, but now they seemed almost grey, as if slate blue. They had very little shine, no luster to show his inner youth or energy. The bags under his eyes were more signs of stress, along with sleepless nights and the occasional panic in a place like this.
Dante smartly looked away before James noticed that he was being stared at, placing his own darkened hazel eyes back on the map.
What would James look like if he was happy...? he wondered to himself.
James folded the map back up and tucked it away, looking ahead grimly.
"Let's explore the park a bit first, see if it has anything useful. We can wait for the sirens, too."
Dante nodded and followed after him, once again noticing the slight limp his friend had. Grimacing, James trudged onward, knowing that as soon as he got past the pain, he'd be able to walk and run as he did before. He had to hand it to Dante, though - it was healing at least fifty times faster than he thought it would!
Through the hazy fog, Rosewater Park soon appeared. After exploring the previously beautiful park, Dante ordered James to sit on a bench so he could check his leg, as well as simply rest it. Sighing, the blonde listened and was inwardly relieved. His leg was throbbing, aching, and had stabbed with pain with each step. Wincing as Dante rubbed it a bit, he managed to bite back any sort of groan of pain that he wanted to emit. There were worse things... like falling off a roof. How the hell had they survived that?
Dante quickly finished, satisfied with the rate that James was healing. It was abnormal - but, hey, whatever worked. Upon standing, he offered and hand and helped the Sunderland to his feet.
The two quickly found what few items the park had to offer - a bit of ammo and a few nutrition drinks - and headed off slowly to wander the streets a bit. They were once again silent, and apprehensive.
They were waiting for the sirens to go off.
Walking down a street that was, by Silent Hill standards, quite decent, the wail of sirens in the distance pierced the eerie silence as well as the fog. Both men instinctively ducked and flinched, then watched in utter silence as darkness consumed absolutely everything. Finally, they were able to see by the light of their flashlights as rain drizzled about them in a hostile, almost ominous manner.
Gripping weapons, their only plan for the moment was survival until the next change back into the foggy, empty world. This current world was not empty. It was filled with danger, hate, and anger that hung in the air just as thickly as the fog did in the other world.
Taking a deep breath, Dante stepped forward, keeping his eyes and ears alert for anything.
But stealth was the Marked Man's forte.
The monster watched the two men silently from the shadows. He knew Pyramid Head was waiting for their own plan to initiate. The Marked Man frowned in disgust - he hated Pyramid Head more than anything else in the vile world of Silent Hill. However, with his own target working with Pyramid Head's, they had been forced to work together in order to achieve their purposes.
Standing up straight, the Marked Man quietly followed them, confident that the patter of rain against the asphalt and metal of the town concealed any noise that he might've made during his movements. He was waiting for the opportune moment... there!
Setting his trap into action quickly, the Marked Man's main weapon of choice - steel thread - quickly grabbed James Sunderland and slung him high in the air. The man emitted a yell of surprise and perhaps panic, now suspended between two buildings. He could not see what was holding him up by his leg, but it seemed to lack sturdiness.
James was inwardly thankful that it wasn't his injured leg that got snagged by the trap, but his current thoughts focused on panic and what the hell is going on!
"James!" Dante yelled, peering up through the darkness at his friend. Immediately, Dante knew it was a trap, but from his vantage point on the ground, he felt utterly useless. He knew he couldn't help James at the moment, he could only keep an eye on him, but had to watch his own back as well. However, Dante was only human, so he only managed to focus on one thing at a time in a crisis like this.
It was as if the monsters of Silent Hill knew this weakness. Two Straitjackets came sputtering out of the darkness, choking on their acid, trying to dispel the vile poison on Dante. The male quickly beat them down with the pipe he had borrowed from James, stomping on them, then snapped his gaze back upwards.
"James!" he yelled again, futilely. He couldn't shoot at whatever was holding the man up - he couldn't see it. And he couldn't bloody well throw something in hopes of breaking it, anyway. Besides, what if he did manage it? Would he catch James? How would they avoid any further injury!
Dante knew this was a trap.
The Marked Man darkly smirked - so it had worked, after all. He flicked out a dagger from his black cloak, then paused to adjust his hood. Quietly, he severed a vital thread to keeping the human suspended in the air.
Soon, distinct yet soft snapping noises were heard, and James let out another yell - he was falling! Dante yelled something, but James couldn't process it in his panic. He was falling headfirst, unlike the roof. He was going to die this time!
Dante dove forward and made a valiant effort to catch his friend. His efforts succeeded, but he then bounced his head off the pavement - knocking him out cold. James himself had suffered injuries from the nasty landing, but now adrenaline coursed through his veins. He quickly managed to his knees.
"Dante!" he said, worried that the man was dead. Why! Why had the monsters done this! Panic and stress caused moisture to well up in James' eyes - but he knew that there was a chance that Dante was alive. At the moment, it was the only hope he had to cling to.
Trying to somehow pick up his friend, James suddenly felt a chill through his spine.
There was something behind him.
Turning slowly, James somehow felt he already knew what was behind him - Pyramid Head.
The large monster quickly knocked the blonde out cold, then picked him up along with Dante as if they were oversized rag dolls. He then began to carry them away to Alchemilla Hospital.
So, their plan had worked after all.