Authors note: A few bits of dialogue are taken from the Born from a Wish scenario of Silent Hill 2 as well as some dialogue taken from a diary entry from Silent Hill 1. It is NOT my writing and is in no way meant to point to any sort of plot device. I just thought it would fit with this chapter is all.

It had been awhile since she had made it to the third floor and Julia had rested a bit. The feelings of helplessness and despair that had once plagued her were almost gone. But she still felt depressed, tired and sad. She knew that Ryan was gone and no amount of sitting in an old, dirty hospital room while feeling sorry for herself was going to bring him back. Besides; the mattress was shot to hell and there was an old spring poking her in the butt. Sitting on the bed in room 302 looking at the floor, she tried to cope with what was happening.

"I'm all alone. Everyone's gone" she had told herself. "What do I do now?" she had thought.

Julia looked at the small caliber handgun in her palms. She absentmindedly pulled the hammer back and gently put it back in place several times. She was playing with the gun like a toy.

"Do I fight and live? Or do those monsters get me?" she sighed.

They were thoughts that she didn't want to dwell on, yet she couldn't help herself from conjuring them up in her mind. The ideas made her shudder.

"I'm so afraid of pain. Should I…run away?" she wondered.

That would be the sensible thing to do. Just run away, go back home and try to forget that this all had ever happened. It could all just be one bad dream. But if she did that, then all that she and Ryan had been through would have been for nothing. Their quest to search for her Aunt Lisa would end in disaster. And Ryan would still be dead. It would all just be easier to handle if he was still with her. With him by her side they could face the unknown together. Together they could stay safe and she would get the answers she searched for.

"I don't like being alone" she thought. "I just want to see another human face" she said out loud. "But…is there anyone left alive?"

Julia looked at her aunt's picture and tried to figure out what her next move should be. The smart thing would be to wait until the sun came up and then either try to get out of town or go to her aunt's house. It would be risky, but she would have to do it. She couldn't very well sit in a dingy hospital room for the rest of her life. It had been so much easier knowing that someone was right there beside her, experiencing the same fears and sense of helplessness. But now that that person was gone, she found it difficult to pursue her goal. Julia figured that feeling sorry for herself was going to get her jack squat. She needed to pull it together, find out what she needed to find out and get the hell out of town. When she had been ready, Julia gathered her things, pulled the hood of her sweat shirt over her head and started searching the 3rd floor again.

Because all the doors in the hallway were busted and unable to be opened, Julia decided to cross over and check the rooms in the adjacent hallway. Pushing through the double doors that connected the two hallways, she began to tread the new ground. She wasn't as afraid as she had once felt. Sadness and despair had overtaken that emotion. It was hard on her to know that she was going to be flying solo through hell. She hefted the metal pipe on her back to keep the strap from digging into her shoulder and winced a bit. The pain killers in her system had started to wear off. She wished that she had more on her. But as memory served her correctly, Ryan had left the bottle on the 1st floor. The memory of him made the sadness she felt grow.

"But I can do this" she said to herself. "I started this on my own…and I can end it on my own"

It was the only thing she could really do as she started to check the remaining doors in the hallway. She was agitated to find that many of them were busted or locked. It was like a sick, reoccurring theme to this place, meant to test her patience. Door after door was unable to be opened. However, she found that the door to room 307 was able to be opened. Her heart fluttered slightly in a mix of surprise and fear upon making the discovery. She was glad to be making progress but worried about what she might find inside.

Julia put her hand on the door handle and slowly turned it. The door creaked open and she swept the room with the 9mm, her finger resting on the trigger. She furrowed her brow in frustration as she tried to navigate the darkened room. Her cell phone wasn't going off so she knew that there weren't any nasty surprises waiting for her inside. But the lack of light was annoying and would make searching the room troublesome. Julia needed a light source.

"But where?" she thought.

Then an idea came to her. Closing the door to the room and stepping back against it, Julia raised her pistol out in front of her and pulled the trigger. The round shot out of the gun with a small crack of thunder. The muzzle flash illuminated the room for a few brief seconds allowing Julia to see what was in the room. As gunpowder filled her nose, she gasped as she saw what was resting on a desk three feet in front of her. The light died out and, not wanting to waste the ammo, she put her arm out and swept the air in front of her. Walking forward, her hand rested on the object on the desk. The old lamp was filthy to the touch. But she didn't care about that. Julia just hoped it had some juice going through it.

