Me: At long last, Chapter 20!

Rendan: Now we're finally going to see what happens next!

Me: I don't know, I hope you guys enjoy this.

Zero: I'm pretty sure we will.

AJ: In leu of a long overdone opening, how about we get the disclaimer done and over with and get this puppy started.

Rendan: Agreed. Azard doesn't own Silent Hill or Hey Arnold, which are the respective properties of Konami and Craig Bartlett. Azard only owns his OCs, the monsters he's created and the plot... as fucked up as it is.

Me: Thanks as always, Rendan. Don't worry, I'll get a chapter up for you soon.

Rendan: Thanks.

AJ: Read and enjoy!

Chapter 20: Wildcard

The four students trekked through the Hellish school, the P.S. 118 students doing their damnedest to ensure that nothing escaped their senses. It was harder than it looked and it honestly almost drove them crazy for the first half hour. It shot their paranoia straight through the roof, but surprisingly it actually allowed them to hear a monster approaching before the radio's static picked it up. The monster itself, a Jilt, was quickly dispatched, Arnold being the first to jump into action and smashed the monster's head against the wall with his bat. The creature fell to the floor as the static on the radio once more dropped to a dull roar almost as quickly as it increased in volume.

Helga stared at the scene in awe. In all truth and honesty, she'd never thought Arnold would've been the one to be able to do that first. If Helga were being completely honest, she believed she was going to be the first to take a monster's life. Granted, Arnold had been the first of the three to take a life, but not to the point he'd spring into action to end a monster's wretched existence. Helga watched the scene unfold, surprised and amazed, but also a bit jealous. Arnold had been able to overcome his fears, at least slightly, and do what needed to be done. Her eyes turned to the second male who wore a smile on his face. Helga's eyes narrowed at him. Was it possible that he was corrupting them? Maybe. It certainly seemed possible. Arnold would never have done that but, after meeting the fourth member of the group, Arnold's anger went through the roof and she supposed he needed some sort of outlet for it. Was it also possible that the town itself was responsible? Again, maybe. Helga didn't lie to herself when she said just being in this place pissed her off to an inane degree. Despite this, Helga had to wonder one thing. When would she be able to take a life?

Lila was undoubtably surprised by what just happened. Arnold actively seeking to kill monsters instead of waiting for it to attack first? Was that possible? It did just happen so it must've been. Lila, much like Helga, was surprised by the sudden change in Arnold's behavior, particularly his anger which had gone beyond anything either of the two had ever seen before. However, Lila had a feeling she knew exactly where it was coming from. It had to have been coming from not just the town itself, not just from the fourth member, although Lila honestly didn't know what Arnold had against him, but it had to be coming from how little sense any of this could make. What Lila didn't know was while that may have been the case before, it certainly wasn't the case now.

Arnold took several breaths as the act of the kill sunk in again. Strangely, he didn't feel that twisting in the pit of his stomach like he did when he realized he killed the Nurse in the hospital. No, this feeling was much, much different. He felt good, powerful even, along with a sense that he'd done the right thing. This was a much better feeling. Along with this feeling came the desire to keep this feeling for as long as possible. Arnold didn't exactly know where it was coming from but he liked it. He supposed it must've been coming from what he realized before the barbed wire allowed the monsters to attack them in the room. He wasn't too far off, but he also believed that a certain person had a bit of an influence on him as well, and it wasn't who the other two believed it was.

"I'm flattered," the voice of the Guardian spoke inside his head. Arnold shook his head vehemently, trying to dislodge the voice from his mind. Oh, if only it were that simple. Arnold absolutely refused to admit that the Guardian had spoken to him in his mind. He worried that his friends would think he was crazy. Then again, maybe he was. Was his mental sanity so far gone already that he'd begun to hear voices? After hearing what sounded like the Guardian sighing in slight disappointment, he checked the body of the dead monster only to watch as it bubbled and dissolved right before his eyes. Arnold let out a surprised shout recoiled from the dissolving creature and looked back, hoping he wasn't the only one seeing that. Fortunately, he wasn't.

AJ watched on as Arnold's first quick reaction ended with a Jilt meeting its end with its head crushed against the wall. He grinned broadly, his eyes showing a slight twinkle of mirth to them. Letting out a soft breath, he turned his head to look into the darkness of the hallways in the school, looking directly into the inky black abyss. When Arnold shouted, he jerked his head back around to watch as the Jilt's body dissolved into nothingness. Letting out a soft sigh and shaking his head, he whistled loudly to catch everyone's attention. He said nothing, only jerking his head back, as he turned and began leading them further into the darkness.

