Me: And now, as a very special treat for the fans, Chapter 29!

Zero: Good gods, twice in one year?

Me: I know, it's rare anymore.

Rendan: Inspiration that scarce?

Me: More like the kids take up all my time and give me no free time to write, so I have to write when inspiration strikes and they go to sleep.

Zero: Yeah, that'd do it.

Rendan: I'm just glad for another chapter.

Me: Hopefully it's good.

Rendan: Dibs on disclaimer! Azard doesn't own Silent Hill or Hey Arnold! They are owned, respectively, by Konami and Craig Bartlett... or maybe it's Nickelodeon now?

Zero: We really need to figure that one out.

Rendan: Nah, just gonna be lazy. They're owned by their respective owners. Azard owns the OCs, the monsters he's created, and this abomination he calls a plot!

Me: For an abomination of a plot, you guys seem to be enjoying yourselves.

Zero: It's like a train wreck.

Rendan: You don't wanna look but can't look away.

Me: Fuck you both. Read and Enjoy.

Chapter 29: Helping Hands are Rarely Shunned

Helga ran until she couldn't anymore, long past the point that the static on her radio faded and the only thing she could hear was the thundering of her own heart. She fucked up. She royally fucked up. She fucked up so bad that she'd likely ruined everything long before anything had a chance to be. Arnold Loves Helga. The words that she'd written on the wall, surrounded by a heart, before the sounds of someone approaching caused her to panic and so she'd changed it. Arnold Loves Lila. The lie that started all this… until it no longer was. Arnold did catch feelings for little miss perfect. The old, spiteful, nickname tasted bitter on her tongue, even though no words were spoken. She'd hoped beyond hope that what she'd originally written on that wall would be a starting point. A silent wish that would hopefully become answered; maybe not today, or tomorrow, or next week, or month, or year, but one day and for the rest of their lives. Now it seemed little more than a pipe dream, cursed and doomed by her own hand, her own cowardice.

Idly, Helga began to wonder if she'd left it the way she'd written it in the first place if things wouldn't have been different somehow. Would she and Arnold be together? Would Arnold like-like her instead of Lila? Except all Arnold now knew is the lie that she'd written in a panic, not the words her heart yearned to be true. Her eyes began to sting as her tears all but demanded to be allowed to fall yet, resolute as always, Helga clenched her eyes shut and pushed the tears back with raw willpower. As she always had before. She couldn't do that out in the open, anyway, not with monsters potentially around any corner. Letting her guard down out here would likely be the last mistake she'd ever make. She needed a coffee… or something. Something to jolt her brain a bit into working better, something to help her think. She looked around the area that she'd ended up in.

Helga admonished herself for her idiocy. Racing off into the fog as she did with no idea where she was running to wasn't the smartest move either, yet here she was… wherever that was. She glanced around a bit and came to a startling realization. Somehow she'd run all the way back to the diner she and, god it stung to even think his name right now, Arnold found when they were first separated from Lila and… yeah, when the siren first went off. She didn't want to know how that had happened, since she didn't think the diner was that close to the prison. It wasn't… was it?

"Fuck it," Helga said aloud to herself as she walked into the diner. The ringing of the bell above the door was a cold comfort, if any at all. One small bit of normalcy. Maybe they'd have coffee in the kitchen or something. She made her way to the swinging door that led to the kitchen and pushed through it without hesitation. No static on the radio meant safety, after all. At least it did from monsters. It took a second, but her nose picked up the scent of freshly brewed coffee. She turned her head toward the smell and heard the sound of water bubbling as the coffee was still pouring into the pot. It took her a second to realize that something about this was amiss. Fresh coffee. In an abandoned diner. Freshly brewing coffee. She could feel a chill crawl down her spine, but it didn't become more real until she heard a familiar sound… the cocking of a shotgun right behind her.

