Sorry it took so long to update this. I would really appreciate some reviews, merci sil vous plait. Gracias.

James and Maria headed back down to the first floor and meandered their way into a hallway with M doors on the side. James looked at the hospital map, finding that this was where the examination room should be. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the key, searching for the door.

James put the examination room key in the examination room lock and heard the rusty knob lock. Maria made a 'humph' noise behind him. She crossed her red clad arms across her chest and switched weight on her foot.

"How could a little girl get into a locked room?" She asked him.

James saw her logic, but rapped on the door either way. Laura…she was a puzzle to him. She could probably find a way into a locked room. Maybe she had locked the room herself. "Laura?" He called softly, "You in there?" There was no response. He knocked a second time only to have the silence repeat. He shrugged and turned the knob, letting the door open with a shower of dust and wood.

Inside the examination room, James found a pile of handgun bullets lying on the table, still good for use. A typewriter sat on a desk, bits of cobweb between the keys. James's father, Frank, when James was little, had kept an old fashioned typewriter on the shelf in his study, one of James's favorite rooms in that house. Frank still used the typewriter even though they had newer appliances in the house. James remembered the day he wrote a letter to Mary. When she was admitted to the hospital…

No, James thought. I will not think of that.

He shrugged the memory away and noticed a piece of paper still in the typewriter, still easily readable.

9117

9117? James thought to himself.

Aside from a bulletin board that held the password 7335, there was nothing else of interest in the room so James and Maria left. James, as he past Maria, heard a sound that chilled him. It was soft but noticeable, at least to maybe only James. He had become so acute to that sound. He turned to face Maria, whose hand was to her mouth, coughing lightly. She saw his expression and drew her hand away, laughing lightly at the matter. Even though she laughed, her knees were shaking, her face was pale.

"What?" She asked, smirking. "Do I look like a ghost or something?" She smiled slowly, her smile seductive and challenging him. James tried to refuse to meet her eyes, but they were drawn in like magnets. They stared at each other for a moment, the air had suddenly become silent and thick-like, and the mood had changed completely. They were like that for only a few moments, it seemed like and eternity to James. Silent seduction. James didn't know what to say, half afraid to break the spell between them, though he knew he shouldn't. Half of him wished it was Mary staring at him so intently, yet, the other half found satisfaction-almost excitement-with this new woman, Maria. She seemed exciting, adventurous, nothing like Mary had been. He liked her smile, the one she was using right then. It was long; the red lipstick defined its slimness, its coyness. It belonged to a snake, a snake that found its prey and was luring it, reeling it in for the catch...

"Why are you…" He let the rest trail off, none more needed to be said. Maria caught the hint; she purposely broke the connection between them, as though breaking him from a trance. James shook his head in bewilderment, suddenly feeling drained, exhausted. He just didn't get it. Of course, the intent of his question was there. Why was Maria doing that when she knew James was married? She was helping look for his wife for g-d sakes! So why was she flirting instead? The question had a double meaning though, one James took into bewildered but curious consideration. He had asked: "Why are you doing this?" but hadn't meant it that way. It really meant: Why was Maria flirting with him?

It was a treatment James wasn't use to. He was cold, reserved, didn't care to talk much. He had dated many young ladies all of whom never lasted a month. They didn't like this James, his intensity. He knew this. James wasn't ugly, never had been, he may even be handsome. Mary had been beautiful through and through. For some reason, his cold charm, his intense gaze, his driven personality had attracted her. She stayed with him, through a month, a year, marriage...Two beautiful people, one sunny, gentle, elegant and the other, gloomy and rough. Such an unlikely pair it seemed, James was afraid it'd never work. The truth was, from the moment James had set eyes on Mary, he'd lost it. His heart was gone. Although he hadn't directly said "I love you" often then, it was unspoken, there needn't be any words said. James had loved Mary unconditionally. He placed a ring on her finger and was instantly seized by fear of the thought of her leaving him. They were so different, how could Mary love him as he loved her? Then one day, they were together, here, in Silent Hill, in Rosewater Park. It had been beautiful out, everything had been so perfect. Mary had taken his hand, held it to her heart.

"James, you make me so happy."

He had known it was meant then, it was simple. They did have something in common. They made each other happy.

Then she was sick, all the happiness drained from her in the hospital. She lost her smile, her pains grew worse. So often he would find her staring out into space, not hearing anything in the real world, like she was in her own world. Maybe she had imagined being in Silent Hill. He felt her slipping away form him day after day, like sand through his fingers. Holding on was no use, there had been nothing he could do. Till death do them part. Mary died, he was no longer married to her. She was no longer his to keep…his happiness…

James tried to shrug away his sad thoughts, tried to look toward the bright future. Mary wasn't dead, she was here. She had to be. She had to be…

With nothing else of interest, James led Maria away from the room, purposely avoiding eye contact though she kept on glancing at him. Her hand brushed against the side of his jacket. She kept on running into him.

