Chapter Eight: Psycho Therapy

Josh woke up and felt as though he was having a hang-over. The images around him shook violently and stopped a little afterwards with the images of grass on his feet and brick walls closing around him closely. "Where… where and I?" Josh asked himself pulling out his map and seeing that the courtyard on his map had been circled. "Ah fuck I'm still here," Josh then kicked a wall watching the bricks break a little.

Josh turned and walked through the only door present and looked around the area. This led to a small hall which wasn't much of a hallway. He looked around seeing a small fan. It didn't faze him so he moved though the next door which led to the first floor patient ward.

Inside the hall Josh looked and suddenly was covering his ear. Jacob held up his two sawn-off's and shot both at the same time flinging a nurse to the other side of the room. "Wow, those are some powerful guns," Josh said uncovering his ears.

Jacob looked back at Josh and said, "Yes they are, of course you're still here so I'm guessing you didn't find your love."

"Oh I did, I'm going to get her now and get out of this hell hole seeing as the little girl didn't want to come with us," Josh said and then looked up as Jacob was starting to walk away. "Hey wait, the little girl mentioned you."

Jacob looked back at Josh and had a puzzled expression on his face. "Why would anybody here know my name..?" Jacob asked.

"I don't know, she mentioned this lady named Lina and that you were-" Josh was about to continue but Jacob cut him off.

"She knows Lina," Jacob said with a psychotic cheery tone. "Oh my, she is here then!"

"Yeah well she said something about you being a bad man. Anything that I need to know about?" Josh said looking around.

"Don't you understand, my Lina is here," Jacob paid no regard to what Josh had said. "We'll be together once more and nothing again will separate us. This time she won't have that illness," Jacob smiled and laughed manically.

"Whack job," Josh muttered before talking once more, "Well her name was Sophia, didn't catch her last name."

Jacob stopped then and looked at Josh. "She is my sister, why would she be here?" Jacob asked.

"She said she was here looking for Lina. Sophia didn't seem to remember you though, but she seemed to be looking for Lina or whatever her name was," Josh said waving his shotgun around.

"Why would she be looking for her… no matter. I must hurry to my Lina before these hell spawns feast on her eternal soul," Jacob said with a psychotic glee and dancing down the hall, exiting the ward.

"God a little psychotic aren't we?" Josh shrugged and walked to the elevator here reaching the third floor with the elevator. When he got off he headed into Amel's room only to find it bare. "So, she must've started running off I guess. This seems like something that might scare her."

On the bed Josh picked up a key that had a label of "ELEVATOR: DARK PLACE." Josh just knew the label was for the elevator so he skipped back on in and put the key in a key hole inside the elevator, which started to descend itself. It stopped at the basement level where it was a little dark a musky.

Josh walked out and looked around, the area was weird and had the sound of a squealing pig for some odd reason. The lighting was poor down here and the lights didn't work, probably what the siren did to the building for some odd reason.

"Josh," Amel burst through a doorway and shut it behind her looking at him. Three bangs came on the door and they stopped afterwards. "Didn't you hear me back there yelling for you!?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. All I heard was the odd silence of this place," Josh commented looking around.

"Well I was nearly killed back there," Amel cried out, "Those things, whatever the hell they are, they tried to kill me. Don't you even care!?"

"Amel, I said I'm sorry. I didn't even hear you," Josh argued back but kept his tone at a normal one.

"I know but I was so scared," Amel said looking around. "Anyway, did you find that one girl that was here?" Amel asked.

"No… why do you care so much all of a sudden?" Josh asked.

"It's just… something's telling me that it's all my responsibility to protect her and yet she just can't protect herself," Amel said looking around.

Josh just slightly nodded and mumbled to himself, "I think I'm going a little crazy here."

After the chat Josh found a wall with bloodied handprints. Josh pushed it back to see a small secret room. He walked in and Amel followed him. There were stairs located in the middle of the room. Josh climbed down and Amel went with him. On the bottom was a dead body and Sammy sitting next to it with a finger in her hands, humming a little tune to herself.

"What do you have there?" Josh looked at Sammy oddly. Amel peeked from behind him at her.

"MINE," Sammy said loudly looking back at Josh. "He taunted me for the last time with his shiny ring! Saying it was all his but I wanted it. Oh he wouldn't give it to me, so I chased him down. The monsters followed us and killed him in the room above. He fell down the stairs and now it's all mine," Sammy let out an excited squeal, "And nobody else's!"