"Don't fucking move," came a voice from behind her. The voice was younger than she'd expected, but she'd easily remembered that kids were also indoctrinated into The Order. She didn't dare turn. "Put your gun on the ground," the kid behind her commanded. The voice was clearly that of a boy, with enough severity to suggest he was either trapped in there with them or a cultist wandering around the Fog World. Helga, remembering her day as a police officer, did as the boy told her. She moved down slowly, putting the gun down and sliding it a small distance away, far enough that she couldn't easily reach it. It was arguably suicidal, but a pistol did not beat a shotgun at close range. Ever. If he wanted her dead, she would be dead, especially since he'd gotten the drop on her. "You trapped here, or a cultist?"

"Trapped here," Helga immediately retorted. "Would a cultist dress like this?"

"Cultists look like anyone. From your cop to your nurse, even your next door neighbor," the boy growled. "Cultists look like anyone." Helga stopped a sigh. That was a solid argument.

"Fair point," Helga said, "but I really am trapped here. Me and two of my classmates got stuck here a while ago."

"And where are they?"

"They… we fought. Over something stupid. And instead of defending myself like I know I should've I ran like a stupid kid! Stupid! Stupid!" Helga wasn't sure when she lost control of her emotions. She heard a sigh behind her.

"Yeah, you're a victim. Cultists don't get that emotional about anything like that. Get your gun, you'll need it." Helga didn't waste a moment and went for her gun, being very careful not to run. After picking up her pistol she turned to look at the figure behind her. The boy behind her was her age, his voice told that much, but he was taller than she was, by a bit, no less. He was maybe a head shorter than Stinky was, but his build was stout and somehow fit. He had short, shaved looking black hair that barely came up two inches, if even that much, from his head. Dark brown eyes watched her as a caramel colored hand scratched at his head whilst the other held the butt of a small shotgun that rested across his shoulders. He was wearing basic clothing, a dark blue shirt over a pair of ratty jeans and worn sneakers, but it was his demeanor that stood out most. His face was almost devoid of emotion. He watched her but was clearly ready to move to defend himself or shoot anyone at a second's notice.

"Thanks," Helga said. Both clearly knew it was a thank you for not shooting first.

"Yeah, don't mention it. What's your name?"

"Helga. You?"

"Joe. Just Joe is fine." He moved his shotgun off his shoulders and rolled them. "And that's my coffee."

"Any chance I can convince you to share a cup? I've had a long day."

"Coffee is coffee. I brewed it, I get first cup. After that, help yourself." Despite herself, Helga laughed a bit.

"Fair enough," Helga agreed. Joe walked up and pulled a coffee cup out of a cabinet, poured himself a cup of that miracle drink, and walked out of the kitchen into the dining area. Helga waited a moment and did the same. As she walked into the dining area, she spotted Joe sitting at a booth in the corner. The corner that had both entrances in his line of sight. Yeah, he'd clearly been doing this for a while. She didn't know what possessed her to do it, but she walked over to him. "Mind if I sit?" Joe motioned to the seat opposite him. "Why are you here?"

"Did something bad," he said simply. "Now I'm being punished for it."

"What did-?" Helga began before Joe's eyes narrowed and she cut the question short, "Never mind! I don't need to know." She sat quietly a moment. "Why are you by yourself?"

"Came here alone," Joe responded. "Stayed alone. Met someone a few times, helped for a bit, but always went our separate ways."

"You actually met a bunch of people that helped you?" Helga asked in astonishment.

"No. One guy. My age. Several times. We had our own paths to follow."

"Huh. We met someone too, but… he wasn't who we thought he was." Understatement of the century, right there.

"Turned on you?" Joe asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

"No… he died… sorta… twice."

"Excuse me?"

"We found his body in the hotel… or we thought we did. Turns out we really did. Then he came back. Helped and made us paranoid for a bit… then died again. And then we watched him turn into a mass of… stuff and fall through the grated floors of the Nightmare World."

"So, he was a monster?"

"Sort of? An empty shell used to help a trapped soul escape, if that makes any sense."

"In this place everything makes sense. This place runs on no sane man's logic."

"Yeah. One of my group went to go find his body, his real one, and set him free so he can try to actually escape. Me and… the other one are basically done with him. We want nothing to do with him anymore, so the one that left, Lila, her name is, went alone. The other one… Arnold, we fought over something else and I ran off, angry at myself."

"This place messes with everyone without exception," Joe said quietly. "You'll find him again when you're meant to. Apologize then."

