The rest of the elevator ride was carried out in silence. Ryan stood near the doors, his back leaning against an adjacent wall. A stoic look had plastered itself onto his face. He was mentally preparing himself. He wanted to be the first one out of the car just in case there were any nasty surprises waiting on the other end. Julia was still at the back of the car, propped up against the wall, trying to process why her companion had gone medieval on their cell phones.

"He looked like he'd seen a ghost or something" she thought as she eyed him suspiciously.

As grateful as she was to have someone with her, protecting her, Julia was starting to become worried about his behavior. She remembered that he had been complaining of headaches earlier and assumed that they were a direct result of the car accident that he had been in. Staring at the black bandana wrapped around his head, she noticed that it was stained an ugly rust color. The head injury he had sustained had obviously stopped bleeding and cauterized. Yet still he wore the cloth, perhaps too preoccupied by the night's events. She had to wonder just how much of a blow to the head he had taken. Fear and trauma she could understand. But his violent outburst had made her wonder just how bad of a shape he might be in.

"I keep spacing out and hallucinating. Like some stuff is just a mirage or something. It's like my mind is playing tricks on me"

His words from their conversation hours ago echoed through her memory. She knew for a fact that they had both seen the nurse things as well as the other monstrosities. But Ryan was seeing and hearing things that she wasn't. And to make matters worse, he was acting upon what he was experiencing. This all struck her as frighteningly odd. More odd than what they had been through the whole night. What had happened to them was tangible. But what was happening to Ryan was happening inside his head. Julia started to become concerned for she had never heard of a minor concussion developing into a full blown psychosis. It was entirely possible that he had gotten hit a little harder than he originally thought. Not that she was jumping to any conclusions. Just that he could be starting to bend underneath all the pressure that they had been under. She just hoped that they would both be strong enough not to snap.

"You alright now?" she asked as the elevator continued to hum.

"Just peachy" he replied rubbing his head.

He looked at her with tired eyes. Eyes that were in desperate need of rest. Julia noticed dark patches underneath his eyes that she hadn't noticed before. They almost made him look like a raccoon. How long had it been since this man had gotten a decent nights sleep?

"I was looking to a buy a new phone but you could have warned me that you were going to do that" she said, clearly annoyed that he had destroyed her mobile.

"Sorry. I got spooked" he replied, glancing over to her.

"What could you possibly have to be spooked about? That couldn't have been the first time in you life that you got a weird phone call. I mean, given our circumstances I could understand. But still"

"Yeah, yeah" he replied in a tone that basically translated to 'fuck off'.

The elevator lurched to a stop and both of their hearts started to beat in anticipation. They exchanged worried glances, knowing full well what was waiting for them on the other side of the elevator doors. Ryan wanted to be ready to take out any of the little critters waiting on the other end of the door. There were a lot of them the last time that they had visited the floor. He was hoping that he would have the skills with the katana to cut a path through them if necessary.

"You ready?" he said as his hand rested on the 'door open' button.

All Julia did was nod as she leveled her pistol at the door. Ryan could tell that she was trying to mask her fear with courage. He smiled inwardly to himself. He respected that in people. Especially in women.

"Real Joan of Arc style" he thought as he pressed the button. "Let's do this" he said.

The doors parted and like a fool, Ryan rushed out into the small opening of the elevator entrance way yelling and ready to do some damage.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" he yelled as he swung his sword through the air.

The sword made deep "swish" noises as it swept through the air. His screams died out as he realized that there was darkness there and nothing more. He looked back at Julia who was still waiting in the car of the elevator, giving her a startled yet confused look. This wasn't exactly what he was expecting to find. She started to limp out to where he stood. The parts of their phones crunched under her feet.

"This doesn't make any sense" she said as she looked about the area. "There were a ton of them here. You saw them…right?"

"Sure did" he replied, letting his arm and the sword drop to his side.

"Where the hell did they go?"

