Chapter 10 – The Turning Tide
Alex took a seat in the living room on the well-worn couch. The low hum of the generator was the only sound between the two as they took a seat. Alex began to rub the back of his neck as he tried to process everything happening in Shepherd's Glen. Elle sat across from him, crossing her arms as she sat without saying anything.
Elle was the first one to break the silence between them. "Mom's been acting weird for a while now." She began. "Even since, well before people started going missing. She's always been strict, but now it feels like she's gotten worse. Like obsessed with control, over the town, over people, over everything."
Alex frowned, as he thought about Judge Holloway. He'd always felt a certain tension from her, a coldness But he had always chalked it up to her disapproval of him. But now, as Elle spoke, he felt that it was more than that.
"How so?" he asked. "What do you mean, 'obsessed with control'?"
Elle looked up to meet his eyes, and Alex could see the years of frustration and fear behind them. "She runs everything in Shepherd's Glen, Alex. The council? The decisions? It's all here. The others, Mayor Bartlett, and Dr. Fitch, do what she says, even if they don't want to. She's got them all wrapped around her finger."
Alex took a moment to think about it. Bartlett going mad in the cemetery, his son missing Joey, was it connected to Holloway? And Dr. Fitch, had become increasingly isolated, acting strange of late... how much of that was because of her influence?
"Do you think she's involved with the disappearances?" Alex asked a hint of urgency in his voice.
Elle hesitated before nodding. "I don't know for sure, Alex. She doesn't talk about the missing people. Whenever I try and bring it up, she always changes the subject or tells me not to worry about it. But she's hiding something. I can feel it."
Alex let out a loud exhale. His father had fought against something, Bartlett had mentioned it in passing during his digging. Could it have been against Judge Holloway's control over the town? And if Adam had tried to resist, had it cost him his life? Was that why he had vanished at home?
"Why would she be doing this?" Alex asked, trying to wrap his mind around everything. "What does she have to gain from all this?"
Elle sighed and stood up. There she began pacing the room. "That's the part I don't understand. She's always talked about Shepherd's Glen like it's some sacred place like it's the most important thing in the world to her. But lately, it's like she's obsessed with keeping everything the same. Like she's afraid of something changing."
Alex began to remember the stories his father had told him when he was younger, tales of the town's history, of how the four founding families had made sacrifices to begin their lives in Shepherd's Glen. It had always sounded like local folklore, as a way to explain the town's odd traditions and strict hierarchy. But now, those stories seemed more like clues to something darker, something more real.
"What if she's trying to keep control because she's afraid of losing power?" Alex asked aloud. "If she's manipulating the town's leaders, maybe she's afraid they'll turn on her?"
Elle stopped pacing back and forth and turned to face him. "I don't think it's just about power, Alex." She said with a serious expression. "It's more than that. It's like... she's protecting something. Or hiding it. And whatever it is, she's willing to do anything to keep it buried."
The word "buried" sent a chill down Alex as he thought of Mayor Bartlett. Him digging frantically back in the cemetery. What was he hoping to dig up? What had been buried beneath?
"Do you think... my dad knew about this?" Alex asked, quietly, as if he feared the answer.
Elle nodded, her expression softening. "I think he did. And I think that's why he fought with her. He tried to stand up to whatever she was doing. But..." She trailed off, not needing to finish the sentence. Adam Shepherd had disappeared, just like the others.
Alex stood up. His father had tried to protect him from this, tried to fight against Holloway's grip on the town, and now it was up to him to finish what Adam had started.
"Then We need to find out what she's hiding," Alex said, "There has to be something, some kind of proof of what she's been doing. If we can find it, we can stop her."
Elle looked at him. "You're right, Alex. But we have to be careful. If mom's as powerful as we think, she's not going to give up so easily."
Alex nodded, already forming a plan. "We'll need to start digging into the town's history, into the founding families. There's got to be something there."
