Chapter 21 – Out of the Water
Alex drifted down into the cold, dark depths of the lake and consciousness began slipping away like the water through his fingers. His mind, disoriented and weary from the previous fight, latched onto the last image that appeared within him, of his brother, Joshua.
For a brief moment, he saw Joshua's face clearly, just as he remembered it, young, innocent, and untouched by the horrors that had torn their family apart. His eyes were wide and bright, filled with curiosity and wonder that Alex had never seen in himself.
"Joshua…" he muttered, the name bubbling from his lips as the water pulled him deeper. Memories flooded his mind in a rush, images of his childhood, laughter on the Shore of Toluca Lake, the two of them racing through the woods, their secret games, and their time of bonding. It had all been shattered and broken beyond repair between them.
Guilt clawed at him even now. He'd wanted to protect Joshua, to make up for all the times he'd failed. But he'd been too late. He was always too late. And now, here he was again, caught in a literal abyss, leaving his family vulnerable, unable to save anyone.
"Joshua… I'll… find you," he whispered, his words lost in the icy depths. A strange, almost comforting warmth overtook him, and his vision blurred as the last traces of light faded. But even as he slipped away, determination remained behind in his heart. It was a faint spark that refused to be put out by the water.
And in that moment, Alex felt a strange pull, as though something far beyond him was calling out. Joshua's face faded into darkness, and yet… he couldn't shake the feeling that his brother was still out there, somehow, somewhere, waiting for him.
The darkness and water around Alex gave way to an all too familiar chaos, and suddenly he was back on a battlefield, but this one was different. He blinked, disoriented, his mind struggling at the sights and sounds assaulting his senses. Explosions echoed around him, not from the streets of Baghdad, but here, in Shepherd's Glen. His hometown was now a war zone, covered in smoke and fire, buildings crumbled around him, and windows shattered.
Amidst the flashes of fire and suffocating smoke, Alex saw a figure darting through the rubble. His heart leaped as he recognized the small, familiar form. Joshua.
"Joshua!" he yelled, forcing himself up and moving through the thick smoke. But the boy didn't stop. He only ran faster, slipping between the broken remains of what used to be houses in their neighborhood. Alex pushed forward, sprinting through the debris, his pulse pounding in his ears. "Wait! Josh, don't run!"
But just as he closed in, something moved in the shadows, it was a twisted figure with jagged, unnatural limbs, skin pulled tight over sharp bones, faces without eyes, their bodies contorted into grotesque shapes that defied reason. They were monsters, the horrors he'd come to know all too well. Yet they were somehow… different. They lurched toward him, their rasping breaths filling the air, clawed fingers reaching out for him.
Alex's hand went instinctively to his belt, but his rifle, his handgun, everything was gone. All he had left was his trusty combat knife, pressing into his palm as he gripped it tight. The creatures circled him, and he took a defensive stance. He had fought them before and faced unimaginable things, but this was different. This was Shepherd's Glen. And his brother was out there, alone.
"Come on!" Alex yelled, readying himself as the first creature lunged forward, all sinew and bone. He sidestepped and slashed it with the knife, the blade connected with a sickening crunch. The creature let out a screech, but it was relentless, its distorted limbs swinging wildly.
More were closing in, each one like a nightmare come to life. Alex fought them with everything he had, moving in and out, cutting and dodging, the creatures' shrieks and groans merged with the sounds of explosions and distant screams. His mind was telling him to keep moving, to find Joshua, but the monsters wouldn't let him pass.
Breathing hard, he scanned the chaos around him, his eyes darted from shadow to shadow, the knife in his hand slick with blood. His grip tightened. He wasn't going to stop, no matter how many of these things he had to cut through.
As Alex pressed forward, he caught a glimpse of one creature stumbling toward him, her head twitched in sharp, unnatural jerks and her face was obscured by bandages. The figure was dressed in a tattered nurse's uniform, her form hauntingly familiar. More of them appeared from the smoke, swaying as if caught in a trance, their vacant eyes hidden beneath stained bandages, their once-white uniforms spattered in dark stains that might have been dried blood or rust.