"Yeah, I should," Helga agreed. She paused a moment before asking the question that was really bothering her in the moment. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you so… bland?"

"I did the excitable thing at first. Did my panicking, freaking out, shooting at shadows, then realized it wasn't doing any good. My emotions were a liability to my ability to think. I still have them, don't misunderstand, but I'm keeping them buried for now. I'll let it loose once I get out. And if it turns out that I die, well, then I don't have to worry about it anymore."

"That's… scarily pragmatic."

"Anything to survive in this place," he said, causing Helga to shiver. "Something wrong?"

"That's the saying that fucking other kid we met always said, justifying whatever fucked up thing needed doing in the moment." Joe's eyes widened briefly.

"You met AJ." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, that was his name… you met too?"

"I did. Nice enough guy. Shame to hear he's trapped… aside from the 'normal' way around here. Nice to hear he's not actually dead, though."

"Freaked me and Arnold out," Helga groused.

"I suppose walking around with a vessel holding a human soul would be freaky."

"Have you come across anything freakier than that?"

"I've had to deal with monsters that ran at full speed and tried to crash into me, monsters that looked like crawling birds, monsters that popped out of the ground and tried to eat me, monsters that would hide underwater and try to drown me… so take your pick."

"Freaky, but I don't think more than a monster holding a human soul inside of it, taking its memories and abilities and using them for its own ends."

"Never ran into that, myself… or, actually I guess I did. And I never realized it. That's… sobering, to say the least. Assuming it was just a vessel playing host to a soul at that point." Joe rubbed his head. "I hate this fucking place."

"You and me both," Helga agreed. "Hey, shot in the dark, why don't we team up for a while? At least until I run into Arnold or Lila or… hopefully, both of them. I'm a good enough shot and I'm skilled enough to take down a grown adult solo. Got a bit of on the job training during Career Day when I followed around a cop for the day."

"You shoot anyone or anything noteworthy?"

"I shot and killed a monster that lived in mirrors. Big one too. And I shot at The Guardian… twice. And failed."

"You were dumb enough to try and shoot at him?" Joe asked with a raised brow. "Word to the unwise. Don't fight him. You won't win. He controls this place in its entirety. The Otherworld bends to his will. It'd be like fighting God in Heaven or The Devil in Hell. You're fighting him in his home, where he's at his strongest. An act reserved only for the stupid… or insane."

"Not even if I have the stuff that can kill him?" Helga asked, flashing her Aglaophotis covered bullets in the magazine. Joe stared at the magazine in poorly masked surprise. It took him nearly a full minute to recover his expressionless mask.

"No. Save that for a monster that is beyond your ability. Or if you're in a desperate situation. No doubt the Guardian is aware you have that. I'm sure he knows. You won't hit him. He won't let you."

"Well, fuck," Helga cursed. "So much for that grand idea."

"And yet you've given yourself the most powerful weapon against Silent Hill's corruption. Focus it on an actual problem and you won't regret it."

"You don't think The Guardian is a problem?"

"If he wanted us dead, we would be," Joe argued. "Simple as that. There isn't a goddamned thing we can do against him. The Order is dumb enough to think they can get the upper hand on him, and he's sadistic enough to let them think they have a chance once in a while. You don't want to fight a predator that enjoys playing with its prey." Helga paled, remembering the one time The Guardian 'played' with her, the nightmarish images he put into her mind. The last thing she wanted was a repeat of that. "So no, I don't think he's a problem. If he was, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Or he'd be more proactive in 'playing' with us."

"Okay, you're right… I'll have to be smarter about this."

"Good. If you're willing to admit fault when you're at fault, then I can work with you."

"You're too good to help people who are having trouble with it?" Helga asked with a hint of irritation.

"Arrogance leads to darkness. Darkness here is closer to poison. Too much poison and you lose your mind. You lose everything. You become a monster in human flesh." Helga gulped, realizing that Arnold was slowly going down that road. He was being poisoned, probably far more than anyone else in their group. "There is a fine line between arrogance and confidence, and even assertiveness. Find that line, and do your best not to cross it."

"Arnold…" Helga whispered.