The third floor held two more of the odd demons wielding pipes. In the dark hallways, their staggering, twitching forms headed toward. James shot them both, his eyes nonchalant and not seeing. Maria lingered only for a moment after James had started forward again, looking almost sympathetically at the dead creatures. Do they feel pain, she couldn't help wondering. Are their tears silenced by their hasty deaths? What were they? This though remained and-for a second-the dead creature before her changed very quickly. Human…but then-no-it was still a demon. What was that?

She shook her head, fighting off the spell, not succeeding. She never succeeded.

James looked at the key pad next to the double doors. He recalled the password he had seen in the examination room, typing in 9117. Nothing, it bleeped in rejection. Okay then, 7335. Yes. He smiled blandly, walking through the door with Mary at his tail.

A long hallway stretched before them, doors lined either side of the wall. A pair of double doors rested on the wall to his immediate left, locked, broken.

The map said that these were the patient quarters.

James tried the first door-locked. As was the next. Room three was opened, with a few groans, the duo walked inside.

It must have been awful living here. James thought, gazing at the unbearably small quarters. The room was the size of a walk-in closet with a night table pushed up beside a small cot. Leather straps poked out from beneath. James gazed around a bit longer, finding the room bare and unlivable-not that anything was 'livable' in this town.

James turned, ready to leave.

"James, wait a minute."

Maria was now sitting on the cot, her face was very pale and she looked drained of all energy. James turned back around, surprised at how fast she'd transformed. She coughed weakly a few times, her arms shaking as she tried to support herself on the dingy bed. "I'm kinda tired." She looked at him, explaining. Tired? She looked more than tired, she looked like she was going to be ill.

With a groan, she removed a bottle from what seemed like no where. James couldn't read the small label form so far away, but the logo seemed familiar. Maria unscrewed the cap and popped a pill in her mouth, swallowing with a slight grimace. She glanced at him. "It's just a hangover." She said practically, as though it were no big deal.

It's just a cold.

Maria started to stand shakily, clearly unwell. James ushered her back down, placing hi hand on her shoulder lightly. "You should rest." He said, trying to ignore the buzzing in his head.

She didn't argue. She collapsed on the cot and spread out luxuriously like it was a bed from a nice hotel. "Mmm," She joked, lightly smiling and patting the bed. "So comfy…I'm so envious of who was in it last…"

James suddenly felt awkward, watching Maria laying there, coughing and acting sick. It was like déjà vu all over again. It was like reliving three years ago. Was he doomed to relive it?

"I'm going to go look for her…for Laura. I'll be back as soon as I can." He added, trying not to fell guilty for leaving her there. Maria only nodded her gaze distant. She was probably falling asleep.

James sighed, inwardly praying to g-d not to let this happen. He couldn't watch this-watch her suffer. So he turned to leave.

"James, I wanna ask you something."

James turned around. Maria was gazing at him with wide, serious eyes. "What if, what if you can't find Mary? What will you do?"

James looked down hesitantly, wondering how to answer that question. "I haven't really thought about that." He said solemnly.

"Go find Laura." Maria directed him, settling her head back. "She shouldn't be wandering around a place like this."

There was urgency in her voice. Of course, anyone would be worried about a little girl during a time like this, but there wasn't just plain worry it was almost, motherly worry. "Maria, why-"

"Go," She pleaded, her voice trembling. "Please find her…Laura…"

James hesitated, and then left without a word.

Maria sighed, closing her eyes, her mind slowly darkening. The voices were coming back now; she grimaced, wishing them away.

James…where are you…waiting…

Mary?

I'm waiting for you. Why don't you ever come?

Maria moaned softly. Somehow, she understood everything, just like he had told her. Fate. She couldn't remember what he had said now though, she was blanking out now, slowly drifting away toward darkness…

The woman gazed at her reflection in the vanity mirror. Her eyes gazed questionably at her reflection, doubt showed through her blue gaze. What did she doubt? Her own existence? Her soon to be extinction? The thought nearly made her smile with bitterness. Ha! Extinction! There was so much worse than death…

She fumbled with the gun in her lap, not quite remembering how it had gotten in her hands but not questioning it either. She couldn't remember, in fact, she couldn't remember a thing. She recalled her name, she recognized the face before her, but everything before the present was lost in a fog, maybe it wasn't worth remembering…she knew not to dawdle in trying to remember, she was here for the present, not the past. And now, as she gazed at her reflection, she wondered about the future, if there was such thing for her.

When she had woken up, she had been alone. No one was left, she recalled people before, but not now. Was it because of the monsters?

What do I do now? She asked her reflection, waiting or an answer. Do I stay, and fight? She raised the gun for effect and pointed it at the glass, thinking of how much power she had in her hands. Or do the monsters get me?

The thought made her grimace; it sent streams of horror up and down her stomach. She stood and walked over to the window, afraid to pull apart the blinds because she was afraid of what she would see. It was so easy to die in this world; it was full of pain, a pain she knew. She was alone, she hated being alone. There was no one left, was there anything left worth fighting for?

I don't have any reason left to go on living…She thought. But I'm scared to die. I'm so afraid of pain. Should I…run away? I want to find somebody, I don't like being alone. But…but is there anyone left live? She turned. Out there…