Another memory of his clawed its way to the surface, he was back in the hospital overseas, his body screaming in pain, shrapnel lodged into his flesh from an IED explosion. Nurses had moved through the dim ward, faces detached, hands mechanical as they worked on him. The feeling had been clinical, cold, and unfeeling.
One of these nurses lunged forward, a metal pipe in hand, swinging it at his head. Alex ducked her blow just barely missing him as it whistled through the air. He wanted to strike back, to end her threat, but he knew every second he wasted here was a second Joshua could slip further away and further away from him.
Gritting his teeth, he dove past her, narrowly avoiding another nurse who reached for him. His chest heaved as he tore through the smoke and rubble, pushing himself to go harder, faster. The monsters' moans and metallic footsteps echoed behind him, but he forced himself to ignore them, to keep his focus solely on Joshua. He would fight through anything, or anyone, endure any hell, just to find him.
"Josh!" he called out again, desperation in his voice as he searched the broken streets for any sign of his brother. He couldn't let him slip away. Not again.
The streets twisted and darkened around him, and for a brief moment, he thought he saw a small figure ducking behind a nearby building. Without hesitation, Alex sprinted after it, his heart pounding with a painful, relentless urgency.
Nothing was going to stand between Alex and his brother, not the monsters clawing at him, not the smoke that filled his lungs, not even the remnants of the town that had once been his home. He shoved one nurse aside, feeling her brittle bones crack beneath his grip, then turned to wrestle with another, forcing her back and sending her into the others. One creature lunged, and he met it with a hard punch, feeling the impact ripple through his arm. He didn't care. He was unstoppable. He had to be.
Bursting from the chaos, Alex stumbled back onto the open street, and his gaze fell on something that stopped him, a small, faded Robbie the Rabbit doll, its pink fur worn and stained with blood. It was Joshua's favorite toy. The one he'd clutched through so many nights, back when they were kids. Alex's heart twisted at the sight.
He knelt, gripping the doll tight. Joshua was here. He was close.
The sounds of distant chanting drifted toward him, muffled yet unmistakable. The Order. Holloway. She and her cult were lurking somewhere in the shadows, thinking they could keep him from his brother. The rage in Alex flared, igniting his muscles with renewed strength. They thought they could keep him away, twist his family, to hold Joshua hostage like some twisted bargaining chip.
"Think again," he muttered, his fingers tightening around the knife as he rose. His jaw clenched, his mind sharpened to a single purpose, he would find Joshua, and nothing in Shepherd's Glen or Silent Hill would stand in his way. He took a step forward, knowing that if it meant walking through hell to save his brother, he would do it without a second thought.
And this time, no one, not Holloway, not the Order, not these monsters, would ever stop him.
Through the smoke and shadows, Alex's heart pounded as he spotted a small figure huddled on the ground, shoulders shaking as soft, broken sobs reached his ears. Joshua. He was crouched there, clutching his knees, lost and afraid, his head bowed low.
"Joshua!" Alex yelled, holding out the faded Robbie the Rabbit doll, his voice with hope and desperation. He pushed forward, closing the distance as fast as possible, each step bringing him closer to his brother.
But before he could reach him, shadowy hands erupted from the darkness, grabbing at his arms and legs, clawing and pulling him back. He twisted and slashed at them, his knife slicing through flesh, but for everyone that fell away, two more took its place. Twisted forms, monstrous faces, and grasping hands surrounded him, their snarls filling his ears as they clawed and dragged him down.
"Joshua! Hold on!" Alex shouted, thrashing against the swarm, but there were just too many. They wrapped around his arms, and his legs, pulling him down, forcing him to the ground. He fought them with every ounce of strength he had, kicking and pushing, but they were just overwhelming.
Through the mob, he saw Joshua lift his head, eyes wide and full of tears, looking directly at him, his face filled with fear. Alex reached out to him, every fiber of his being focused on closing that gap.
"Joshua! Josh! I'm right here!" he called out. But the monsters held him firm, pressing him down, clawing and shrieking, blocking his path to his brother.