Fumbling to find a switch on the old appliance, Julia's hand rested on something and she turned it. She blinked a few times as an old orange light shot into her face. Shaking it off, she turned around to view the rest of the room.

"Oh…my" she said as her eyes fell on what was pinned to the opposite wall.

The newspaper clippings had to be a decade old if not more. The yellowed paper was a testament to their age. Whoever had taken up residence in the room must have been a pretty dedicated collector as the clippings covered the whole wall from top to bottom. Julia tilted the lamp shade in order to brighten up the wall a bit more. Walking to it, she didn't know where to start. Her eyes traveled over the clippings, glancing at the headings.

Police investigate apparent narcotics ring

Silent Hill religious society questioned in regards to drug trafficking

Young girl, unidentified, survives house fire; is taken to hospital

Town's people/tourists vanish

Religious society labeled "Cult" by townspeople

Decorated officer Thomas Gucci goes missing

Alchemilla hospital staff questioned about drug trafficking

Police investigate apparent disappearance of several hospital staff

String of murders plagues nearby town

Victims mutilated, organs removed

…

That was enough. Julia didn't want to read any more of it. She didn't want to think about any of it. It was just stirring up new fears which she didn't want to face. The newspaper clippings only served to reinforce the idea that the town had gone to hell or had been a horrible place to live for some time.

"How does a place like this get that messed up?" she thought

She glanced back at the wall and something caught her eye. It was a piece of paper, but it seemed fresh. Like it had been added to the wall recently. Perplexed, Julia inspected the piece of paper. She discovered that it was page from a diary. She read the brief message out loud to herself.

"Ask doctor to let me quit being in charge of that patient. It's too weird. Still alive, but with wounds that won't heal. Told the doctor I quit. Won't work at that hospital anymore"

Julia scanned to the bottom of the document and saw that the diary entry had been notarized. She peered closer and the name at the bottom made her eyes widen in astonishment.

L. Garland.

"Aunt Lisa!" she said as she tore the piece of paper from the wall.

She furiously read and re-read the brief note over and over. She couldn't believe it. Her aunt was alive somewhere. The piece of paper that she held in her hands was a testament to that. Julia's heart pounded as her mind raced at the possibilities that her beloved aunt was somewhere close by. Perhaps not in the hospital. Perhaps not even in the town itself. But still…close. She carefully folded the small piece of paper in her hands and stuffed it in her pocket. Julia now knew that she was on the right track. The first real bread crumb in a trail of bread crumbs had made a little light come to life in the back of her mind. And that light was hope.

"Huh?" she said as she felt something on the back of the piece of paper.

Retrieving the note from her pocket, Julia turned it over and saw that there was some writing on the back. It was strange. The script wasn't in her aunt's handwriting.

The souls of the evil ones must be punished.

Attached to the note was the picture of a man. Julia stared at it in confusion. The man looked like he was in his late 30's or early 40's. The photograph only showed the man from the chest up. He was dressed in a dull, gray business suit. His hair was dark and slicked back. It was funny. Julia could swear that she knew the man from somewhere. She struggled to pull the memory out of her head.

"Hmm, Dr. Kaufman. Why would a doctor's profile be in a nurse's station?"

It was a photo of the same man from the profile that Ryan had found in the nurse's station.

"How did I miss that?" she wondered as she returned the note, sans photo, to her pocket. She was deeply perplexed at the ominous writing

She should have picked up on the fact that there was something attached to the diary entry the moment she removed it from the wall. Glancing back at the newspaper clippings, Julia noticed that there was something written on the wall. Something that the editorials were covering up. Something, in red paint. Frantically, she started to tear down the old sheets of paper. Soon she was standing in front of a large series of sentences that were painted on the wall.

Judge the fallen. Look for the you that isn't you. It is she who will decide his fate and cause the rivers to flow with blood.

"Ooookay…" she said, backing away from the wall uneasily.

She didn't know who had written the message or who was meant to find it. Nor did she particularly care. It was starting to creep her out. Some nut-job must have gone off the deep end and turned the room into their own little riddle emporium. She kind of wished that she had just left the clippings on the wall. Damn her for letting her curiosity get the better of her. Julia decided that she was done with the room and turned to the exit. As she opened the door, she looked back as the desk lamp continued to illuminate and cast shadows against the wall. The effect made her shudder and she closed the door to the room, stepping back into the hallway.