"Don't know. They were right here. Now they're not. Hell, maybe they went to take a coffee break or something. Kinda makes me wonder how all those monster skanks made their way to the basement so fast."

"Look", she said as she moved closer to the wooden door.

The walked closer to the door and inspected it. Ryan took the flashlight and shinned it at the door. The beam traveled up and down the old cedar door. There wasn't a scratch on it. It was perfect, like new. It was as if had taken no damage from when the monster children broke through.

"This thing was in…splinters last time I saw it" Julia said as she limped past Ryan and to the door.

He grabbed her, putting her arm around his shoulder to help her walk. With his free hand, Ryan turned the knob and cautiously led her through to the other side. Like the place they'd just been standing in, the hallway was deserted. There was no trace that anything out of the ordinary had occurred. They moved forward with Ryan trying to juggle Julia, his sword, and flashlight all at once. The sound of their footsteps echoed through the hall. It was a lonely sound that served as a reminder to how deserted the whole hospital seemed. Within several feet, they had reached the double doors that separated the hallway. Julia was stunned to see that these doors were back to their original state, before the little monsters had attacked. That was when Julia spotted something familiar lying on the ground.

"Hey" Julia said as she tried to break away from Ryan.

"What'd you find?" he asked, shinning the flashlight past her.

Julia stooped down and picked up the large piece of metal. The pipe had been laying in the hallway, the shoulder strap still attached to it. Without thinking, she looped the strap around her and attempted to move through the doors before Ryan came to assist her. They proceeded through the double doors and down the rest of the hall. It wasn't long before they came across the room that Julia was looking for.

"Here", she said, putting her hand on the door. "The TV was in this room"

Ryan put the flashlight in his mouth, gripping it with his teeth before reaching for the door knob and turning it. The old wooden door creaked open and the two stepped into the old room. Immediately noticing the bed, Ryan led Julia over to it and sat her down before taking in their surroundings. He seemed generally surprised to see the TV and VCR.

"Here, rest for a bit" he told her as he set her down, making sure to avoid the metal spring that was shooting out of the mattress. When she was settled, he started inspecting the room a bit more.

III

"What are you going to tell your family when you get home?" he asked as he walked around the small area, looking at the few furnishings.

"Well, I'm going to tell my mom that she was right. I'm going to tell her that I never should have left home and I'm going to carry all this baggage to my grave without telling another soul", she said as she drummed her fingers on the VHS tape she held, absentmindedly. The pistol sat next to her.

"How are you going to explain those injuries?" Ryan asked as he halfheartedly pointed to her.

"I'll work on that one. Chances are that my mom will completely fly off the handle and wonder what the hell I got myself into"

"You and your mom don't get along?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Oh, no. We get along just fine. It's just that we…disagree on some stuff from time to time. She didn't really think kindly of my aunt though. My mother thought that Aunt Lisa turned her back on us years ago when she wouldn't contact us or write or anything. We would disagree about that. She was real adamant about me not coming to Silent Hill. Mother daughter stuff. You know how it is"

"Wouldn't know"

"What do you mean?" Julia asked, suddenly uneasy at his strange response.

"I mean is that I never knew who my parents were. I", he placed a hand on his chest, "grew up in an orphanage as a kid. It was run by nuns. It sucked. So I got out of there as soon as I could and tried to make it on my own. Big mistake to say the least" he lamented as he leaned against a wall.

"You…you lived on the streets?"

"Uh huh" he nodded. "For a few years. Shocking, I know" he smirked. "It was rough. I did what I had to in order to survive. It's amazing that I was able to keep myself from getting arrested. I stole, mugged, and slept where I could. I ran with a gang for a short while but it didn't offer me what I was looking for"

"And what were you looking for?"

"What I've always been looking for since day one. A family. A real family. Someone to love me or someone for me to love. Anyway", he said waving her off, "I was moving drugs for a period of time and a deal went sour. I'll spare you the details but I got my ass kicked and left in the gutter to die. I figured that was going to be the end of me. My life was going to be over before it had even started. And the worst part was that I had put myself in that position. I screwed up and I was going to pay for it. Then he showed up"

"He?" Julia asked, confused.