Then Alex stood up. He looked at Elle, who was still sitting there, he couldn't shake the feeling creeping over him.
"What if it's not just control she wants?" Alex muttered, more to himself than to Elle.
Elle glanced up at him. "What do you mean?"
Alex shifted, rubbing his arm as he chose his next words carefully. "Think about it, Elle. The founding families have always influenced Shepherd's Glen, but what if Judge Holloway's gone further than just running the town? What if she's working with the cult, the Order, to keep people in line?"
Elle blinked, taken aback by the mere idea. "The Order?" she repeated with disbelief. "You think my mom's involved with them?"
Alex began pacing the room just like Elle was, trying to put his suspicions into words. "It makes sense, doesn't it? The way she controls everything, the way she's kept people quiet about the disappearances... maybe it's not just her being the Judge, but her using fear, using the cult, to keep people too scared to fight back."
Elle crossed her arms and leaned against the couch, considering it. "But the Order's supposed to be in Silent Hill and that town's been abandoned for years. I mean, that's where all the stories came from, right? The cult, the rituals... it was never about Shepherd's Glen."
Alex stopped and faced her, eyes filled with a realization. "That's what we thought. But what if it was here all along, hidden in plain sight? What if she's using it to solidify her control over the town?"
Elle tried to respond but stopped herself, clearly conflicted. She chewed on her lip for a moment, grappling with what Alex was saying. "You think Mom would go that far? That she'd use something like the Order to control people?"
Alex nodded. "It fits, doesn't it? Bartlett's losing it, and Fitch is doing God knows what... What if they've been manipulated by her, forced into making sacrifices, just like the old stories? The way she's been so secretive, the way she deflects every time you try to talk about the missing people. It all points to something."
"My mom's always been... intense. Controlling. But this? If she's involved in something like that, then... we're all in danger."
"That's why we can't let her keep running things. We need to find proof, something that connects her to the cult, something that shows what's going on."
Elle looked at him, filled with both fear and determination. "If you're right, Alex, then we're not just up against her. We're up against something bigger, something I, I mean, we don't understand."
"I know," Alex said grimly. "But we have no choice. We can't just let her keep doing this."
Elle nodded slowly. "Alright. Then we need to find something, anything that can prove what she's been doing. There has to be a way to expose her."
Alex exhaled. His suspicions that Judge Holloway had ties to something dark, something ancient and malevolent, were growing. It was no longer about finding just Joshua. The town was wrapped in lies, fear, and possibly… something supernatural.
They weren't fighting against just one person, however. If she truly had the Order behind her, if she'd been using the cult to maintain a stranglehold on Shepherd's Glen, then the danger was far more real than Alex had imagined. They were up against the whole system that Judge Holloway had created.
"We're going to need to be careful," Elle said, standing up to pull her jacket tighter around her. "If my mom finds out we're onto her…. I don't think she'd hesitate to do whatever it took to protect herself."
Alex nodded. "We'll be ready."
The old stories, the whispers about the Order. Everyone pretty much always dismissed them as rumors. But now, those rumors felt far more real and far more dangerous.
"What do we even know about the Order?" Elle asked. "We've heard the stories growing up, sure, but... what do they even believe in? What are they trying to do?"
Alex crossed his arms, as he tried recalling the bits and pieces of what he had heard growing up. "They worship something... some kind of god. A god that's supposed to bring paradise into our world, or at least that's what they believe. I never took it seriously, but... what if that's what this is all about?"
"You think Mom's using the town for some kind of ritual? That all of this, the disappearances, maybe deaths, are part of some plan to summon... whatever it is the Order worships?"
"It's possible," Alex said. "I mean, think about it. The town's been in decline for years. People disappearing, strange things happening, and now... What if this has been building up to something?"
Elle shook her head slowly. "But why? Why destroy the town? What does she get out of it?"
"Power. Maybe She thinks it's the only way to keep control, by bringing about this 'paradise' the Order believes in. Maybe she thinks she'll be rewarded for it, that she'll be part of whatever world comes after."
