James stepped inside the desolate building, holding the door open for Maria. Her small nose wrinkled in dislike as the door shut behind them, bits of dust flying upwards. They stood in the lobby which was also part of the hallway. To either side of them the hallway continued then turned. Here and there, old gurneys lay around, their wheels un-turning and sitting on the same spot as they had been for years. Bloodied sheets lay atop them, wrinkled and dried. The walls were decayed, the bland paint used in so many hospitals peeling and disintegrating. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

James looked at the wall, discovering a map of the building. Brookhaven was printed at the top. He removed the map from the wall and examined it, finding it being a small hospital. A hospital. One of the places he'd least like to be.

"Ugh, I hate hospitals." Maria said defiantly, her nose still wrinkled in distaste.

"Can't say there my favorite places either." James responded soberly, walking over to examine a bloodied gurney. He grimaced, imagining what…what had been here. He thought of Mary, that's what hospitals always made him think of. Poor Mary, laying in bed, both of them knowing her end was just so near. Everyone knew they would die someday, but only a handful knew when, when their death was set by other than their own hand. Mary, so sick, unaware of her own words, both feared the thought of death and was…well, was nearly amused by it. For some people, it came too soon, for other's, it took too long. And then there was Mary, either death took too long to set her free or else it wasn't coming. She refused to be believe it would.

Maria walked up beside James, her red clad arms hugging her middle tightly, her features tight. "I always hated hospitals." She said. "As long as…I could remember I have. Why would Laura come in here? This is no place for a little girl."

"This town is no place for her. Wait-! Maria…?" He looked over at a startled Maria in shock, his mouth hanging open slightly. "You-you said her name was Laura! You called her that outside too!"

Maria frowned, gazing at him quizzically. She pushed a blonde strand of hair out of her eyes. "Yeah…isn't that her name?"

"I never told you her name."

"Oh…" Her eyes widened as it suddenly sank in. "I…guess you didn't…" She bit her lower lip, looking very confused. "But…I already knew her name. How?" She shook her head, appearing very startled by this realization.

James looked more closely into Maria's bewildered looking face, the light absorbing it and showing him more than he had noticed before. Her hair, it had brown roots, brown, like Mary's. Could she-nah, no, not Maria. How? Why? It was probably just a coincident, after all, a lot of people with fair hair had darker roots naturally, and it probably meant nothing.

"You don't…know her do you?" James asked Maria.

Maria chuckled darkly and shook her head. "Only you."

Only you.

James nodded slowly, still wondering about this mysterious woman. He knew she wasn't telling him everything that she probably knew more than she let on.

James wandered over to the reception area finding another box of rifle bullets. He picked them up, glancing at Maria who was probably wondering why the hell there would be rifle bullets in a hospital for the mentally ill.

James was about to pull when, suddenly, he smelled it. Maria noticed it too, her nose wrinkled as she sniffed the air.

"What is…?"

James spotted the diary entry lying on the desk, its bright vivid color unmistakable in the dark room. He picked it up and examined it, wondering why it is here in a hospital. Only one

I am going to die.

That was all that was written on the paper. Here and there, dried wet marks kissed the paper, making the color run, like tears. Mary's tears.

She cried after I left.

"My g-d." He murmured. Maria came up behind him and read the paper over his shoulder. He felt her lightly brush against his arm; her nose hovered over his broad shoulder. He didn't think she would get it, but her eyes read over the shaky writing carefully. A silent 'o' formed on her bright mouth, she stepped back, a bit embarrassed.

"Is that…?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Maria paused, her eyes strayed far from reality it seemed. " I'm so sorry James."

James nodded and glanced at Maria, half of him wishing that it was Mary in disguise, that she would tell him it was her, and that it was all over. Maria looked back at him quietly, her lips pursed and a slight wince on her face.

"Why…is it here?"

James shrugged, placing the paper back on the desk. It wasn't one he wanted to keep. "Don't know." He said.

Maria frowned, pursing her lips. "It seems to me like Mary's sending you out on a wild goose chase." She said dryly. "Did you piss her off or something?"

James turned to glare at Maria before continuing down the hallway leaving her snide remark unanswered. He thought he just didn't want to answer the question because, well, he thought it was just stupid. But as he thought more and more about it, he realized he was probably just finding an excuse to dwell on that.