As they traversed the school, the newcomers' thoughts turned to their families outside of this Hellish nightmare. What would happen to their families if they'd died here? What if they'd be drawn in? Lila focused mainly on saving her father so that they could go home and pretend like this nightmare never happened. Why was her father here in the first place? She'd never want him to go through anything like this! Sadly, it wasn't as if she'd be able to do anything about it now. They continued walking until they located the room with the massive hole in the chalkboard. The four approached it and looked inside, seeing only blackness in the pus-filled hole. The four looked to each other, wondering who would be brave enough to stick their arm into the hole.

"Don't look at me," AJ said as he raised his hands. "I'm no coward, but this isn't my test, it's yours. If I interfere, there's a good chance that I'll be hurt or, worse, killed." Lila nodded faintly, having no reason to distrust him. Arnold and Helga, however, looked at him through narrowed, disbelieving eyes.

"Prove it, Army Brat," Helga stated in annoyance. Arnold wasn't sure he'd agreed with that sentiment though. AJ had been right about a lot, but if he was hesitating it wasn't due to fear. He must've had some idea of what was going on. Arnold thought about telling Helga to stop, but a feeling in the back of his head, most likely caused by the Guardian, told him to let it occur. If it occurred it would either establish some kind of trust between the group, or scare the life out of them. Either way, it seemed win-win for the Guardian. Arnold was about to go against the urge, but AJ apparently felt the need to prove his point.

"Arnold," AJ spoke as he rolled up the slight amount of sleeve on his left arm, "have a med kit or health drink ready." Arnold nodded. Something was just... wrong with how certain his tone was. AJ took a deep breath and shoved his left arm into the hole. For a brief second nothing happened. Helga was about to comment about how right she was when an earsplitting shriek pierced the air. In the next second AJ was pulled forward and slammed his head into the chalkboard as blood started gushing out of the hole where his arm was.

AJ tried, desperately, to pull his arm away but it proved to be no use. Whatever had a hold of his arm had a strong grip. Lila shrieked and quickly grabbed onto AJ's waist, trying to yank his arm out of the hole. Arnold joined in next, followed by Helga. With their combined strength, they managed to break the monster's grip and pull AJ's arm out of the hole. Looking at the arm the monster grabbed, it was a, for lack of a better word, mess. His arm was cut up horrendously and was covered in blood, undoubtably his own. AJ couldn't even move it without flinching in pain.

Arnold quickly pulled out a first aid kit and held it out to AJ. AJ snapped the thing open with only his right hand and the three others watched as the blood he'd lost retreated into his body and the many cuts adorning his arm shrunk until they vanished entirely. AJ let out a sigh and gave Arnold a nod of thanks, which Arnold returned. While Helga stared on in disbelief, Lila summoned up her courage and shoved her own arm into the hole while the others were distracted. If AJ could do it without fear, she could too! To her surprise, nothing attacked her.

Lila moved her arm about inside the hole, eventually managing to grasp something that felt like a piece of paper. She removed her hand, holding a folded piece of paper. As she worked to unfold the paper, a key fell out of the folds and landed on the floor. Lila immediately dropped the paper and reached down to pick up the key, a smile beaming on her face. One key closer to saving her father! Even if it was the first out of five, this was still a step forward. Arnold, after realizing what Lila had just done, his attention being drawn by the sound of the key hitting the floor, picked up the note and unfolded it completely. With a glance back at Lila who'd turned her attention to their recently recovered associate, Arnold turned his attention to the paper and read its contents.

And so do you walk in the shadow of death, Arnold, for his shadow casts its ever present loom over this town and all who dwell within it. Did I use that word correctly? Loom, I mean? Ah, no matter, you didn't come here to read me banter with myself. You came to learn about Harry Mason, a father and a man worthy of the highest respect that could be given to him. Sad that such things happened... but I'm getting ahead of myself. You now stand in a spot that Harry Mason had to traverse in order to find out what had happened to his daughter, Cheryl.

After a car accident stranded the two, Harry wandered into Silent Hill in order to find and save his daughter from the evil that resided here. Hell, he was the first man, not including Travis Grady, who I'm sure you've read about before even to a small degree, to meet the crazy bitch Dahlia Gillespie. I would suggest you track Dahlia next, but I know you already know about her... though I wonder how much you actually know about the situation. I'll only say this once. If you wish to see the brunt of Dahlia's evil, go to the Green Lion Antiques and see for yourself, however, that's not your next target. Merely a side-track if you're interested enough.