"Or maybe," Elle said, filled with dread, "she believes in it. Maybe she thinks that this 'paradise' is real. That the town has to be sacrificed to make it happen."
Alex swallowed. The idea that Judge Holloway could be using Shepherd's Glen, their home, in some ancient ritual made his skin crawl. If the Order's influence did extend into their hometown, and if Holloway had embraced their beliefs, then they weren't just dealing with corruption.
"I remember my dad mentioning something once," Alex said. "He didn't talk about it much, but he said the founding families made some kind of pact. That they owed the town's safety to it. Maybe... maybe it was a deal with the Order."
Elle's eyes widened. "So if the pact's broken, if the town's destroyed, that might be the final step of whatever ritual she's trying to complete."
"And if that's true," Alex said. "Elle, we need to stop her before it's too late."
"How the hell do we fight something like this, Alex? It's not just one person, it's a whole cult. It's the town's whole history, centuries of secrets, all adding up to whatever she's trying to do now."
Alex felt those centuries press down on him. His father, Adam, had known. He had tried to fight against Holloway's plan, and now it was up to Alex to finish what his father had started. But the question remained: how do you stop a ritual that had been in motion for generations, one rooted in ancient beliefs and blood?
"Then we find proof," Alex said finally. "We dig into the town's past, into the founding families. There has to be something, some way to break the cycle. If we can expose her, if we can show the town what's going on, we might be able to stop her before it's too late."
Elle nodded, though she was burdened by doubt. "And if we can't stop her?"
Alex hardened his gaze. "Then we fight. Fight her, fight the cult. Whatever she's trying to bring here, whatever paradise she thinks she's creating, we have to stop it. Even if it means destroying the town to save it."
The stakes had never been higher. Judge Holloway's grip on Shepherd's Glen wasn't just about power or control anymore, it was about life and death. The town's very soul was at risk, twisted by ancient beliefs and blood-soaked rituals.
"Do you think she believes it?" Elle asked quietly. "That this paradise is real?"
"If she's willing to sacrifice the entire town to make it happen, she believes in it. And that makes her even more dangerous."
Holloway wasn't just manipulating the town, she was preparing it for destruction, to fulfill some twisted vision of paradise. And unless they could find a way to stop her, everyone they knew, everything they cared about, would be lost forever.
"We start with the founding families, we'll start with Bartlett. There has to be something there with him. A record, a clue, anything that can help us understand what's going on." Alex stood help, helping Elle to her feet.
"Then let's find him. Before it's too late."
They left the house, stepping into the fog-covered streets.
Meanwhile, deep in Shepherd's Glen…
Adam Shepherd leaned over a worn-out table in an old, abandoned building on the outskirts of town. An old map of Shepherd's Glen lay in front of him, crumpled from use, marked with red circles and crosses and hastily drawn lines. His eyes were bloodshot. This wasn't the town he'd grown up in, and it wasn't the one he had tried to protect for so long. It was slipping away, piece by piece, into the hands of a monster disguised as a judge. His wife Lillian, asleep finally in the old office of the building, curled up in a sleeping bag.
James Sunderland, Adam's brother-in-law, and Alex's uncle stood across from him, arms crossed as he looked over the same map. James, unlike Adam, didn't have the burden of leaving a family tied to Shepherd's Glen, but his connection through Mary Shepherd, and his love for his nephews, made him just as invested in the conflict. His face was etched with frustration, the weight of the secrets Adam had told him hanging heavily over them.
"This goes deeper than we thought," Adam muttered. "Holloway's been setting this up for years, right under our noses. I should have seen it sooner. I should have acted sooner."
Deputy Wheeler leaned against the wall, shotgun resting in his lap. His usually sharp demeanor dimmed by the gravity of the situation they found themselves in. "We all should have, Adam. I always knew Holloway had too much control, but this? Manipulating the town, playing everyone against each other. Hell, I didn't expect she'd pull strings this far."