"If he's crossed that line, he's in danger of losing himself. For some, it's already too late. For your friend's sake, I hope he's strong willed enough to pull himself out."

"Would you help me help him?" Helga queried.

"The only cure for arrogance is to be shown humility. If he's too far gone, no amount of humility will help him. He will need to see the error of his ways himself and be guided along by his own will or by friends to assist along the way. I am no friend. Any help I give will likely feel, to him, like the assistance provided by the other one that made you both paranoid. I can help you until you get to him. From there, saving him will be on you and him. And maybe that girl… Lola?"

"Lila."

"Lila, then." He finished drinking his cup of coffee and sat it on the table. "Well, if you're coming with me, finish your coffee and ready yourself. I move quickly and don't stop often. I'm trying to find my last monster."

"Last monster?"

"Silent Hill is filled with monsters. Standard monsters and 'Boss' monsters, as I've come to call them. 'Boss' monsters are far more powerful and durable than the standard monsters that die with a few shots. Often times it takes me ten or twenty blasts to the face to kill a 'Boss'. With every 'Boss' I kill, there's an unexplainable feeling that I'm getting closer to something. I think my freedom. At this point, it feels as though I've one 'Boss' left. Maybe. I hope." Helga was about to speak when static suddenly erupted on her radio. Helga turned in time to see a Jilt stalk into the diner, the sound of the bell chiming now suddenly sinister. At least, it was for about a second before Joe approached and shot the damned thing point blank in the face, obliterating the monster's head. "Never seen one of those before." That lack of hesitation was impressive.

"We've seen plenty," Helga muttered.

"Must be a monster of yours. Or one of your friends."

"Probably Lila's," Helga argued.

"Trying to convince me or you?" Joe asked. "Regardless, it's a monster and dies just like any other. No fear. No hesitation. It's them or us."

"I feel like I should be worried how at ease you are doing all of this."

"After a certain point, it becomes as easy as breathing. I hope you're not here that long, though. I've been here about a week, I think." Helga kept her mouth shut but inside she held something akin to panic. AJ had said he'd been in there for two weeks but the outside world had gone through nineteen years. How long had this kid been gone when he was stuck here for a full week, himself?

"But that's just monsters, right? Or is it that easy to shoot the cultists themselves, too? Killing humans?"

"I disagree with any cultist being referred to as 'human'. It's a disgrace to actual humans. But, if you choose to call those monsters in human skin 'human', than yes. That's easy too." Helga nodded. She had to hide the emotions that wanted to play across her face, though admittedly she was unsure if she was able to do so successfully. Was all it took a single week before human life meant as little as a monster's? Even scarier, she already had an easy enough time pulling the trigger on the monsters, albeit they had the singular purpose of killing her. Maybe that made it easier? The whole concept of life versus death. Kill or be killed. After a while, you won't be able to run anymore and when that happens, it's kill or be killed. Another thing told to her that had become frighteningly true, and far more quickly than she'd ever have wanted.

"So I've got a week before I turn into an emotionless killing machine," Helga joked, poorly. "Good to know." Joe turned toward her and nodded approvingly at the poor attempt at humor. Helga downed her cup and left it at the table for whomever arrived next, just a small sign that they're not alone. Or to let The Order know that they're getting worse at catching non cult members, since there was apparently one more they were completely unaware of. "I'm ready whenever you are."

"Fine. Where'd you leave your friend?"

"In front of the prison, last I remember."

"That's a ways away. If you want to get to him quickly, we should get moving now."

"I kinda figured it would be. And thanks again for the help."

"I like to think you'd do the same for me."

"I would," Helga said and, like so many things she'd said lately, she meant it. The two departed the diner and began the long trek to the prison, ready to face down whatever monsters were stupid enough to come their way.

Me: And that's the chapter.

Zero: Admittedly, that flowed pretty well.

Me: Glad you think so. Hopefully I haven't lost my touch with this story.

Rendan: You had a touch?

Me: Some seem to think so.

Zero: I'm still invested.

Rendan: Train wr- *gets smacked* Ow!

Me: That'll do it for me this time. Be good and be safe everyone! I'm outta here!