Enough rambling. Harry Mason traversed the halls of this school years ago to save his daughter, and it was the second place where he was subjected to the Otherworld. Every room he entered, or was able to, held untold horrors or puzzles he needed to solve in his attempt to locate his missing daughter. He too traveled a good portion of Silent Hill, meeting another victim of the place, Cybil Bennett whom he is directly responsible for saving. Regardless, Harry lost one daughter here, but gained another. It turned out that his daughter Cheryl was actually Alessa Gillespie, or at least a part of her. The two came together one she returned to Silent Hill and they both died here. Alessa once more split herself in two, giving Harry his daughter back, albeit as a baby, as she gave her life to save him. Sad... I miss Alessa. She was so nice, well, to me at least and to anyone that wasn't a part of the Order.

Harry is something of an anomaly here. He is the only person that did not face any monsters that dealt with his psyche. Instead, he battled the monsters of Alessa's mind, even though he lost his wife and his daughter, granted he got the latter back. He's been away from Silent Hill for some time now, but I can feel something strange. It still calls out to the Masons, Silent Hill I mean. Soon he will be forced to return, he and his daughter as well, but it doesn't seem to be time yet. When his daughter does return, I may be forced to resume the duty I was initially bred to undertake unless another should take my position away from me for some reason. No matter. Your next target is in the prison. I'll tell you who it is when you find the note.

P.S. Ask Helga if she's happy that she almost got your ally killed for me, would you kindly? I'd really like to know her answer. It's just so much fun watching you kids.

The note cut off there. Arnold quickly pocketed it. He had no intention of asking Helga that question, that much was sure. Arnold knew Helga already felt bad for what happened, even if she didn't want to show it. Asking her such a thing would only make matters that much worse. He glanced toward the other three, keeping a firm look-out for any monsters that might be slowly approaching. Nothing. The radio's static stayed at the dull roar. Arnold sighed, thankful that another monster wasn't in the immediate area. Arnold growled slightly, definitely angry with the audacity the Guardian had shown.

"Well, what do you expect?" The Guardian asked. "I would like to know, after all. It seems to be a problem with you all... this trust thing. Does everyone where you're from have issues trusting others, Arnold? I wonder if that's true. Helga seems to, at least a bit. You certainly do. Lila... I'm not sure. I can't get a fix on the girl. I'd like to, don't get me wrong, but I can't."

'I'm glad you can't,' Arnold thought back at the Guardian. 'No doubt you'd use whatever was in her mind to torment her just like you torment the rest of us.' Arnold's fists clenched as his side as his anger was being visibly shown. From within his head, he could hear the Guardian laughing. To say the least, it was highly unsettling.

"Is that what you think?" The Guardian questioned. "Allow me to put those fears to rest, Arnold. I'm here to ensure that you all do what is necessary to accomplish what is needed, while not aiding you one bit in the process... Or am I actually aiding you? Have I been lying to you from the beginning? Am I closer than you think? Perhaps I'm behind you..." Arnold whirled around to face the entity... but it wasn't there. "But maybe not. As I said, you'll never know what it is I'm out to do or why I'm doing it. That's how it must be. I'm not truly aiding you, seeing as how I'm not doing everything for you, but I am giving you what may be needed in the immediate future. The world outside this Hell may not work in the same way, but there are undoubtably aspects out there that do. If they didn't at all, the Order would never exist. By the way, you might want to turn back around. Your friends are looking at you as if you're crazy." The Guardian let out another harrowing laugh as Arnold turned back around, noticing that Helga and Lila were looking at him in confusion and worry.

"Uh," Arnold stammered, trying to think of a logical, or even remotely understandable reason for why he was acting the way he was acting. Unsurprisingly, he didn't come up with much. As he wracked his brain for a reason, AJ stood up again and dusted himself off. His eyes met Arnold's as a brief flash of what might've been understanding passed between them.

"Relax," AJ said, drawing the attention away from Arnold. "We got what we came here for, so let's get the hell out of here and go where we need to go next." Arnold gave him a small, curt nod in appreciation to which AJ nodded very slightly.

"Hold up, Army Brat," Helga stated angrily. "Just what the hell is going on with Football Head?" Helga moved into his path and stared angrily at him. Taking in a small breath, AJ moved her to the side and spoke.

