Disclaimer: I do not own the Silent Hill series. If I did, that would be awesome (and it'd probably be a dream…). The only character I own in this story is my OC, Katy.

A/N: So, Katy ventures through the Otherworld inside the office building. Sorry I didn't make the Vincent scene longer; I was trying to change it up a little bit since Katy isn't likely to react the same way as Heather (like getting really, really angry for instance). Don't worry, though: there'll be more time for character interaction. For now, enjoy the next chapter.

By the way, I want to thank Magic Boy6, Kiyiamayu, Gabe Winter, and define-originality for their supportive reviews. As always, they mean a lot to me and my story.

Chapter 10: Tu Fui, Ego Eres

Despite what people may tell you, curiosity is a sin. Those were the words Vincent had said to me and it made me wonder if it had something to do with me being here in the first place. It reminded me of that horribly used phrase; curiosity kills the cat. Oh, what does Vincent know anyway? Besides practically everything, I thought as I moved away from the door.

Studying the room around me, I immediately placed the katana on a desk and ransacked the nearest cupboard. Inside was a health drink and a brown bottle of oxydol. Thankfully, the katana was light so that I could still use it while holding the bottle. Taking it in my hand, I lifted the katana and used the other door to come out to the lobby of the mental health department.

I only glanced at the door to the office once, wondering if I should go back in there. Forget him. I can handle myself without his help, I thought as I returned to the hallway. There were no sudden outbursts of scrabbling—thank God—but there was the sound of a tongue lapping and slurping. As I followed the hallway and turned the corner, I could see in the distance two Double-Heads, their heads bent forward and their long tongues squirming over a red, slimy figure. It reminded me of the fetus that Heather choked up at the end of the game—the fetus that I needed to choke up. Oh, God…how could I have forgotten about that?

My stomach twisted as I watched the two dogs. Carefully, I pulled out the office building map and located the elevator on this floor, tucking the bottle of oxydol under my arm as I did so. My eyes widened as I traced my finger along the paper, marking the exact spot. It was around the corner, very close to where the two Double-Heads were feasting. Quietly, I tucked the map away and racked my brains for a solution. Come on, Katy, think! There's always a solution…and running doesn't count!

Just in case the dogs spotted me, I gripped the light katana in my hand. Maybe I could sneak past them, I thought as I switched off my flashlight. The hallway became almost black and the dogs paused in their slurping. Their paws padded softly for a moment on the floor and my breath caught in my throat. Gradually, my eyes adjusted to the lack of light and I could make out one of the dogs standing a few feet away from the slimy figure. It raised its head and its nose twitched, as if it were sniffing me out. It's a good thing I'm not wearing perfume…

The Double-Head dropped its head and turned back to its dinner, apparently assuming there was nothing there. The other dog hadn't moved an inch, but now it dipped its head and continued slurping noisily. The second Double-Head followed suit, licking up the blood that was dripping onto the floor. It was as if nothing had happened. My lungs burned as I remembered I was holding in a breath and I released it. I meant it to come out softly so as not to alert the dogs, but it came out as a sigh instead.

Instantly, the dogs trained their eyes on me, finally knowing my location. Oh, hell…The dog that had gone on its guard before now leaped into the air, its teeth bared ferociously. Lifting the katana, I pushed it up and it hit the dog in the face as it bounded towards me. The dog whined and slumped to the ground. Its partner—dinner completely forgotten—growled threateningly as it eyed the wounded Double-Head. Honestly, I have no luck with Double-Heads!

The creature hunched on its hind legs and sprinted towards me, its tongue rolling out and slapping one side of its face, like a dog with its head out the car window and the breeze blowing against it. The dog jumped over the body of the fallen Double-Head, which was now struggling to get to its feet, and aimed for my face. Hastily, I jumped out of the way and the dog went soaring past me and down onto the carpeted ground of the hallway.

Giving the fallen Double-Head a kick and snuffing out its life, I took the opportunity and ran for the elevators. It was a fifty-fifty chance and—if I trusted my memory—it would be the elevator on the right that worked. Frantically I pushed the button, already hearing the snarls of the Double-Head coming. As if in slow motion, the button lit up and the doors smoothly slid apart. As soon as I could squeeze through the doors, I was in the elevator and jabbing at the button to close the doors. The dog's paws thudded against the floor as it raced for me. The doors closed, but not before I saw the Double-Head come into view, launching towards the elevator until it collided with the solid doors.

