AN: Ah, the mysterious videotape. Not much is known about it, though it can be assumed Kaufman was trying to blackmail Lisa. I know its exclusive to SH1/SH3, but as we only see Lisa's scalp, its difficult to ascertain how long her hair is. Therefore, I'm going to shift things round a little bit, and the tape now takes place during the 70's.

'Please have a seat.'

Lisa hesitated in the examination room, cold despite the mid-summer warmth. Somehow, everything now seemed stale, a metallic tang burning her tongue as she examined the video camera perched at the opposite end of the table.

The hospital was rarely quiet, nor was it ever empty. In such a building, that was impossible. There were however, dins in activity, allowing the staff a moment to relax amidst the hustle and bustle of busy workloads.

The intern knew that something was wrong the moment Kaufman had locked the door, an act that was no doubt morally wrong. She didn't feel comfortable being alone with him, and though she considered calling for help, the girl found herself spurned into silence, driven by an overwhelming curiosity to see what he was planning.

'I'll stand.' She replied, tugging at the hem of her cardigan.

'Please sit down.' The man repeated, more sternly than before.

Exhaling, the nurse pulled back the wooden chair, slowly lowering herself into it with a hint of caution. Fingers strumming against the tabletop, she tried to quell her shaking breath, watching as the doctor moved to unclasp the lens cap.

It was almost dawn, and the teen had been hoping to return home after finishing her shift. Alessa hadn't shown any improvement, and the nurse needed a fix of PTV to help ease her into a deep slumber. Insomnia was difficult to cure, and the substance worked better than regular sleeping pills.

A rush of questions assaulted her thoughts, but she couldn't find the courage to ask them, voice lost in a sea of emotion as she sat in the midst of a turbulent storm. Heartbeat erratic, she dug both heels into the tile, body cold as she started to sweat.

Silently, the doctor moved to stand behind the camera, messing with a selection of unseen buttons as he made preparations. Whatever scenario she was about to find herself in, the intern knew she wasn't going to like it.

I could really use Travis right about now. She mused, sincerely hoping that the trucker would barge in and interrupt, as he so often did.

'Now, Miss Garland.' He said, adjusting the equipment so that it would frame her correctly. 'You and I are going to have a little chat.'

'What?' She managed, before choking on her words.

'When the red light comes on, that means I am recording you.' He stated, tapping the tiny bulb in the corner of the camera. 'You are then going to describe the task of caring for Alessa.'

She blinked at him in confusion, surprised that he would ask her to do something so incriminating. Did he wish to confess his illicit activities? That seemed like something he would never do, and left the girl feeling dubious.

'Before you respond, I must ask you not to mention my name. If you fail to comply, I will stop the recording, and we will begin again. Do you understand?'

Mouth agape, all the teen could do was blink, swallowing thick lumps of saliva that gathered in her throat. 'Why are you making me do this?'

'Insurance.' He bluntly replied. 'It seems you've been having second thoughts. Unfortunately, in this business there is no turning back. You can rewind the tape on this cassette.' He said, petting the camera. 'But you can't reverse the mistakes you make in life.'

'How is this helping?' She asked, leaning forward until her shoulders were inches from the table. 'I don't understand, it seems counter-productive.'

The director shook his head. 'Blackmail is an ugly word, for an ugly act. I am simply ensuring that you don't get any ideas about running to the authorities. If you do, I have this tape as evidence of your guilt.'

'And what if I say no.' She defiantly snapped, disgusted at his actions. 'Afterall, you forced me to do it. I'm not guilty of anything.'

'Is that so?' He scoffed, throwing her an arrogant sneer. 'Then why were you so afraid of Travis going to the police?'

Moving to stand beside her, the director gazed at his employee from above, ensuring that she knew he would always overpower her. Gnawing on her bottom lip, the nurse returned his confident smirk with an icy glare, nails grazing the chipped wood.

Damn it, he'd ensnared her.

'Do you know of Toluca Prison?' He finally spoke, suit brushing against the table as he returned to his spot behind the tripod. 'It was a filthy place, where they used to house the most deviant of criminals. Many were hanged for their crimes.'

'Are you trying to scare me, because it's not working.' She lied, clenching both hands to prevent them from trembling.

'I wasn't trying to scare you. As a matter of fact, I was going to state how merciful death was, compared to living with the stigma of your sins. You would lose your job, your respect, your future. You'd be completely ruined.'

Petrified, the woman could hear the rush of blood pumping through her ears, heart beating so wildly that she feared it might stop at any second. Thumb pressed against her wrist, she struggled to steady her pulse, waiting for the moment when it would vanish, leaving her to crumble upon the earth, dead and undignified.

Silent Hill was a small town, certainly for those who were raised there. Even the slightest hearsay could travel through the neighbourhood in record time. Imagine how mortified the citizens would be if they new what the sweet, smiling and sincere Miss Garland had been doing.

How could she ever face her demons? It was unthinkable that a girl with such a wholesome reputation would suddenly fall from grace, committing the vile atrocity of caring for a perpetually ill child, left to wallow in the darkness of her own tortured thoughts.

Nobody would speak to her. She would be reviled, scorned, unemployed, disowned by her own parents. Wherever she traveled, so would those haunting whispers, forever tickling her senses with foul, hatred smothered words.