"It's a side effect of this town," AJ stated. "Arnold's becoming more in tune with Silent Hill and seems to be developing abilities unique only to him. I have no idea what such abilities are, or how they're activated, but his actions can be reactions to the strange sensations that are undoubtably going through him. It's the first time I've seen anything like it."

"And how would you know that?" Helga asked as she jumped into his path. AJ growled slightly and was about to answer, but someone else beat him to the punch. Helga was pulled away from her position by Arnold who looked her dead in the eyes.

"Are you telling me you haven't felt anything since we've been here?" Arnold questioned her. When Helga gave him a somewhat curious look, Arnold continued. "Don't tell me you haven't felt any of those weird feelings since we got here, Helga. I know you have. I don't know how but I know you have. You've had those weird feelings in your gut, those feelings that something just isn't right." Helga's eyes slowly began to widen as Arnold continued to peg the feelings she'd been experiencing but didn't know what to make of it. "You've had those feelings, that's what he's talking about." Arnold turned his head to Lila but spoke more softly. "Haven't you been getting those feelings too, Lila?"

"Y-yes," Lila stuttered. It wasn't a total lie. She did have the sensations that told her that something just wasn't right, however, she'd be lying if she said she knew exactly what Arnold was talking about. She didn't get any weird feelings in her gut. Other than the fear of monsters being around any potential corner, she didn't get any strange feelings in her gut... barring maybe one time. When AJ attacked Arnold and the static rose on the radio, a strange feeling had enveloped her just before the barbed wire shot from the floor and barred the monsters' path. She wouldn't have thought much of it, but when the feeling vanished and the wire began to retreat... she believed there really was something going on here, something that she, for the life of her, couldn't explain.

"Fine," Helga admitted. "You're right, but I don't like to say that I've been getting the weird feelings. I don't like thinking about it because I think it'll drive me crazy!" Arnold nodded once, understanding Helga's concerns. It was in that moment that Helga realized that Arnold had been holding onto her shoulders the entire time. Making sure she didn't react, she pulled back, making Arnold release his grip on her.

"The last thing any of you need to be doing is to be denying what you're feeling," AJ stated. The three turned to him again. "If you keep denying what is there, you'll only succeed in driving yourself mad that much quicker and before you ask how I know, I saw it happen to Eddie for damn's sake. He just... kept denying more and more until he lost his mind. It's not about fighting against your darkness, it's about accepting it as a part of yourself, but it's easier said than done."

"As much as I hate to admit it," Arnold began, "I think he's right. We're not going to get anywhere if we keep arguing about every little thing. We can settle our differences as soon as we all get the heck out of here. Until then, I'm willing to put the other crap aside as long as it all ends that much sooner." Helga nodded her assent.

"There's just one problem though," Helga pointed out. "Lila won't fight." Lila looked down at the floor as her own shortcoming was pointed out again. She hated being the center of attention while the attention was like this. Negative. She hated it ever so much.

"She doesn't need to fight just yet," AJ said. "She can fight when she's ready and I'll help teach her when she is, granted I will have to take it easy on her." Arnold nodded slightly, understanding that Lila would need the most help out of the three. She was the only one of them that hadn't yet used the weapon she'd been given, but he could understand her reservations. Lila didn't have the instinct of a killer. Hell, Arnold would doubt she had it in her to hurt anyone at all. Lila trudged slowly over to AJ, keeping her head down to the floor. She tugged on his shirt, gaining his attention. As AJ turned his head to face her, Lila's hand shot out and slapped him across the face, drawing surprised looks from the entire group. AJ and Arnold sported dropped jaws while the former held on to his stinging cheek. Helga had a stupefied look on her face. No one expected that! Lila even liked him, so why would she hit him?! Under the pressure, Lila looked up at AJ and smiled softly.

"I got a sneak attack on you," Lila pointed out. "Does that mean you'll train me?" All eyes that were currently locked onto Lila widened and, in an instant, the calm, collected front AJ put on himself crashed.

"Holy shit!" AJ shouted, throwing him arms around wildly. "How did I not see that coming!? Holy mother of-" He turned to face Arnold and Helga who were both now watching him, "She gets it and she was able to do what I said not even an hour after I said it! She beat you guys to the punch! Oh my god! How in the name of Hell did I miss something like that coming!? Wait! I know how! You're a freaking genius! You've now, officially, become the most dangerous member of this group!"