"Joshua!" Alex screamed, his vision blurring as he fought, his hand stretched toward the boy who seemed to drift further and further away, slipping beyond his grasp.
The darkness swallowed him whole again, dragging him down until there was nothing left but the void and the echo of his brother's name fading from his lips. Then, a sudden jolt. A burst of coldness. Alex's lungs screamed for air as he awoke, coughing and choking, water spilling from his mouth as he gasped for breath.
He blinked, disoriented, his body trembled with exhaustion. Strong hands held him steady, guiding him through each ragged breath, and as his vision cleared, he found himself looking into the face of his father, Adam Shepherd. His father's face was pale, his eyes shadowed with worry, but relief flickered there, quiet but unmistakable.
"Alex," Adam murmured, his voice rough and raw, yet there was an unmistakable note of gratitude in his tone. He sat back, giving Alex space as he spat up more water, his lungs aching with each desperate breath. "I thought…" Adam's voice trailed off, but his expression said everything. For a split second, Alex saw his vulnerability, the loss his father carried in silence. He had nearly lost both of his sons.
Alex managed a weak smile. "Guess I'm… tougher than I look," he croaked.
Adam's lips curved into a grim smile, his expression softened by a flicker of pride. "Tougher than most," he said, his hand gripping Alex's shoulder with a strength that conveyed more than words ever could. But there was something else in his gaze, determination, hardened by the battles they'd already fought and the ones still waiting.
"You rest," Adam ordered, patting Alex's shoulder as he rose. "We're not out of this yet, son. Not by a long shot."
Alex's eyes scanned his surroundings, taking in the cold, damp sand beneath him, the misty shoreline of Toluca Lake stretching out just a few feet away. Adam had dragged him from the lake, hauling him to dry land with whatever strength he had left after the ambush. But as his father's words sank in, anger flared in Alex's chest, sharp and hot.
"We were attacked," Adam began. "The Order ambushed us out there on the water. They came down on us hard, like they were waiting for the right moment. I saw you go under, Alex, and I-" He paused, his gaze darkened as he swallowed. "I didn't have a choice. I had to make a decision, to save you… or to go after your mother and Elle."
Alex's jaw clenched, fury tightening every muscle in his body. "You could've saved them both," he snapped back, voice thick with anger. "You could've saved Mom and Elle-."
Adam's eyes were hard and weary, but beneath it all was a pain that Alex recognized, even if he didn't want to admit it. "You don't think I wanted to, Alex?" Adam replied, his voice low but fierce. "I thought, God, I thought I was going to lose you right there. I thought I'd lose everyone." His hand ran through his wet hair as he struggled to explain, guilt threaded through every word. "There was no time to think, Alex. You went under, and all I could see was my son disappearing. I couldn't…"
Alex's fists clenched, his head pounding with the memory of sinking, of fighting for air, of the weight of helplessness. But he knew his father's words, as painful as they were, held truth. Still, anger and sorrow churned within him, and the need to save his family gnawed at him.
"And what about them?" he asked, his voice soft but laced with bitterness. "What about Mom? Elle? Where are they now, Dad?"
Adam's face twisted in frustration and regret, but he didn't look away. "We're going to find them, Alex. I swear to you, we'll find them. And we'll save Wheeler and Uncle James too" He placed a hand on Alex's shoulder, grounding him in reality.
But Alex's heart still pounded with the image of Lillian and Elle, their faces disappearing into the darkness as he sank below the surface.
Alex's frustration boiled over. "You always had a choice, didn't you?" he spat, voice harsh. "Before, you chose to treat me like I didn't matter compared to Josh, chose to sacrifice me back then to the Order's demands, and then chose not to do it. And now, you're telling me you jumped in to save me when you could've chosen to save Mom and Elle?"
Adam's expression hardened, shadowed by a mixture of pain and anger. He took a step closer, his gaze unwavering. "So, would you have preferred to drown, Alex? Is that what you're saying?"