James sighed, stepping forward to look more closely at the map Adam had laid out. "You were doing what you thought was best, Adam. No one saw how deep her influence ran. Now, though, we need to focus on what's next. How do we stop her?"
Adam shook his head. "I don't know, James. She's got the whole town under her thumb. The Order, the founding families, they're tied to her, whether they wanted to be or not. And with Bartlett and Fitch... I don't even know if they have the strength of will to resist her anymore."
James frowned, rubbing his chin. "The Order. You've talked about them before. Do you think she's using them? For power, and control, what if it's more than just manipulating people? What if she's trying to bring back... whatever it is they worship? You know the rumors."
Adam glanced back at him, his expression was unreadable to James. "She's not just using them for control. She leads the Order. I think she believes in it. The old stories, the rituals... I've been looking into it more. The pact the founding families made wasn't just to keep the town safe. It was to keep it connected to some things that require sacrifices. Holloway sees herself as the one who'll finish it."
Wheeler's eyes widened. "Adam, you're saying she's trying to complete some kind of ritual? That she thinks she can bring this... 'god' of theirs into our world?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying, Wheeler," Adam replied, keeping his voice low and cold. "And she's willing to destroy Shepherd's Glen to do it."
The room fell into a heavy silence.
"Then we stop her. Whatever it takes." James said.
Adam nodded. "I've been fighting her for years, trying to hold this town together. I thought if I just kept my head down, and played my part, I could protect Alex... and Joshua. But that wasn't enough. She and the Order are stronger than I realized. And now, Joshua's gone, and I... I don't know if I can bring him back."
James placed a hand on Adam's shoulder. "We'll get him back, Adam. We'll stop Holloway. But we need to be smart about this. She's got too many people on her side, and we can't take her head-on. Not yet anyways."
Wheeler also spoke up. "If we can figure out how she's controlling the town, maybe we can cut off her influence. Go Get to the people who are still on the fence and convince them to stand against her with us. But we need evidence, something to expose her."
Adam sighed before responding. "The Order's rituals, the sacrifices... there has to be a way to prove it, to show the town what she's doing."
James nodded. "But we have to be careful. If she catches us working against her, she'd probably come down hard on us. And we don't know how far her reach goes. For all we know, she could have people watching us right now."
Wheeler straightened. "We'll need to move quietly. No mistakes."
Adam exhaled, his gaze returned to the map. His thoughts drifted back to Alex, who was out there somewhere, likely piecing together the same. He had tried to keep his son out of this mess, tried to protect him from the horrors. But Alex was a soldier now, and he had been drawn into the fight whether Adam liked it or not.
"Alex... he's stronger than I gave him credit for," Adam said. "I just hope he's ready for what's coming."
James exchanged a glance with Wheeler. "He'll be ready, Adam. He's tougher than you give him credit for. He's a Shepherd. He's your son."
Adam nodded, though the worry remained. "I know. I know. But we've all seen what this town can do to people. Holloway... she's going to throw everything she has at us. And if we don't stop her soon, it'll be too late."
The room went silent again as they all thought about their situation. They were up against an ancient force, a cult. Holloway wasn't just a tyrant, she was something far worse. And unless they could stop her…
James stepped forward. "We've got a lot of work to do, Adam. But we've faced worse before."
Adam gave a grim smile. "Yeah. We have. But this... this might be the hardest fight we've ever had."
Wheeler got up to his feet. "Then we'd better get started."
Together, the three men began planning their next move. They knew that time was running out. Holloway's power was growing, and the cult was closing in on them. But Adam, James, and Wheeler were determined to fight back, no matter the cost. As they prepared, Adam couldn't help but think of Alex, hoping his son would be ready for whatever lay ahead for them.
As the night moved on, Adam Shepherd, James Sunderland, and Deputy Wheeler found themselves, frustrated. They had been knocking on doors, speaking in hushed tones to the few families that Adam believed might stand with them against Judge Holloway. The results, however, had been disappointing, to say the least.
