Me: And here's Chapter 4.

Zero: About time we see what happens after that fucking siren went off.

Me: Do you honestly believe I'd let you guys hang for long?

Everyone else: Yes.

Me: -sweat drop- Well excuse me for having real life issues...

Rendan: It happens. Can we please just get this one going?

Me: Of course. I don't own Hey Arnold! or Silent Hill. They are owned by Craig Bartlett and Konami respectively. All I own are the OCs, the monsters I've created and the plot.

Bear: Woah woah woah! You've created monsters?

Me: It's part of the Silent Hill franchise. For everyone in there, there are monsters representing their psyche. So, yeah, there will be monsters of my own creation in this too. One of em you're going to see this chapter.

Rendan: Okay, let's just start this one up. Read and enjoy.

Chapter 4: Separated

Silence. That's all there was for a moment. Arnold was the first to open his eyes to see himself on the floor in the middle of the fog covered street. There was no blood on the floor, though the fog was considerably thick. He wasn't too surprised that he'd woken up in the middle of the street. What surprised him was that he still had the metal bat and the form from the dead body in his possession. Helga wasn't too far off, sleeping almost calmly next to him. Lila, unfortunately, was nowhere to be found.

Arnold quickly grabbed the radio in Helga's hand and checked it. Still on and there was no static, something he didn't fail to notice. He was thankful for that much. In the Otherworld the radio seemed to always have some type of dull roar of static that never shut off. After placing the radio back in Helga's hand, Arnold shook her in an attempt to wake her up.

"Ugh," Helga groaned as she reached up and rubbed her head. "What do you want, Pheebs?" Then she realized where she was and who had woken her up. "Wait a second? What happened?"

"Long story short," Arnold began, "we fell off a cliff, got trapped in a ghost town, visited a nightmare world and now we're in the middle of the road back in the fog."

"You mean that wasn't just a dream?" Helga shouted. Arnold shook his head sadly. Helga glanced in her hand that didn't hold the radio and saw the slingshot she found still gripped within it. "What the heck is wrong with this place?"

"It gets worse," Arnold stated.

"How could it get any worse?" Helga asked. Arnold took a good look around.

"Well, for starters, we're short two people."

"Huh?" Helga glanced around to see that Lila and their new ally had vanished. "Where did they go?"

"I don't know," Arnold answered. "For all I know they could still be in the Otherworld."

"Dang... I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"Me either," Arnold said lowly as he rose to his feet. "We've got to keep moving. With any luck we'll find something we could use to help us out."

"Good idea, Football Head, but where are we supposed to go?" Arnold shook his head.

"We should at least check out a few houses, maybe we'll find Lila on the way."

"If she's still in that Otherworld place I don't envy her," Helga stated as the two walked toward the nearest house. Arnold nodded his agreement as the two entered a rustic home.

(Location: Lila)

Elsewhere, the scent of burning wood reached Lila's nostrils. She shot up almost immediately to find herself in a bed in some unfamiliar room. By the looks of it, she was in a small cabin. She quickly checked herself to find everything was intact and she was unharmed. Had she been saved by a good samaritan? Lila glanced around to see signs of anyone she knew but to no avail. She was alone.

Looking around the room she noticed a closed window next to the bed. It simply seemed to be closed to keep the heat coming from the fireplace in. She glanced toward the fireplace to find a small but very manageable fire burning, lighting the small cabin more than efficiently and providing added warmth. The idea of a roaring fire soothed her some, until she looked next to the bed.

On the bedside table next to her bed laid a combat knife. It was clean, but the idea that a weapon would be so close to her greatly unnerved the terrified redhead. Suddenly, the thought of a good samaritan saving her seemed terrifyingly impossible. She nearly shot out of the bed as the doorknob to the cabin door started to shake and jerk. Instead of jumping out, she quickly slid off to the side to get a good hiding position behind the bed in case something should go wrong.

She tried lifting the window so she could crawl out with no result. The window was locked. She came into the realization that she was perfectly trapped. Trapped between the locked window and whoever was at the door. Hesitant, she grabbed the knife and held it close to her. She didn't know if she could ever bring herself to kill with it but a wound that could enable her to escape a potential fate worse than death was good enough. The doorknob proceeded jerking with no signs of stopping. Apparently whatever was trying to get in had very little coordination.

Lila started breathing heavily, her fear fully taking effect. She remembered the small grey monster that chased her, Arnold and Helga to the school and the same creature that... Her heart nearly stopped. What had happened to her friends? Had the grey creatures killed them? Did they escape somehow and if so, where were they?

What happened to the boy that saved them in the school? Was he missing or was he murdered as well? Did he escape? Was she about to die here? Who or what was coming for her? Was there any way she could escape? All these questions raced through her mind as her fear reached its peak.