Alex felt his father's words like a blow, and his anger faltered, flickering with guilt and confusion. "No, that's not what I mean," he muttered, looking away. "I just... I don't understand why it's always been like this between us. Why there's always been a choice to make, and somehow, I'm never the one you choose, until now."
Adam let out a heavy sigh, his eyes filled with something that Alex couldn't place. It wasn't just regretted; it was years of unspoken words, of withheld explanations, a wall Alex had been trying to break down his entire life.
"Look, Alex," Adam began, his tone quieter this time, but no less firm, "I never wanted to make you feel like that. Never. But some choices aren't as clear-cut as you think. It's not just about who I wanted to save or not save." He searched Alex's face as if looking for something he hadn't been able to see until now. "It's about what I've been able to live with. And trust me, son, I've lived with a lot."
Alex's anger softened, if only for a moment. The words stung less with each passing second, but the sting still lingered. He swallowed, unable to find a response, caught between the bitterness he felt and a flickering understanding he wasn't yet ready to embrace.
Alex took a deep breath, pushing the tension between them aside for now. They were hidden safely away on the beach, but that safety felt temporary at best. He glanced toward his father, deciding a change in topic might help ease the strain. "So what about your old squad mates, Dad?" he asked, an idea forming. "Any of them… could they help us?"
Adam's expression darkened with a mix of regret and resignation. He shook his head slowly. "I already tried, son. They're not exactly around anymore."
"What do you mean?" Alex pressed.
Adam sighed, his gaze drifting as though searching through the memories. "Steve? He died about five years ago. Extreme sports accident biking in the Grand Canyon. Thought he'd go out like the hero he was, but that was a bad call on his part. Dave… well, he got himself thrown in jail for… let's just say he took his training a bit too far on the wrong guy. And Jack? He went full conspiracy nut. Moved off-grid in Alaska, claims he's hiding out from aliens, blue gems, and… something to do with a talking dog." Adam's lip curled faintly in a hint of a smile. "Said it was 'government property'."
Alex's eyebrows rose despite himself. "A talking dog? Seriously?"
"Yeah," Adam said with a faint chuckle. "Jack always had a vivid imagination, but he's… let's just say he's not coming back to civilization anytime soon."
Adam let out a short laugh, shaking his head as he added, "Oh, and Bill. Do you remember him? He's... well, he's a different guy these days. Put on about a hundred pounds when he was all muscles before, moved to Hawaii. He's selling real estate now and runs a pastry shop with his, uh, partner." A faint smile tugged at Adam's lips. "Your mom and I visited him a few years back. I have never seen a happier man. We spent the whole trip drinking his homemade rum and Coke and eating grilled shrimp on the beach. Man practically lived in flip-flops."
Alex couldn't help but smile at the image. "Bill always seemed pretty intense back then," he mused. "Hard to imagine him settling down like that."
"Yeah, it surprised me too. Guess he just found what he wanted out there." Adam's face softened for a moment, a glimpse of a more contented time passing between them. "Still, he's happier than I ever thought he'd be, happier than I'd ever seen him in all those years of service."
"So, it's just us now, Alex."
Just the two of them, against an army of cultish fanatics and whatever nightmares Silent Hill and Shepherd's Glen still held in store.
Alex ran a hand through his damp hair, his gaze steady on his father. "So… what's the plan now?"
Adam gave him a reassuring nod. "First things first: rest up, get dry. We've both been through hell today, and we both need our strength. We lost the guns in the lake, but…" He paused, a hint of a smirk crossing his face. "I've got a little something stashed nearby. Just in case."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me you planned for a situation where we'd end up stranded on a beach without weapons?"
Adam shrugged, the hint of a smile lingering. "It pays to be resourceful, Alex. I kept a bow and some arrows hidden nearby, just in case. They aren't much, but they'll do until we can scavenge more. Besides," he added, glancing toward the shadowed tree line, "sometimes the old ways work better in a place like this. Silent. Unseen."
Alex took a steadying breath, feeling ignited. "Whatever Holloway's got planned… we'll face it together."
Adam nodded, his gaze hardening. "Damn right, we will."