They continued down the hallway, each lost in their own thoughts. James glanced at Maria who wore a rare expression. She suddenly didn't look so bold and defiant; she no longer had an amused glimmer in her eye. She looked frightened, defenseless, weak and without a harder outer layer. She looked like Mary while she was sick, without the awful skin condition. Pale, frightened, hugging herself because only she could understand what she was going through, James could have never understood such despair, until then. James wondered if the Maria he had met was her, or if he was looking at the true Maria right then, the Maria like Mary. Their names, even they sounded alike! Maria was the name for Mary in many other countries. Was that just a coincidence or…

Maria caught him staring at her. "You satisfied with what you see?" In a split second, the other Maria was back. She flashed James a sexy smile, the laughing glimmer in her eyes returning, always laughing at him. James looked away, wondering why he had compared the two and even considered them the same person. They were just too different; it was enough to part the two of them into two different people. After all…Mary was at the hotel…

The two of them circled the first floor which was shaped like a square, finding that several doors had broken locks and one of them was working but needed a key. Without words, James and Maria both headed toward the same door at once, finding it being the stairwell.

James looked at Maria, mentally telling her that Laura must be up there. She nodded and they started up the stairs, it was so silent James could hear her breathing.

Silent Hill. James thought for a second time, forcing a grin that was robotic and mechanic looking.

They exited out onto the second floor. James was in the lead, shining his light down the hallway, being cautious. Maria noted his lack of fear toward the monsters.

"Don't they scare you?" She asked him, hurrying to catch up with him.

"Of course."

"Well, you don't act it." She said dryly.

James said nothing because he knew he probably didn't act it. Did the monster's scare him? Yes. They did. He didn't like fighting, he didn't like how much blood they poured, it made him feel almost…guilty. He knew he shouldn't be, they were monsters after all, they wanted him dead just as much. But when he held a gun in his hand, when he killed, it didn't feel like it was him, like it was a stranger. He could see, feel, smell, taste, hear, but not comprehend. It wasn't his to comprehend. It was a stranger's. He was in a stranger's body, he shared a mind with them, but it was someone else's fury and strength that killed. Not his own…

James stopped in random in front of a door, trying the handle which let open thinking Laura might be in there. He looked at the map, finding it was the Men's Locker Room. The Men's Locker Room was small, not much room for a little girl to hide. He spotted a coat and noticed something bulging was in its pocket. He found the Examination Room key, wondering if he would find Laura in there. It didn't hurt to try.

James and Maria exited, going into the Woman's Locker Room next. It had the same layout as the men's. James moved in more to allow Maria, with her arms crossed, more room. One of the locker doors was open. Maria pointed to t and James went over, extracting a shotgun from it.

"Huh," James said, examining it. "Wonder why that's there."

Maria grunted in reply, her gaze straying around the room nervously.

James remembered the shotgun ammo suddenly and removed a box from his pocket, loading the weapon. He glanced back at his handgun, not thinking it would be such a hot idea to leave it. He offered it to Maria to protect herself. She gave the shotgun one look and shook her head quickly, her mouth turning down in a frown.

"You sure? You might need it."

"I'm with you, what do I need protection for?" She inhaled and exhaled, her gaze averted to the small weapon that killed, a weird glint in her eyes. For a second, she looked as if she might take the gun. She caught James's eye and quickly drew her hand away, looking pained. "…I'd better not."

James looked more into the room, noticing the desk that lay against the wall. A teddy bear sat on the desk, looking straight ahead with its sweet button eyes, its soft fur still brown, not showing any signs of neglect. James, not being able to help himself, reached out and gently touched a section of the head, a smile lingering on his face. He had given Mary a bear just like this in the hospital, not to play with of course but…it had been a sweet thing to have as she had said, a smile lightening up her face. She was an adult, bears had seemed lie a kiddie thing, but she had loved it, she kept it next to her on her night stand or in her bed, always keeping it in great condition, even holding on to it at sometimes. Oddly enough though, it had disappeared. When James asked where it had gone, Mary smiled and said a little angel took it. James still wondered what she had meant, if she had been delirious.

"Ow!" James pulled his hand away from the bear like it had turned into fire, watching a bead of blood form on his index finger. He scowled, shaking his head. Damn bear.

"What's wrong?" Maria asked him anxiously, craning her neck to see better.

"I pricked myself." James explained, looking at the bear suspiciously. He went nearer and examined the top of the bear's head, spotting something nestled between the furs. He reached down and felt something hard in the surface. With careful concentration, he tightened his two fingers around it the object and pulled it out, the bear's head bobbed is it slid out. A bent needle.