My breath came in quick gasps as I leaned back against the walls of the elevator. As I pushed the button for the first floor, an iron gate dropped from the ceiling and covered the elevator doors. It suddenly felt like I was a prisoner inside a closed space. The elevator rocked unsteadily as it descended. When it reached the bottom floor, it abruptly halted and sent me flying into the metal gate. The gate lifted and the doors opened.

The first thing I saw as I exited the elevator was Valtiel, squirming helplessly in front of the entrance doors. It was the only way out of this office building. Valtiel was surrounded by some dark pipes, but it was hard to tell since there was so much gore covering him. His head spun like the Exorcist on drugs as his body swayed. It almost seemed as if he was stuck inside a deep hole in the floor. My radio blasted as I went near him, but I knew he wouldn't be the type of monster to kill me.

"Hmmm…tu fui, ego eres," I said, expecting Valtiel to disappear and allow me to leave without going through the trouble. Nothing happened. He stayed there, moaning and struggling as if I hadn't said a word. You're kidding me, right? I actually have to go all this way to read a storybook before I can leave?

"You're stuck here, aren't you? You're just as trapped as I am," I whispered as I observed him. Perhaps it was my imagination, but it almost seemed as if his head slowed a bit and turned to face me. Once again, his body struggled but it was no use; whatever was keeping him in place wasn't budging. I almost felt sorry for him; he must have been facing his own hell then, unable to escape the chains that bound him. "Just hang on. I'll get you out of there," I promised. After watching him struggle for another second, I turned away. A sudden cry erupted from him and another pang of sympathy filled me, though I could do nothing about it.

….

After walking away from Valtiel, I found a small bar/ restaurant on the first floor. It was located in a very short hallway that I had almost missed. Inside was a long wooden bar that took up almost the whole room. A couple of tables were lined along the side with old bottles still stacked on them. Bottles of alcohol were positioned neatly on the shelves behind the bar. In the very back was a white mini fridge with only one thing inside it: a pack of meat. It felt cool in my hands and also a little slick. Where am I supposed to put this? I'm going to be running around this place with meat in my hands, the perfect thing to attract those dogs!

Sighing, I placed the meat and the bottle of oxydol on the bar for a moment and kicked the refrigerator door closed. My eyes wandered to the bottles and my throat suddenly felt excruciatingly dry. Maybe a few sips wouldn't hurt; I was eighteen after all and could probably handle a sip of alcohol…Wait a minute! I don't need any alcohol, especially since I want to stay as aware as possible! Besides, there's no way I'm drinking out of anything in this place, I thought as I scrunched my nose at the bottles. What was I thinking? Was I seriously about to drink alcohol when my senses were my best weapon?

"Don't think about it, don't think about it," I chanted as I picked up the meat and stormed past the bottles that were taunting me. It was awkward carrying the meat; I needed to devote one hand to the katana and the other to holding the package. Because the oxydol was too heavy and big to stash in my bag, I had to hold it underneath my arm. Every now and then, it slipped from my grip and I had to bend over to pick it up again.

Valtiel was still squirming in the same exact spot, but I ignored him and went for the elevators instead. As before, they were slow to respond but I was thankful when they did. The buttons for the third and fourth floor didn't respond, but the one for the sixth floor did. Instantly, it lit up and the doors closed, blocking out Valtiel's moans.

…..

The sixth floor hosts the art department, complete with a gallery of fine paintings. The transformation of the Otherworld had altered the department completely. It was different from the other floors; whole sections were broken apart, the grating bent until it hung over endless space, blocking off many of the hallways. Leaning over one of the broken grates, I could only see blackness below.

The only light came from neon blue lights over the doorways, giving the area a strange, haunted look. As I moved away from the elevators and down the hallway to my left, I tried every door I passed, to no avail. At the end of the hall was a crossroads; I could either move to the left or the right. A sheet of glass covered the wall at the end of the hall to the left and it seemed to be beckoning me forward. It was as though there were another dimension beyond the glass—all I could see was a yellow glow inside it, cast over a lonely, abandoned wheelchair.

As I drew closer to it, a faint memory tickled my mind…something about a hospital and a poor child fighting to live. What am I doing? That's Alessa, not me! I was never in a hospital, struggling like that. The sudden realization broke through my reverie just as I was about to put the items on the floor and place my hand against the glass. Drawing my hand away, I noticed a door right next to the glass, its neon light shining down over me. Shifting the bottle of oxydol firmly under my arm—which was now aching from holding the bottle there so long—I twisted the doorknob.

It reminded me of one of those cop shows or detective shows; the room was almost similar to an interrogation room. There were two plastic chairs, one on either side of the table. The one closest to me was moved out, as though someone had scooted the chair back and stood up.