She sighed and patted the note in her pocket. It rested right next to her cell phone.

"Bzzz, Bzzz, Bzzz"

"Oh, What now?" she said as she gripped the 9mm in her hands, pointing it into the darkened hallway as her phone continued to vibrate.

Something was definitely in the hallway with her. But where was it? She swept the weapon out in front of her and searched her surroundings. She was getting sick and tired of bumping into every demonic asshole that this town was going to throw at her. Her fear was giving way to aggravation. From somewhere in the dark came a low, inhuman sound. Julia tried to place it, but came up with nothing. It was unlike anything that she had ever heard before. The only way that she could make sense of it was to compare it to a cat choking on its own tongue.

"Come on. Where are you? I can take anything you can throw at meeeeeeeeeee!" she screamed

Something sharp cut into her leg, sending Julia sprawling to the ground. The pain stung as she reached down and felt her leg. Her hand came back wet with what she knew had to be blood. Instinctively, she kicked out with her good leg and it connected with something small and soft. The same choking cat noise filled the hallway as something thumped to the floor a few feet away. Julia's eyes adjusted to the light of the darkened hallway and she saw the little abomination rise up off the floor.

"Jesus" she breathed as she tried to get up.

The thing was about three feet tall. It had to be a dull green or gray color, but in the dark it looked black. It was completely naked, its horrible skin producing a scaly, ripple look across its body. It almost resembled a small child but its head was horribly distorted and twisted. It just appeared to be a nub of flesh and scales. But what really struck Julia was what the thing carried in its hand. The small blade shinned through the darkness.

Without thinking twice, Julia aimed the handgun at the small creature and pulled the trigger. Instantly, the small body twisted and contorted as the rounds smacked into it. It cried out. Julia didn't know whether it was in pain or anger. She didn't care how the thing felt. She just wanted it dead. Within seconds, it was over. The small form lay unmoving on the ground. Julia got up and turned down the hallway, limping. She didn't know how bad the cut was but it made walking difficult. She pushed past the double doors that separated the two hallways. What waited for her on the other side made the blood drain from her face.

There had to be a small army of the gray child monsters. The creatures hadn't been in the hallway minutes ago. It was as if the had appeared out of thin air. They all turned to face her, immediately drawn to the presence of a living person. She knew that she didn't have enough ammo to take them all out. Her best chance of survival was to go back the way she had come. Julia pushed through the double doors just as a chorus of inhuman squeals and cries erupted from behind her. She shut the double doors and braced herself against them. Soon a powerful pushing force was at her back. Her feet skidded across the wooden floor as the creatures attempted to work their way to her. She held herself against the door in vain, knowing that she wouldn't be able to hold out forever.

Through a glass panel, she could see the children monsters pushing and surging in a huge crowd. They started to punch and stab at the glass with their hands and weapons. The glass didn't hold long. It spider-webbed and shattered in seconds. Small hands groped through the broken pane, trying to reach her. They were like a colony of small worms, snaking their way through the opening. She ducked down so the hands wouldn't find her.

"Gotta find something to hold the door" she thought hurriedly.

She didn't have any wood or metal to shove through the door handles to buy her some time. Her mind raced at what she could do in the short time that she had. She couldn't make it back to the stairwell with all those things in the way.

"The pipe!" she said as she took the thing from her back and shoved it through the door handles.

The metal fell into place as the creatures continued to bang and thrash against the door. Amazingly it started to bend against the force of the creatures. The screws that held the door handles in place started to strip out of the wooden door. Julia had to think of something fast or else they would be on her in seconds. She looked back down the hallway and saw that there was still one door that she hadn't attempted to access. She got up and started to limp towards it as fast as she could. The pain in her leg was starting to increase but she tried to block it out of mind. She could feel her blood falling out of the wound and down her leg, soaking her sock and shoe.

Pushing through the door, she found herself staring at the steel doors of the elevator. Frantically, she started to press the call button for the car.

"Come on, come on!" she said as she looked back the way she had come.

From somewhere in the distance she could hear the moaning cries of the child monsters. Over the cries she heard wood breaking and something metal hitting the floor. Her heart started beating in fear, knowing the monsters had made their way through her simple barricade. She took her eyes off the door and tired to concentrate on the elevator, willing it to come to her faster. Soon there was a pounding sound on the door to the small area she stood in.