"What was a bent needle doing in their?" Maria asked him.

James shrugged. As the same with everything else, he didn't know. After one last scope around the room, he decided there was nothing else in there of interest. He exited the room with his handgun in his pocket and his shotgun in his hands. The examination room key was in his pocket as well. Maria suggested they go try that room which was on the first floor. James nodded and the duo headed down the stairs.

Almost as soon as they stepped onto the first floor, the silence was shattered by the unmistakable sound of static. James's senses immediately were alerted. He snatched his hand gun, not wanting to waste his new prize, and whipped his head around, looking to see what lurked beneath the shadows.

They both stood there for a second, each on their toes, the familiar sense of dread coming back to them. There was nothing worse than not knowing, than waiting unaware and unseeing, but that is what this was. For a second, during the commotion, James wondered why again, if Mary or someone really was just screwing with him.

"James…" Maria's voice brought him back from his thoughts, following the terror stricken woman's gaze up the hallway from where a creature stood, it's back hunched over, and shaking like it was having a seizure. James's brow furrowed as he backed a way a few feet. The creature must have known they were there, it sputtered and took shaky, mechanic like steps more toward them, it's short black hair hid it's pale, bloodied face. White hands grasped a metal pole in front of it; the skin had a nearly decayed look about it, like a dead body left out for a few days. The sounds that arose from it sounded feminine enough, throaty and rough, like short gasps and grunts.

Maria's face paled, her lips becoming thin. She took a few feet behind James, shaking her head as though trying to wake herself up.

"My g-d," James said, watching it come nearer. "What the hell is-"

"No! James!"

James whirled around and pointed his gun at the demon that appeared behind Maria. Before the pipe was brought down, he delivered a clean shot toward the demon, stunning it for a second and sending it backwards. All this time, he neglected Maria, not thinking when he pointed the gun at something that was near her. She saw this shuddered at the thought of the bullet in her head, moving closer to him and further away from the damned weapon.

James put his gun down, breathing hard, looking stupidly at the monsters around them. Some sort of…demon…a nurse?

Nurse demons. He thought to himself, pocketing the weapon again.

He looked back at Maria who was looking at him in the oddest way, her gaze hard and dull at the same time, her lips pouted slightly.

"Maria…?"

"You nearly shot me." Her gaze hardened, her fist twisted tighter, digging her red nails into her flesh creating crescent moon shaped marks. She shook her head, a bit sadly, her gaze meeting him directly in the eye. "You nearly shot me you idiot! What the hell were you thinking?" She was angry; he could see that, she moved a little closer, her chest moving up and down, looking like she wished to exchange a few choice words with him, looking up at him. Her cheeks red, her eyes now fire, she gazed angrily, anger suddenly changing to critically. Her face suddenly changed. Her mouth twisted slightly, she cocked her head and said in a mocking tone. "Do you want me dead James…huh?" A bitter smile cracked her face; she nodded at the shotgun in his hand. "Do you want to-to shoot me James? Is that it?"

James took a step back, taken aback by her remarks. Her struggled tone faded, her eyes softened dramatically. James could only stare at her in surprise, anger making it known for him. He looked down shamefully at the ground, feeling ashamed. "No," He croaked out, looking desperately up at her face, his green eyes suddenly glazed and glass like. "Mary…please…I'm so sorry."

"Mary?" Maria frowned, suddenly looking confused. "Did you just call me…Mary?"

James looked back at Maria, doubting whether or not he had heard himself correctly. Did he just confuse Maria for Mary?

"James…" Maria's face fell, her eyes went teary. "Oh James…no…I'm not."

He looked at her silently and only nodded, feeling numb. Why? Why did he say that? Of course she wasn't. How? But…they looked so much alike, so much like twins. Mary, Maria. Maria, Mary.

"James…I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you." Maria told him, giving him a sad, apologetic look. "Really, I didn't mean to."

Again, James nodded, looking blankly at the woman who had been yelling at him a minute ago. A woman he barely knew. Maria smiled, wiping away a tear that had fallen delicately on her cheek. Suddenly, she was happy again.

James noticed her staring at him in an odd way, one eyebrow raised and her hand propped on her waist, softly tapping her black boot against the floor. James took the hint and continued on, glancing every now and then at Maria, feeling lost and confused, wondering how he could have ever mistaken her from the woman she clearly was not.