Elric tried to push himself back but his back hit the wall. Shit. The end of the line it seemed for him. The pyramid head brought the blade down. Elric shut his eyes and waited for the blow. It never came because the floor was old and weak and it gave way to the weight of the monster. The floorboards screeched stress as the monster fell through. It didn't stop on the second floor, but rather kept falling. Elric laughed out a breath. What a relief. He looked over to Claire, still against the far wall. She was shaking. She was holding something. As Elric approached, he saw that it was his switchblade. She was cutting herself, pressing the blade hard into her arm. Elric reached down slowly and forced the knife away from her. She looked up at him, tears freely streaming. Elric offered his hand. "Let's get out of here."

"I was in the hospital. I tried to kill myself.", Claire said quietly.

"Uhh...", Elric couldn't say anything.

"My sister asked me to meet her at Lake Side so we could spend some time together and rid me of this depression."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Earlier you asked why my sister wanted me to go to the amusement park."

Elric only nodded and helped her to her feet. He tore a strip from his shirt and wrapped her bloody arm with it. "That should hold for a bit."

Soon the two were exiting the building via fire escape. The darkness had lifted but the fog remained ever thick. Claire descended the ladder first. When Elric was coming down, the rusty bolts came loose under his weight. He fell and landed on his back.

"Elric!", Claire shouted. Her worries were soon expelled by laughter. Elric was laughing and beginning to turn red.

"Don't scare me like that.", Claire said, almost in a motherly tone.

Elric got to his feet and the two walked into the fog together.

"You still haven't told me why you are here, Elric.", Claire said, almost begging him to tell. She was truly curious.

"Me? I came here to find someone, like you."

"Who?"

"Someone I love."

"That seems all the rage these days."

"What does?"

"Searching for loved ones."

"Oh. Ha ha ha!"

Elric laughed easily though their situation was dangerous. Luckily for the two, no monsters had appeared in the ghostly fog. They walk on for what seemed like hours. There were no sounds other than their footsteps.

"Stop. Wait here.", Elric ordered.

"What? Why?", Claire was confused.

Elric had stopped them in front of an antiques shop. He approached and peered into the dark windows. He looked around as if searching for something specific.

"What are you doing?"

Elric didn't answer. He picked up a rock and threw it into the window which shattered instantly. Claire walked to the front door and turned the knob. The door opened.

"Elric, door's unlocked."

"Oh"

Elric climbed through the display window and Claire entered through the doorway. The antique shop was a trove of treasure. There were vases and paintings and old furniture. None of these things interested Elric, though. His goal was a display of swords in the back. He selected a katana in a black scabbard. Lifting it from its display rack, he weighed it carefully in his hands and looked it over several times with a skillful eye.

"This is no time for antique shopping.", Claire said.

"Actually it's the perfect time. We need something to fight those monsters if we see them again."

Claire couldn't argue his point. Besides that, she felt safe with Elric. And he seemed to have some kind of skill with a sword. Claire looked around for a weapon more suited to her. She found what looked like a viking war axe. It was about two feet in length and had a fine edge to it. She turned to show Elric her weapon and caught him trying on a brown leather duster, like the sheriff wore in old westerns. It fit perfectly and looked pretty good on him. "So you're Dirty Harry now?", Claire said jokingly.

"Dirty Harry didn't trademark his appearance with a duster. This is more Wyatt Earp."

"Ok Mr. Earp, let's get the hell out of here and go to the amusement park."

They found the old highway that ran through the town and decided to follow it. Claire's memory of the place, which seemed right so far, placed Lake Side about two miles out. The Lake Side Amusement park was right where its name suggested, on the lake side. Toluca Lake seperated Silent Hill into northern and southern parts. After a while of walking, Elric could see the lake and even the roller coaster in the amusement park. The fog seemed thickest over the lake. In fact, it seemed to be coming from the lake. A few more minutes of walking brought the two to the front gates of the park.

Claire tightened her grip on the axe. The gate creaked when Elric pushed it open. The park was empty and quiet, much like the rest of the town. Claire stayed close to Elric as they made their way toward the ticket booth. Just beyond the booth in a clearing, stood a young woman. Her back was to the pair.

"Cass? Cass!", Claire called to the woman, running to her. "Cass, it's me! Oh my God!"

Claire slid to a complete halt when the woman turned around to face her. It wasn't her sister. The young woman was covered in cuts and bruises. Her mouth was lined with razor sharp teeth and her eyes, she had no eyes. Her fingernails were sharpened into points. Claire didn't have time to move. A clawed hand made a swipe at her, tearing through her shirt. Poor Cheshire Cat. Claire fell back, clutching her chest whilst blood seeped through her fingers.

The monster lunged at Claire, claws leading. One claw found its way into Claire's shoulder, causing her to drop the axe. The monster opened wide its razor mouth and plunged its teeth into Claire's wounded shoulder. Her scream echoed through the fog.