An ashtray was on the table with a cigarette that was still smoking. A thin stream of smoke drifted upwards towards the ceiling. How could that be if I'm the only one here? Vincent doesn't smoke…at least not that I know of, I thought, trying to figure out the mystery. It occurred to me then that I really didn't know that much about Vincent. Part of me wondered if he was still sitting there in the medical department, poring over some book.

A single pack of matches was sitting next to the ashtray with only one match inside. I reached for it and stuffed it inside my orange bag. It barely fit with all the health drinks in there, but I managed to seal the bag tightly. The smoke from the cigarette ceased, diminishing any sign of another person having existed here.

Across the room was a chain-link fence, of all things. It spanned the entire room and only a hole—perhaps cut by wires—allowed me to slip inside. Only a bed was behind that fence, its sheets trailing along the ground. It was secured to the floor with bolts so that I could not move it. On the bed was a few papers of a storybook, but I didn't bother to read it. Beside that was another health drink, but I had enough to last me a good couple injuries.

As I backed away from the bed, something grabbed my legs and pulled me down to the floor. A Slurper emerged from underneath the bed, its long tongue lapping at my skin as it crawled over me. I tried to kick it away, but it was fast, moving along my legs before I could even lift them. A trap…this was a trap!

The katana, the bottle of oxydol, and the slippery package of meat had fallen from my hands when the thing knocked me down. Sharply I rolled to one side, hoping to throw it off me. The Slurper's legs clung to my body, refusing to let go. It crawled over my skirt and scraped at my white vest. Desperately, I stretched out my arm in an attempt to grab the katana, but it was just out of my reach. Come on…a little closer! God, get off me!

The Slurper's tongue was rough as it slid over the bare skin beneath my white vest, close to my neck. The creature's beady eyes locked onto mine and it began pushing closer to my face. An idea popped into my head and I launched my head at the Slurper, sinking my teeth into the skin above its eyes. The creature moaned and instantly crawled off my body, retreating under the bed. The act of biting the Slurper left a metallic, nasty taste inside my mouth and—as soon as I could—I downed one of the health drinks which was only slightly better. Bad idea on my part. I'm making a mental note NEVER to do that again!

Keeping one eye on the bed, I hastily gathered the items that had fallen from my hands. Instead of tucking the bottle of oxydol under my right arm, I switched it to the other one, just so that I could give my aching arm a break. How in the world do the characters carry all this stuff? They must have infinite space in their pockets, I thought as I awkwardly strode through the hole and out the door, with the slightest hint of scrabbling behind me.

…

For an acclaimed art department, the actual art gallery was very cramped. After escaping the room with the hidden Slurper, I managed to find my way to the art gallery through a door at the opposite end of the hallway, the one I had previously ignored. The gallery was located behind a set of grand double doors with fancy script reading "Gallery of Art." There were only four paintings inside and a couple of benches positioned beneath them. On one blank frame, the red symbol of the Order glowed menacingly. A table in the corner held a vase of badly dying flowers.

The painting that attracted my attention the most was a large one opposite the entrance. It featured a woman burning in endless flames while a number of people watched. The woman had an expression of torture on her otherwise pretty face, her long brown hair falling over her eyes and sizzling at the ends. A bronze plate below the painting read "Flame Purifies All." The hell it does, I thought as I studied the painting. That's what the Order believes…well, they're wrong.

Carefully, I laid the bottle of oxydol and package of meat at my feet, kneeling down to the bucket that was placed just below the painting. I dropped the meat into the bucket, causing it to make a wet, sloppy sound as it crashed at the bottom. Uncapping the oxydol, I filled the bucket to the brim, unsure of how much I was supposed to use. Those details were the ones they never explain in the movies or games. Taking the matches from my orange bag, I lit the only one in there and allowed it to fall into the bucket.

The result was instantaneous; flames burst up from the bucket like Hell itself had just spawned there, the heat warming my face until I had to step away. The flames rose until they caught the edges of the painting. The painting burned away, the flames spreading like wildfire in a forest. The woman's pained eyes were the last thing I saw as the painting was turned into black ashes, revealing a hole in the wall.

The hole was covered over by a set of cabinet doors. I reached out and grabbed ahold of them and immediately wrenched my hands away; the metal of the doors was still searing hot from the fire. Good one, Katy, I scolded myself as I watched my skin turn a blistering red, the cut on my hand becoming irritated.

After a few minutes of impatient waiting, the doors were cool enough for me to quickly open them. The hole was dim and I couldn't exactly see the other side very well. At least it isn't heading down, I thought as I lifted my body inside and started crawling, pushing the katana in front of me.