"Who is she?" Amel whispered to Josh.

"Sammy," Josh started aloud, but also seemingly answering Amel's question, "Did the monsters really kill this guy?"

"Yes yes, don't you believe me?" Sammy stood up with the severed finger in her hands. The ring on the finger fell off to the ground but Sammy didn't notice. "They knew I wanted the ring."

"Yeah…" Josh just nodded, "So who is, I mean was he?" Josh asked.

"He was a doctor. Always bringing in shiny objects but most of the time they were those damn needles," Sammy shook her fist, "I took my damn medication, and look what happened to you. It's probably because you didn't take yours!" Sammy kicked the corpse when she finished.

"Let's get out of here already," Amel said tugging on Josh's arm.

"Aw you guys wanna leave already? Well too bad then! I ran away long ago," Sammy said chuckling more and more, "And the black ash brought me back."

"Black ash?" Josh asked.

"Oh you'll see," Sammy chuckled more and went to the stairs climbing up with the severed finger. Josh picked up the ring that fell and looked at Amel shrugging.

The two went up the stairs and Sammy seemed to be long gone bye now. The walked around to the elevator and took it up to the second floor. The radio began to gather static.

"What's going on?" Josh pulled up the radio.

"Jacob…. here waiting… please… Sophia…" The radio began.

"Wow it's now saying both their names and even odder, it sounds a lot like you Amel," Josh looked up at her, "Only some vocals are different."

"What, you think I want to live in a friggen house of horror here?" Amel said looking at him.

"Josh… storage room… box!"

"And now it says my name and a room on the second floor," Josh looked at the map and then at Amel. "Well let's take a small walk there shall we?"

Josh and Amel walked to the storage room and looked around. There was a large box placed here which Josh decided to open. Like the cage back at the apartment he found loads of ammo, but this time they were shells for the shotgun her held in his hands. Without hesitation he loaded himself up with a grin.

Now back in the hall the two walked to a room called the day room, which seemed oddly empty except for a fridge placed in the middle of no where. Josh walked up to it and pulled up the door without any problem. Inside was a box that had blood covering the whole inside. Opening the box showed a pool of blood. Amel looked and gulped as Josh put his hands inside and pulled them out with another ring, similar to the one Sammy had. They were just different colors. The one Sammy had was silent, and the one that was in the fridge was gold.

"Why are there rings everywhere in here?" Amel asked looking at the bloody gold ring and then back at Josh.

"I'm guessing a lot of people were married," Josh said trying to make a joke to lighten up the mood. It didn't work all that well.

The two walked toward the door and there was a note on there, that wasn't there before. Josh thought someone might've been stalking them but read the note despite.

"I know it's hard to remember your old self but do try to. Remember that faith is number on, and the praying woman had two rings. She used to be a patient on the second floor. She seemed to know who you were Joshua, but nevertheless I cannot help you or it'd just show the town that I care more for the people it claims than for the town itself. Do be careful though, not everyone is trustworthy. You of all people should know that."

Josh dropped the note feeling some disgust for someone knowing who he was. After dropping the note the two left the room. The note landed on the ground, and shredded into some blood like substance, though their eyes were not looking at what happened.

Moving to the elevator Josh pushed the down button and Amel looked at him as they entered the elevator. "Why are we moving so suddenly?" Amel asked.

"I think I know how to get us out of here," Josh said pressing the button for the second floor.

"The note told you huh?" Amel looked down.

"Yeah, there's a woman on the second floor that needs the rings. Of course this place will never make sense to me," Josh told himself walking out of the elevator as the doors opened and led to the second floor patients' ward.

The two walked on and Josh saw a door that looked like a woman was coming out of it. He walked to it and put the rings on its fingers. The door made a clicking sound and slowly opened itself to a large stairwell. The two walked down the stairwell and then another door was before them.

"Something tells me something bad is going to happen," Josh said with a sigh feeling a little nervous.

"We have to do what we need to to get out," Amel said touching his shoulder.

Josh opened the door and made a left afterwards seeing it was going to be a long hallway. He walked a little and Amel screamed, "Josh run!" from behind him as she gripped on to him. Josh turned and looked behind them to see the Pyramid Head holding spear and running after them.