"Woah woah woah," Arnold said. "How is she the most dangerous member? You've killed way more than any of us have. I mean, if anyone deserves that title it's you."

"You're missing the point, Arnold!" AJ exclaimed. "Look at me! I have a military vest that's torn from battle and I've got a freaking katana! Even if I'm a kid, I look like a threat, even if just a small one! I can't stand here, look adorable, and then when my enemy's guard is down drive a knife into their throat! Lila, on the other hand can stand here, be adorable which isn't hard for her at all," as AJ said that Lila found herself blushing a pretty shade of pink, "hide that knife behind her back, then when an Order member gets too close because he believes she's an easy grab, drive that knife into his heart, his neck, or his head!" AJ took several deep breaths and, in a quick moment, recollected himself, bringing back his calm and collected demeanor. "I'll train you, but I'll have to go over basics with you first." AJ spoke calmly again, as if his massive rant of sorts didn't happen. Lila nodded, though the blush at being called adorable still prettily colored her cheeks.

"Well," Helga began, "that wasn't completely crazy or terrifying at all, was it?" Arnold nodded his head silently, too stunned to say anything. They two eventually came out of their own stupor and, for the first time, noticed the blush that was on Lila's face. Helga, in surprise, turned to Arnold and whispered to him. "Hey, Football Head, do you think that Lila... you know?"

"I... don't know," Arnold admitted. "Maybe. It certainly would explain a lot." Helga nodded quietly. "Okay, so, what do we do now?" Arnold asked aloud, drawing the attention of the other two members of the group. AJ turned to Lila and shrugged.

"To be honest, I think that's your call," AJ admitted. "Well, yours and Lila's anyway." When the two looked to him, he elaborated. "Lila's dad is the one in peril, yeah? So, she has to be the one that makes the call to where we go. Arnold's got the brains and strategy to figure out where we need to go, so why not leave it up to a vote."

"There's a small problem," Lila admitted. "In the poem, it seems to only point to four places, but we need five keys. Where is the fifth one?" Lila turned to the others. While Arnold and Helga appeared to be confused, AJ showed no such confusion.

"There were five," AJ pointed out. "Think about it. How did it go again? 'From the halls of education,' School. 'To the concrete walls of prison,' Prison. 'We've planned your situation, for heathens will not listen,' The Order. 'The hallowed halls of god,' a church. 'Travel towards truth and seek the truest wisdom.' Admittedly, that's a confusing one. There are multiple places where people have found truth."

"Could it be talking about a library or something like that?" Helga questioned. Arnold placed a finger on his chin and pondered the thought for the moment.

"I wouldn't really go to a library for truth," AJ commented. "Just saying, if you look into a history book or anything like that, it's all perspective. Who's writing it and how they recall it. I remember hearing someone say that history is written by the victors. I think Mikey Dorano said it before he attacked Pyramid Head and died."

"Travel towards truth..." Arnold muttered just underneath his breath. "What about the hotel?" When the other three looked at him, Arnold smirked. "James Sunderland found his truth in the hotel, the one that broke him out of his delusions." AJ's eyes widened.

"Son of a bitch," AJ uttered, though it wasn't directed toward anyone in particular. "Arnold may be on to something. So, the other choices we have is an Order hideout, prison, a church, and the Lakeview Hotel. So, what's the call?" Arnold, Helga and Lila grouped up for a quick moment.

"The Order, so it's out of the way," Arnold stated. AJ nodded. "The only question is which do we go to? We've been in two of those places already and didn't find anything of the sort that could've resembled a key."

"Then why not go to the top? Or what used to be the top?" AJ asked.

"What are you talking about?" Lila questioned. AJ grinned.

"Get ready people, we're invading Green Lion Antiques next."

Me: And that's the chapter!

Zero and Rendan: *laughing their heads off* Dude, AJ flipped the fuck out!

AJ: Can you blame me?! I didn't see that coming!

Me: I don't think anyone did. At least, I hope they didn't.

AJ: They shouldn't have.

Rendan: Well, does anyone else have anything more to comment?

-Everyone looks at each other-

Zero: Oh! I got one! What the fuck is the Guardian doing?

Me: Not going to spoil that one. Let the fans figure it out, see if they're right.

Zero: Ah.

Rendan: I think that's it.

Zero: Yep.

AJ: Be good and be safe, everyone!

Me: We're outta here!