"This priest"

"A priest?"

Yeah, a priest. I swear it was like something out of a movie. I was laying there, cold and wet, choking on my own blood when I hear footsteps. I look up and he's standing over me. And I know it sounds crazy, but I see this aura coming off this guy. Like a good vibe or something. He reaches his hand down to me, offering it to me, and says 'Come on son. Let's get you home'"

"Wow"

"Yeah. I had never been really religious up until that point, but he showed me the way. The guy's name was Father Steve. He took me into the church, cleaned me up, clothed me, fed me, and gave me a home. And yeah, I know I was in a group home run by nuns. That's a moot point. The point is, is that the man helped me turn my life around. He taught me good things, got me back into school, and raised me through the rest of my adult life. I helped around the church for a long time before going off to school. The man had cared for me so…I wanted to care for others. Father Steve was the whole reason I went into the field of nursing. Before I left to start my life I asked him 'Why would you stop to help a street punk like me?' He told me 'You don't need a reason to help people'. That's something I live by every day"

"Do you two stay in contact? Where is he now?"

Ryan looked away from her and turned his attention to the old brick wall of the room they were in. Julia heard him inhale deeply and let the breath out. She could have sworn that he was going to cry. He half turned back to her with sad eyes. They looked read and puffy.

"He…passed away. A few months back. I caught news of it one morning while I was reading the paper"

Julia thought for a few moments until a memory of their earlier conversation entered her head.

"Wait. How can you be an orphan?" She asked, puzzled. "I thought you said you had a brother"

Ryan stayed silent for a few moments then opened his mouth "Just because I was an orphan doesn't mean I didn't have a sibling"

Julia noticed that the subject was troubling him deeply. Like an old wound that had cut very deep into him. She debated whether or note to continue questioning him but thought that it was most likely for the best. The man had to face whatever demons he was holding onto.

"What happened to your brother Ryan?" she asked, concerned for him and knowing that something must have been amiss.

"He killed himself. Shot himself in the head a few years back" he said, getting it out into the open and then starting to sob to himself, attempting to cover it up and retain his masculinity.

Julia looked at him, stunned. She saw tears fall down his cheeks in the low light and was about to cry herself. She couldn't have known that was what his life had been like. To never have a real family and then to lose the two people that had meant so much to him was a pain that would not have healed in such a short time. Ryan was still trying to work his way through the loss. Julia had no idea that he was still in so much pain. And for him to have to bury that, it must have been extremely difficult.

"I'm… sorry. So very sorry. That must have been pretty hard" she said, hanging her head and sniffing back the tears that she cried for him.

Ryan nodded his head and sniffed.

"Yep" he said as he ran his sleeve under his nose. "So, whatever problems you may have with your family. Whatever trial and tribulation you may go through, just remember this; all they want to do is protect and do what's right for you. Be thankful that you have them and never take them for granted. Cause one day, you may not have them anymore"

The both were silent for a very long time. The lack of noise was unsettling to both of them. Ryan stood properly and looked about the room for a few moments. He started to rub his arms and soon realized how cold it was in the room. He spoke to Julia, changing the subject.

"Is it just me or does it feel a bit chilly in this room?"

"I don't notice anything" she said as she pushed some of her hair out of her face.

Silently, Ryan started to move around the small room. He moved his hand over the bricks of the wall. Julia watched him, not knowing exactly what he was doing. He stopped when he stood behind the TV in the room.

"What in the…?" he said as he slid his hand over the bricks.

"What? What did you find?" Julia asked as she got off the bed.

"There's air moving here. Through the wall" he said as he pushed at the mortar.

He turned back to her and extended his hand towards the wall.