"That's the third house that's turned us away," Wheeler muttered. "It's not that they don't want to fight back, they're just too scared. Holloway's got them, and no one's willing to risk their lives or their families."
Adam let out a deep breath, rubbing his temples. The stress was beginning to catch up to him. "I know. I don't blame them. Holloway built fear around her for years. No one wants to step out of line, and the few that did... they disappeared."
"The last family we visited," James added "They didn't even open the door. I saw the curtains by the door shift, but they refused to answer. Something's wrong, Adam."
Adam nodded grimly. "The Hendersons. They've been close to the Holloways for years. But they've been... quiet of late. I thought if anyone would be willing to listen, it would be them. Now, I'm not sure if they're frightened or if they're just... gone."
"Gone? What do you mean?" Wheeler asked.
Adam lowered his voice. "I had a feeling some of the families in Shepherd's Glen aren't missing just because they're hiding. Holloway has been cleaning the house. Anyone who stood in her way, or who just might... she gets rid of them. Quietly. The Hendersons might be the latest in a long line of disappearances."
"She's covering her tracks then." James angrily muttered to himself. "Getting rid of any threats before they can turn against her. We should've seen this coming."
Adam exhaled. "We're running out of time. I thought more people would stand with us. But I guess the truth is, Holloway's grip on this town is tighter than I realized. The families aren't just afraid of what might happen, they're afraid because they know what's coming."
"Or they're being forced to help," Wheeler said. "She could be using them, just like she's been using the cult. Anyone who doesn't comply... well, only God knows what happens to them."
James nodded. "So where do we go from here, Adam? If families are either missing or too terrified to help, how do we take Holloway down?"
Adam was silent for a long moment, eyes focused on the map. His mind was racing with the past, of old alliances, broken trust, and secrets that he had tried to keep hidden for so long. Now, it felt like everything was coming back to haunt him.
"We can't do this alone," Adam said finally. "We need to expose her. If we can show the town what she's doing, that if we can just prove that she's manipulating the Order, that she's sacrificing the town for her twisted rituals, then maybe we can turn the tide."
Wheeler shook his head. "And how do you plan to do that, Adam? We've been trying to gather evidence, but so far we've got nothing. Just lots of rumors and stories."
"There's one place we haven't checked yet," Adam said eyes narrowing as the idea took shape in his mind. "The Hall of Records. It's where the founding families kept all their documents, their agreements, and the original pact with the Order. If there's proof that Holloway's been manipulating the town, it'll be there."
James raised an eyebrow. "You think she hasn't already cleaned it out? If she's as thorough as we think she is, she might've already destroyed any evidence linking her to the Order."
"It's possible," Adam admitted. "But it's the only lead we have left."
"Then we head to the Hall of Records. Tonight. Before Holloway realizes what we're up to." Wheeler said, straightening himself up.
Adam nodded, "We'll need to move quickly. The longer we wait, the more dangerous this is going to get. Holloway's not going to sit idly by while we dig into the town's past."
Holloway's reach seemed to extend everywhere, her influence corrupting everything it touched.
James glanced at Adam as they walked. "You think we can stop her? After everything she's done?"
Adam was unwavering. "We have to. For Mary. For Alex. For Joshua. For everyone who's been caught in her web."
They quickly moved through the town, keeping to the shadows as they made their way to the Hall of Records. The streets were quiet, save for the occasional creak or the wind through the trees.
As they approached the Hall, Wheeler stopped, looking over his shoulder. "Something's off. You feel that?"
James tensed "We're being watched."
Adam scanned the streets, his hand moving to the handgun he holstered. "Holloway's eyes are everywhere. Stay sharp."
They slipped inside the Hall of Records, The building hadn't been used in years, and it was clear that no one had maintained it. Papers were strewn about, and old ledgers sat forgotten on shelves.