….

The hole wasn't as lengthy as it was stuffy. It led to a rickety metal stairway, dimmed by the swinging overhead lights. A figure was illuminated by the lighting; it looked like a body hanging on the wall, its face unrecognizable under the pounds of rotted flesh. Turning away before bile could rise up my throat, I descended the stairs.

Another few pages of the storybook were scattered over a wooden table at the end of the stairs. Like with the first few pages, I didn't bother glancing at them; to me, they were just a waste of my time. All I needed was the ending of the book, to say the words that would send all the creatures in this nightmare world away, allowing me to leave.

Passing through the blood-smeared door just inches away, I came out to a hallway lined with bars and metal grating. My boots clomped on the metal as I walked. Ahead, two Slurpers were crawling over a slimy, writhing mass, similar to the fetus-type thing that the Double-Heads were slurping on earlier. Before either of them could get a chance to notice me, I rushed forward and pierced one Slurper in the head, pinning it to the ground. Blood gushed out in spurts and its body convulsed rapidly. Immediately I kicked it and it went still.

The other Slurper was retreating, but I knew it would come racing towards me and try to knock me down. Just as I thought, the creature suddenly spun and zoomed for me at a blinding speed. Not this time, I thought as I forced the blade of the katana into its body before it could reach me. One of its small beady eyes was stuck on the blade, rolling strangely in the deep socket. With the blade still buried in its back, I kicked it until my radio became silent. That's more like it, Katy, a small voice in my head whispered.

Leaving the useless bodies, I made my way to the end of the hallway where an office door was unlocked. Its neon blue light above was flickering and it was somewhat unsettling. Only once I looked over my shoulder, just to make sure there was nothing there.

The office was a mess; there was an overturned desk, a couple broken chairs, a smashed lamp, and a vending machine that looked to have been there longer than necessary. A pile of silver coins gleamed in the light of my flashlight and I picked one up. Approaching the vending machine, I inserted the silver coin and pushed one of the buttons for a soda. The can crashed into the slot below, but it made a hollow sound. Taking the can, I opened the top—how exactly did the key get in there if it was closed—and dumped the contents on the table. A bronze key with a tag fell out and I snatched it up. What a weird place to hide a key…On the tag, it read "Life Insurance."

….

I was on the fifth floor. I realized it after finding the correct door that led to the main area of the department. The bodies of the dead Double-Head was laying exactly where I left it. The other must have run off; it was nowhere in sight. Instead of waiting around, I located the elevator and pushed the button for the first floor.

Valtiel was endlessly moaning as I stepped out of the elevator. Perhaps he was simply there to block me way from leaving, but he didn't sound happy about it. Hurriedly, I found the door for the life insurance department and forced the key into the lock. Almost there…just a few more minutes and I'll be home free!

The life insurance hallway was narrow, kind of like the hallway where James gets chased by Pyramid Head in Brookhaven Hospital. Numerous Slurpers roamed around, bumping into the walls. As they cornered me, I simply jumped over them and raced for the door at the end. Their claws scratched along the ground as they pursued me. I could practically hear their tongues slapping the floor.

Quickly I rushed into the door, slamming it behind me. One of the Slurpers must have bumped into the door with its head, for the door gave a sudden shake. Turning the lock on the door, I shut out the thoughts of the Slurpers and scanned the room for the storybook. It didn't escape my notice that it appeared a massacre had occurred in the room; the walls must have once been white but now every inch was stained red.

The last few pages of the book were waiting on one bloody table, the edges of the pages soaked. Using the tips of my fingers, I moved the pages around, searching for the right one. In bold capital letters, the page read "TU FUI, EGO ERES", resulting in the monster dying and vanishing. Frowning at the writing, I sighed and hoped this time it would work.

"Okay…tu fui, ego eres," I repeated. A shrill cry filled the air followed by dozens of smaller cries coming from the hallway. Then, everything went silent like the grave. I counted to twenty in my head and then exited the room. The Slurpers were nowhere to be seen and there was only the blood on the walls to suggest I was still inside the Otherworld.

Valtiel was gone; I noticed his absence when I returned from the life insurance department. The only thing left was the first few pages of the storybook, but I no longer cared for it. A sense of relief overwhelmed me as I charged for the entrance doors and emerged into the outside world.

…

It was kind of a long chapter, but I wanted to do the office building (nightmare version) in one chapter. Next time involves Harry Mason…but will he be alive? And will Katy do what Heather did not and kill Claudia on the roof? You'll have to wait and find out! (=