"Shit" she said as she put her back to the elevator doors and pointed her pistol at the door.

Julia wasn't about to let these things stop her. She had come too far to die. She had finally gotten answers and clues to where her aunt might be. She couldn't throw in the towel now.

The pounding got louder and louder. The wood of the door started to bend and splinter. The things were going to get through in several minutes. Julia's heart started to race at the thought of all the little monstrosities pouring towards her en mass. She turned her attention on the elevator and hit the button a few more times in desperation. All she got for her trouble was a little yellow light that illuminated the button. She was going to have to wait a bit longer.

Julia was drawn to the sound of wood breaking and inhuman cries. She turned and raised her pistol at the door. The gray children were forcing their way through. Without giving it a second thought, Julia fired off her gun into the crowd that was working its way into the room. The bullet shells fell to the floor with little ping sounds. The creatures snapped back as the bullets impacted their bodies. They screeched and screamed as blood splashed from their chests and heads. Many went down but others just took their place, indifferent to their brethren that had fallen. Soon the weapon clicked empty and Julia fumbled for a new clip. Her hand closed around one. Her last one.

"Goddamn it!" she said as the slide moved back into place and she continued to fire off more rounds.

It was no good. She didn't have enough to take them all out. And to make matters worse, she didn't have her back up weapon any more. Julia pressed herself against the door as the creatures closed in around her. She watched as they waved their weapons in the air and their heads twitched uncontrollably.

"Please. Please don't let me die here. Not like this" she said to whoever was listening.

She started to cry as the monsters closed in. She didn't want to die in this place. Just then the elevator doors opened with a noticeable "ping" and huge arms wrapped around her torso, pulling her into the car. Julia screamed as the unseen monster pulled her into the small car of the elevator.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! LET ME GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed as she thrashed against the binds that held her.

She was taken off her feet and fell to the floor with the creature. Her gun fell out of her hands and onto the floor. She started to pound on the things chest as her tears obscured her vision. Julia wouldn't let some inhuman thing take her life without a fight. She was so terrified and angry that she just wanted to lash out at anything within reach.

"BLAM, BLAM, BLAM!"

"RAAAEEERRR!"

Something fired off the pistol into the crowd of little creatures. Julia looked and saw that a few of them recoiled, screaming as they fell back into the crowd. Enough space was created for the doors to close. Whoever held her lashed out with their leg, grunting as their foot connected with the "door close" button. The doors slowly snapped shut just as the monsters were getting back up and coming at towards them once again. Julia breathed heavily and noticed that whatever was holding her was also breathing just as tough. She could feel her heart beat almost sync with her captor's.

"Miss me?" , came a familiar voice.

Turning around, Julia came face to face with Ryan. She couldn't believe it. He was alive. He was terrified and looked white as a sheet, like he had seen a ghost. He also had a bloody stain on his face that she thought looked like a hand print. But he was still alive.

Not caring about the pain in her arm, Julia wrapped her arms around him and broke down, crying heavily into his chest. She was simultaneously relieved that he was back as well as terrified at the events that she had just gone through. He held her as she cried, shuddering all the while as he desperately tried to cope with what had just happened.

"It's over…It's over…" he said as he stroked her hair.

In terrified fury, Julia pounded her arm on his chest.

"Don't leave! You…don't get to…leave" she cried, tears staining her cheeks. "You don't leave me alone!"

"I know. I'm sorry" he said as he slowly rocked her back and forth. "I'm here. everything's going to be alright. I'm staying right here"

The creatures pounded against the doors. Their screams seeped through the cracks in the steel. Ryan didn't want to hear any more of it so he kicked the button for the 1st floor. The elevator hummed to life and the two of them silently rode it to the bottom.

Author's note: Sorry for not updating this sooner. I've been pretty busy this past weekend. Plus I didn't really know how to go about this chapter off the ground without making it totally suck ass from lack of effort. Sometimes I just have to be in the right mind set for the creative juices to flow. This usually happens around 11-12 P.M. But I hope you enjoy the work I put into this chapter and give this story some reviews. This story still has a little bit more to go. So sit tight and the remaining chapters will get posted.

For the part where Julia is looking at the newspaper clippings, try to imagine that the song True from Silent Hill 2 is playing to get a better feel for this chapter.