'If I go down, I'm taking you with me.' She snarled, fighting the urge to lunge forward and release all of her suppressed rage.

'I doubt that.' He replied, voice calm and attention elsewhere. 'Because you are going to accept full responsibility for Alessa's situation. I knew nothing about it. You and that mad Gillespie woman conspired behind my back. Should you refuse, then I will remove your supply of PTV indefinitely.'

Shoulders sagging, the nurse had nothing more to say, gaze on the floor as she waited for Kaufman to finish. That drug was the one thing keeping her from completely cracking under the pressure, and without it, she would be unable to cope.

Brushing away soft slivers of hair, she began to play with her earring, a display of nerves that she hadn't shown in a long time. Wrist twitching, she could still remember the powerful burn that his fingers had left on her slender arm.

He was dangerous, and she didn't feel safe locked in the room with him.

'Are you ready?' He asked, and she gave him a nod.

Of course she wasn't prepared, but what else could she do? Screaming would only draw attention to herself, and though it was a ridiculous excuse, Lisa felt too embarrassed to do so. Clearing her throat, the skittish woman gazed at the camera, almost envisioning the sunlight getting farther away as she was sucked deeper and deeper into a black hole.

The red light blinked into existence, and with the wave of a hand, Kaufman gestured for her to begin. It was difficult at first, and she accidentally mentioned the man's name several times. Each successive take increased the difficulty, and her concentration began to waver as she struggled to remember barely lucid details.

Reflecting on what it must have been like for a person to be interviewed by the police, she decided the sensation was so strenuous, that a criminal lifestyle simply wasn't worth the hassle. In spite of her current quandary, it was quite ironic.

'The newspaper reported the incident as a tragic accident, but the truth was much worse. I knew the girl was beneath the hospital, and I routinely cared for her. The child's mother, Dahlia Gillespie, also knew of the arrangement.'

Dahlia's obviously wasn't aware of his scheme, and she began to suspect that he planned to blackmail both of them. Lisa would be a good little puppet, whilst the woman would offer him a larger cheque. If things went sour, what better way to feign ignorance than proclaiming the young nurse had a guilty conscience, confessing her deceit on camera as a means of relieving herself from the stress of her misconduct?

It was her word against his, and he was a respected doctor, having been in the profession for decades. He could convince the world that she and Dahlia were conspiring with one another, regardless of how unlikely it seemed.

'It was an insurance scam.' The teen lied, deciding that she needed to provide some explanation. Kaufman continued to let the tape run, though he did raise an eyebrow curiously as she spoke. 'Dahlia deliberately started the fire, hoping that she could claim the money. Unfortunately things got out of hand, and her daughter was trapped in the blaze.'

Hunching over the table, she clasped her fingers together, forehead resting atop interlocking hands, eyes clenched shut as she tried not to cry. It was one of the worst things she had ever done, and the lies were flowing through her as naturally as a stream trailing over jagged rocks.

'Alessa knew what her mom had planned, and Dahlia was afraid she would snitch, so the woman asked me to save her daughter's life, but insisted I keep her away from everyone else. We came to an agreement, and soon I was venturing into the basement, caring for the child that everyone thought was dead. In exchange for helping her, Dahlia offered to give me a cut of the profit.'

The old Lisa would never have been able to speak so glibly, and she gagged violently as the words spewed forth. Her austere employer stood in the shadows, expression bland as he let the teen further condemn herself. Gingerly removing her cap, the intern let it carelessly fall to the floor, returning to her forlorn position.

'A month has passed, yet the girl's condition hasn't changed. In fact, I think it's getting worse. She still has an unusually high fever. Eyes don't open, getting a pulse but just barely breathing. Her skin is all charred, even when I change the bandages the blood and pus just start oozing through. Why? What is keeping that child alive?'

Unable to continue, she let herself rest for a moment, the gravity of her predicament weighing heavy on her heart. Nothing could have been more challenging than openly describing just how terribly broken and damaged that little girl was. She didn't want to think about how she would inevitably descend those stairs, once again forced to stare at that blackened husk.

'I...can't stand it any longer...' She wept, tears brimming at the corners of her teal eyes. 'I won't tell a soul, promise. So please...' A brief pause, watching as salty tears exploded against the marred oak. 'Please...forgive me.'

The camera shut off, and though she very much doubted the man would keep that last, desperate part of her admission, the nurse felt some relief in being able to vocalize the feelings she had bottled up inside. Lachrymose, she ran her sleeve across damp eyes, sniffling as stood upright, waiting to be released from the room.

'Thank you, Miss Garland. I appreciate your co-operation.' With that, he unlocked the door, stepping aside as he chivalrously held the door open for her. 'Try not to make a scene, the last thing we need is any unwanted attention.'

Standing in the foyer, she wrapped both arms around herself, toes curling as she embraced the icy draught that crept in from beneath the entrance. All she wanted to do was sleep, lost in dreams where she was able to forget about all the traumatic things she had seen and done.

Are you satisfied? She silently asked herself, that tiny voice circling through her mind. Is this the excitement you were searching for? Is your life worth living now?

Lisa knew that it wasn't.