The door finally opened. From behind the bed Lila could make out the dark pants the figure wore. Based on what Lila could see she could tell the individual was a male. The individual had stacks of wood in his arms and they blocked her view of the upper part of his body including his face. He was a fair distance away but his body reeked of sweat. This person had been working very hard lately. Lila ducked behind the bed and closed her eyes tightly, not feeling confident in taking down the opposing figure. The figure walked inside, hobbled toward the fireplace and dropped the wood next to it. After he dropped the load he glanced around to see his red haired 'companion' was nowhere in sight and, from the looks of it, she had his knife.

The figure glanced toward the beds, noticing that the bed Lila had been placed in was recently disturbed. That pointed to one thing, since he hadn't heard the door open, she hadn't left and was still inside the cabin somewhere. He moved cautiously, checking the corners of each area making sure she couldn't get the drop on him. This person was well aware of what an individual was capable of when trapped.

He moved silently throughout the cabin, eventually getting to where the beds were. Readying himself, he climbed upon the first bed to see her cowering with his knife held close to her chest. He was right. She had been waiting for him... in some sense of the word anyway. Smiling, he backed off the way he came and spoke to her from in front of the fireplace.

"So you finally woke up," he said. Lila's eyes shot open. She recognized that voice! It was one she heard very recently. In the Otherworld, in fact.

"AJ?" Lila questioned, a tremble present in her voice. She still wasn't one hundred percent sure it was him and kept the knife close.

"It's okay, there's no one else here. You can come out from behind the bed." Feeling embarrassed, Lila looked up from behind the bed to see AJ standing in front of the fireplace. She sighed with great relief and placed his knife back on the bedside table. She turned back to him, her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry!" Lila cried. "I was ever so scared!" Lila ran to him and suddenly tackle hugged him. If he hadn't readied himself after seeing her running toward him he would have fell. Instead he just stood there with a terrified redhead who had her arms wrapped around him and was crying into his chest.

AJ blinked. He definitely hadn't expected that. Did she feel the need to apologize for preparing to defend herself? She didn't seem all that ready to fight if it came down to that. It was certainly something he'd have to help her with.

"What are you sorry for? You were scared and you picked up whatever was available to defend yourself. There's no reason to be sorry." Lila didn't lessen her grip around his chest. For whatever reason, he felt the urge to rub her back in order to ensure her that everything was okay, though every fiber of common sense in his brain told him not to. He settled for standing there as Lila unleashed any pent up fear into his shirt, eventually causing his shirt to become wet with tears. She eventually calmed down and released him before sitting on the bed she'd been laying in.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. AJ glanced down at his vest and shirt and grinned.

"Well, that's not exactly how I'd planned to bathe but I guess that'll do," he joked. "And don't apologize for that. I'd planned to jump in the lake anyway."

"The lake?" Lila questioned. "What lake?"

"Toluca Lake. The only lake in Silent Hill. It's actually a very famous tourist spot around here. Most people stay in the hotel while some prefer to stay in the cabins," AJ explained. "Usually there's a beautiful view of the lake but because of the fog..." He trailed off, his mind having seemingly gone off track somehow.

"What happened after we heard that siren?"

"I woke up," AJ said. "We were in front of the hotel and you were still unconscious. I picked you up and carried you here before putting you in the bed and starting a fire. I was just outside cutting more wood for the fire."

"Did you see Arnold or Helga?" AJ shook his head. "If we were by the hotel, why didn't you just go in there?"

"Monsters still exist in the Fog World, Lila. There are more places for them to hide in the hotel than in this cabin and I checked this place out before I put you in the bed. There are no monsters around here... yet. So I suggest we move on when you're ready." Lila nodded and stretched herself out. She picked up the combat knife and handed it to AJ.

They doused the fire and walked outside, where AJ grabbed a small one handed hatchet from a stump that he'd apparently used to chop the firewood. The two walked toward the lake and AJ jumped in. After a moment of pseudo washing he came back out drenched before shaking himself dry, unintentionally hitting Lila with some of the ice cold water. He glanced at his knife and then to Lila before holding it out to her. She stared at him in no small amount of confusion.

"Why–?"

"You're going to need something to defend yourself with. That knife is light and can be swung very quickly. With a little training you'll be able to defend yourself from any monster that comes your way."

"I- I don't know if I–"

"Yes, you can." Reluctantly, Lila took the blade. "Now let's move on."

"Where are we going to go?"

"We shouldn't stay around here. If we're by ourselves we're going to need a radio. The static it emits will alert us of any monsters that are close by. The best chance we have is to search the police station."