"This place gives me the creeps," Wheeler muttered as he pulled out a flashlight.
"Keep looking," Adam ordered. "There has to be something here that connects Holloway to the Order."
They began sifting through the old documents. The town's future, and possibly their own lives, depended on what they found hidden in these forgotten records.
Adam stood silently, staring at the rows of documents. Wheeler and James sifted through the old files, their hushed voices in the background. But Adam's mind wasn't on the papers or even on the evidence they so desperately wanted. His thoughts were on Alex, his son, a soldier.
It had all come down to this. Holloway had tightened her grip on the town, and his attempts to fight back had hit a wall. Now, he was running out of options, running out of time. And Alex... his son, his only hope, had returned just when Shepherd's Glen was on the edge.
Adam's chest tightened. He had tried to protect Alex from all of this of course. From the town's dark legacy. From the truth behind the founding families and the cursed pact, they had all made. But now, there was no more shielding him. Alex had already been pulled into it all, and soon enough he would learn everything, from the cult, and the sacrifices, to the real reason Joshua was gone.
Adam couldn't delay it any longer. He knew what he had to do.
"Either I recruit him into this rebellion against Holloway", Adam thought, "or I pray to God he escapes this cursed town while he still can."
But deep down, of course, Adam knew there was no escape. Not for him. Not for Alex. Not for anyone who joined him in his rebellion. The pact wouldn't let him go until it had taken everything from them.
He could hope that Alex would find some way to get out, find some crack in the town, but Adam knew the truth. This town had a hold on them. The Order, Holloway, and the pact, it was all connected. The only way to break free was to stop Holloway and dismantle the system she had built.
Adam clenched his fists as his resolve hardened. He had spent too many years running from his responsibilities as a Shepherd. He had tried to hide Alex from the truth, hoping to keep him safe. But Alex was stronger than that. He was a soldier now. A survivor. And Adam realized he couldn't do this without him. The rebellion against Holloway was crumbling before it truly began. The other families were either too terrified or already taken. If there was one person left in this town who could help him fight back now, it was Alex.
But what would Alex even say? Would he follow Adam into battle? After all the lies, the secrets he had kept from him? And if Adam brought Alex into the fight, would he ever forgive him once he learned the truth about his brother Joshua? About the founding families, about the ritual that had cursed their town?
Adam shook his head. He didn't have the luxury of time anymore. Holloway was just too powerful. Her grip on power was too tight. If they were going to stop her, it had to be now or never.
"Adam?" James' voice broke through his thoughts, pulling him back. "You find anything?"
Adam blinked and refocused his attention on the room and the mission. "Not yet, James. But we need to keep looking. If we don't find something soon, it won't matter what we know, Holloway will have already won."
James nodded, but his eyes narrowed as he studied his brother-in-law. "You're thinking about Alex? Aren't you"
Adam hesitated, then sighed. "Yeah. I don't have a choice anymore, James. I've been trying to protect him, from all of this, keep him out of this mess... but we can't do it alone. I need him now."
James raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's the right call? You know what bringing him in means. He's going to find out everything."
"I know," Adam said. "But I don't have a choice. Either I bring him into the fight now, or we all lose. Holloway's not just going to stop at controlling the town, she's going to bring something far worse. And if we don't stop her..."
"You're betting a lot on Alex," James said carefully. "You think he's ready for this? It's one thing to be a soldier. It's another to face your family, and the town you grew up in."
Adam looked away. "He's ready. He has to be."
James didn't press the issue. He knew Adam was right. If they didn't recruit Alex now, they might not have a chance later. Holloway's power was growing, and the longer they waited, the more dangerous she became.
Adam exhaled and pushed away from the table, walking over to the door. "Let's finish up here. I need to go find Alex before Holloway does."
His heart pounded with the decision he had just made. Whether or not Alex was ready didn't matter anymore. He needed his son to join him in the fight. Because if they didn't stop Holloway now, Shepherd's Glen and everyone in it would be lost forever.