"What's behind here anyway?" he asked

"I don't know", Julia said, shrugging her shoulders. "There should be room on the other side of that wall. I couldn't get into it. This was the only room in this hall where the door would open"

With a few short pushes on the wall, Ryan displaced some of the bricks. The cold air intensified, like a strong winter breeze. He took a few steps back before looking through the hole that he had made. Fishing the flashlight out of his pocket, he turned it on and pointed into the hole. The beam moved through the dark but Ryan was unable to see farther than a few feet. Whatever was behind the wall, it wasn't another room. It was a tunnel.

"Holy crap. There's a tunnel through here. Whoever the contractor for this place was, I don't think this was in the original building schematics"

"But, the map doesn't point to anything besides another room behind that wall. That can't be right"

Ryan scooped up the metal pipe that Julia had taken off and set on the bed next to the pistol. Before she could even react, Ryan had taken a batter's stance. A second later and he was whacking at the wall with the cudgel. Loud clangs resonated through the room. Little by little, the bricks were smashed away from their resting place, small chunks of brick and mortar fell at Ryan's feet. Soon he was staring at a small opening about five feet high and three feet wide. It would be a tight squeeze, but he could get through. Setting the pipe back down and scrapping some of the grime off himself, he grabbed his flashlight and sword and started to go through the opening.

"Wait! Where do you think you're going?" she protested.

Ryan turned back to her and raised a hand.

"I'm curious. All I want to do is take a peek on the other side of the looking glass"

"Oh yeah, that's a fantastic idea. And after that why don't we both strip naked and run through the streets screaming 'Free Eats!' Have you not been paying attention to what we've seen tonight?" she said in a sarcastic, mocking tone.

"Relax.", he said while giving her a tired, annoyed look. "You chill here and watch what's on that security tape. I'll be back"

"And what if you don't!? What if something happens to you? What about everything that you said about never leaving me again! Any of that ring a bell to you?" she yelled.

Ryan walked over to her and sat her back down. He kneeled down in front of her so that he was eye level with her.

"Listen. I'm not going to break my promise. I'm just going to take a little look and see what there is to see. Someone went to all this trouble to wall that tunnel up. So there must be something important on the other side"

"But…" she continued to protest.

Ryan held a single finger to her lips to shush her.

"Relax. There," he said pointing to the hole, "And back. I'll be only a few minutes. Then we can get the hell out of this crazy fuck-ass town. Agreed?"

Julia didn't like him leaving her alone again, but the look in his eyes was enough to reassure her. There would be little harm in letting him go and explore. At least she hoped that 'little harm' was all that there would be.

"Make it quick. I hate this place"

"You got it" he said with a smile.

Ryan ran his hand through her hair and gave her a quick peck on the forehead. He walked to the hole and started to duck inside. When he was halfway through, he turned back to her.

"Back in a few. If I'm gone for more than a day, send a search party" he grinned.

"If you're gone for more than a day I'm leaving your ass and getting the hell out of here"

"Just watch your tape" he chuckled and disappeared into the wall.

From all the black clothing he wore, it seemed like he fused into the darkness of the tunnel. Soon his footsteps echoed and faded away. Julia sighed as she picked up the VHS and shoved it into the VCR. She tapped the power button on the TV and was surprised to see it flash to life. The whole room was illuminated in an eerie blue glow. It was almost otherworldly even considering the environment that she was in. Julia fiddled with the controls until she landed on a setting that would allow her to play the tape.

"Okay Aunt Lisa, lets see what you left behind"

Author's note: I originally intended for this to be my second to last chapter. However, I kind of got carried away. Not that this is a bad thing. It just means that I got to flesh out some back story and build the characters a bit. Get ready, cause I've set the stage for the final act. I don't want to go as far as to say it will be intense, but it will defiantly take you by surprise. Sit tight and we'll see what happens.

The quote "You don't need a reason to help someone" came from Final Fantasy IX. Is that a bit geeky? Perhaps. But it's a good quote and is something that I try to live my life by. And to clear up any confusion, the title of this chapter is a reference to a Korn song.