"Okay," Lila stated. "Lead the way." They were about to turn before a loud screech reached their ears. A creature came hobbling out of the fog toward Lila. The creature appeared to be a humanoid. It had skin the color of dried blood, no eyes but a large, gaping mouth filled with teeth of varying sharpness. Some appeared to be dull with others razor sharp.

It was hunched over slightly, giving it a more somber or depressed quality. Its right hand appeared to be pointed into a fine blade while it's left hand seemed to be shaped in the form of some type of club. The one major off putting thing was that its club-like hand appeared to be pulsating. Almost like a beating heart. Lila froze, petrified, in her spot. AJ rushed the creature and attempted to slam the blade of the hatchet into the creature's head only to be hit in the chest and knocked back by its club hand.

AJ jumped to his feet and reengaged the creature, this time staying at a distance. The monster swung both its arms to attack in rapid succession, giving AJ very little opportunity to counter or strike. AJ finally managed to maneuver into the swing and cut the creature's right arm completely off its body. From there he dodged the creature's next attack and severed the left arm. He leg swept the beast and finally brought the hatchet down, taking off the monster's head, its mouth still snapping for a moment before it ceased all movement. AJ breathed heavily.

"I've never seen a creature like that before," AJ mused. "What in the world was that?" He turned to Lila to see her trembling in her place. "Are you alright?" Lila slowly got out of her fearful expression enough to nod her head. He walked over to her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "C'mon, let's go." Lila nodded almost solemnly. They quickly looked back at the dead creature before they walked off.

(Location: Helga and Arnold)

Back with Helga and Arnold, the two had gone through several homes without much to show for it. They hadn't found anything particularly of use except some more marbles for Helga to use as ammo. Arnold mainly looked for any documents that could provide information as to what is wrong with the town they were trapped in. Helga, on the other hand, was going crazy trying to find a flashlight of some kind. Even a standard, handheld flashlight was impossible to find.

They left the house and walked over to a small diner that seemed to appear on the opposite side of the main road. Deciding they needed a small break, they walked inside only to find it completely deserted. Although, one thing had Helga jumping for joy. On the counter of the diner was a small flashlight with a clip. She happily grabbed it and clipped it to the top of her dress.

"Finally!" Helga shouted.

"I thought you didn't want a flashlight after what AJ told you," Arnold said. Glancing to the side he spotted a small map on a table and picked it up. 'We'll need this in the future.'

"As long as he ain't around, Football Head, we're going to need to be able to see where we're going!"

"I hope you're ready for whatever comes your way with that flashlight acting like a beacon."

"Oh, I'll be ready, Arnoldo. That you can be sure of." The two of them were brought out of their tirade when the radio suddenly picked up static and progressively got louder. Helga and Arnold didn't waste any time and ran out of the diner like their lives depended on it. After a few minutes of running, the radio's static died down, indicating their safety. When the two of them looked around, they found themselves in front of a church.

Not knowing what else to do, they walked inside. The church was completely empty. The pews were empty and dusty, appearing as if they hadn't been occupied in years. Despite the amount of time that must have passed evident by the collecting dust, everything appeared to be in perfect condition, an impossibility brought to life. There was no mold on the wooden pews, no rust on the candlesticks and no cobwebs to be seen. Only the dust seemed to be any indication that time had passed. The duo walked up to the altar, locating a few health drinks and an artifact neither had ever seen before. It appeared to be a triangular box, if its design was anything to go by. A three-dimensional triangle sitting on the alter for no reason.

Arnold, being the curious boy he was, picked up the object and examined it closely. There appeared to be nothing suspicious about the pyramid, just a solid object that, for whatever reason, was sitting in an empty church. Even stranger, unlike everything else in the church, there was no dust on the triangular object. Somewhere in the back of his mind a voice told Arnold that this object would be very important later. Not knowing what else to do, he pocketed the strange pyramid.

"Let's go," Arnold simply said.

"Where?" Helga questioned.

"Anywhere but here. We should try to find a town hall or something. They should at least have some information about this place." Helga nodded and the two walked out of the church toward their next destination.

Me: And that'll do it.

Rendan: Well, guess we're going to have to wait to see what happens next.

Zero: If he continues doing this, I'm going to go crazy.

Me: If I continue doing what?

Zero: There always seems to be several unanswered questions in your chapters.

Me: That's just how I work. The things that happen, most often, are INTENTIONAL. Sure, I'll make a few mistakes here and there but the majority is intentional.

Rendan: Most mistakes, if any, are simply grammatical or spelling based, right?

Me: That's right. Plot wise, everything that occurs is intentional. Besides, it's no fun if there's no food for thought. Also, for everything that is, there is a reason behind it.

Zero: Guess that'll do it for this time?

Me: Damn right. Be good and be safe everyone, I'm outta here!