"Shit, shit, SHIT," Josh yelled running ahead with Amel following close behind. Left, right, right, left, right ,left left, there were so many turns and Amel was starting to run out of breath but that Pyramid head kept coming toward them. Josh finally reached a hall that only went straight and made a dash through it. Amel followed behind running more than ever not wanting to die.

There was elevator doors here and presently open. Josh quickly entered and as he did the doors began to shut. Amel got her hand and some of her arm through, Josh tried to hold the mechanical doors open. "Amel," Josh yelled trying to keep the doors open.

"NO! Josh please save please," Amel cried out trying to get through. Josh was about to help and a spear flew through the elevator doors. Blood splattered on the ground and Amel's hand began to quiver.

"Amel…" Josh called out to her holding her hand.

"Josh…" Amel said weakly before she was jerked out of the doors way, letting the elevator doors close themselves.

"Amel! AMEL," Josh yelled as he pounded the doors. He fell to the ground out of spite and pain that he felt from Amel being pulled away, that thing probably killed her right there before him. The elevator stopped and its doors opened revealing the empty first floor. Josh pulled himself up and looked out into the hallway. "No, she's not dead. I'll find her," he said walking out into the hallway.

Josh walked to the front door to find it locked. He walked back and entered a nearby room almost ready to just keel over since he was just kidding himself. Amel was gone now, and there was just nothing he could do. When he gained composure there was a note and a key on top of it. Josh walked over and picked up the key before reading the note.

"This is your prize of freedom, the key that is. It's up to you whether you take that freedom or go with what the city wants you to do. It always gives people the chance to leave but they don't take it, so if you want to take the prize then so be it. But Josh, when I said don't trust everyone, you mustn't. This town has brought them here for everyone's problems, and there problems might be solved the hard way.

Oh yes P.S.

The video take, check the label now…"

Josh pulled out the video tape he got from the apartment complex and the label changed to "Play Me". Josh looked at a television in the room which happened to have a VCR. Josh turned on the television and put in the tape letting it play out, it showed a hotel room.

There was a woman inside the room and she was sitting in a chair looking at a magazine. She looked up at the camera and smiled. "Are you taping again Jacob?" The female asked. He features and such were so much like Amel but the videotape said me and Lina, which meant it had to be Jacob, whom she had just mentioned, and Lina, this mysterious figure that was always brought up.

"I'm sorry Lina," Jacob said from behind the camera, "I just thought you looked pretty today and we're on vacation."

"Oh stop," Lina said putting on a smile and waving her hand at him. "You know I really do love this place. My friend Mary told me about it. She said her and her husband James came here one year and it changed their lives."

"Well it seems normal to me," Jacob's voice came again.

"Oh come on. This magazine will prove it to you this place is different. It was once sacred ground, or at least that's what it says. I could guess why they chose this place for their worship," Lina said with a smile walking over to the window.

"Sounds more like a cult to me," Jacob's voice came once more and then it sounded as though he made some laughter.

"Oh come on now. And why didn't you bring your sister. Her mom's not here anymore so why shouldn't she stay with you?" Lina asked looking out the window in the room. The room seemed to start to shake a little, and that wasn't normal at all.

"Well it's our vacation Lina, I didn't want to ruin it," Jacob said with a smile.

"Well yeah but," Lina walked over to the bed now and sat. "I'm… sorry I feel a little light headed," Lina said quietly before she fell on the bed. The camera dropped and you could see Jacob's feet running to the bed, probably to assist Lina.

The screen darkened and Josh was about to turn it off but then a new image came on with no audio. Lina lay in a hospital bed and Jacob sat in the chair next to her. They seemed to be talking and soon Jacob stood and grabbed a pillow. He walked back over and placed it over Lina's face. She seemed to struggle a little but not too much before she stopped moving.

"Holy crap, I worked for a cold blooded killer," Josh breathed in a little before turning off the television. He didn't want to watch anymore of this. It just reminded him of how Amel… went away.

Walking toward the door he looked outside to see Sophia skipping along on the dark streets, as though he were trapped in a nightmare world now since the siren wouldn't go off once more. "Sophia, you're the closets thing that reminds me of Amel, and I won't let the same thing that occurred to her happen to you," Josh walked out of the room and unlocked the front door with the key. Opening the door Josh looked at the dark outside.