Chapter 7 – The Safe House

The makeshift safe house was thick with tension. Adam Shepherd stood over a workbench, methodically stripping down a handgun, his m1911, a .45 caliber handgun, piece by piece. His movements were practiced, precise, almost by second nature. On the table opposite to him, James sat quietly, watching Adam work. His own hands were resting on the weapon that Adam had given him. Each piece weighed on him, physically and mentally, as if they carried a certain responsibility.

"I'm not giving you ammo until you can show me you know what you're doing," Adam said, not looking up. "A gun is a tool, nothing more. But if you don't know how to handle it, it's a danger to you as anyone else."

James nodded, he understood the logic. But he couldn't shake the strain of memories, bad memories. The last time he held a gun, things had ended badly. Silent Hill changed him and left a mark on him that never really healed. But they couldn't falter now, not with the Order breathing down their necks.

Wheeler had been leaning up against a nearby wall and gave a soft chuckle. "James, you better get that muscle memory down. Adam's a real hard ass when it comes to guns."

James gave a half chuckle. "I just don't want to blow my hand off proving I can strip a gun."

Adam slid the final piece into his gun, reassembling it with quick and practiced hands. "Alright, enough talk. Your turn, Sunderland. Strip it, clean it, and then resemble it. Don't rush. Accuracy over speed."

James took a deep breath and began working. The cold metal felt strange in his hands, the clank reminding him of something he had buried in the past, something dark. Of Mary. Of Silent Hill. Those thoughts had tried to worm their way to the surface. But he pushed them down. "Focus, James. Focus." He told himself.

He started by removing the magazine, then checked the chamber just like Adam showed him. Then, he began to carefully dismantle the gun. He could feel Deputy Wheeler's eyes on him, but the pressure didn't bother him much. This wasn't about proving something to them, it was about survival.

Slowly but steadily, the pieces came apart in his hands. Each piece was meticulously cleaned, wiping away any dust and oil that had accumulated. As he worked, he felt a strange sense of calm wash over him, the process almost a meditative experience. No more drifting back to the past. He needed to be here now.

After a while, James reassembled the gun, every piece sliding back into place with a satisfying click. He placed it back on the table in front who Adam, who looked it over with an unreadable face.

"Not bad," Adam said after taking a moment to inspect the freshly resembled weapon. He pushed a box of ammunition towards James. "You're ready. Don't make me regret it, Sunderland."

James picked up the box and nodded. "I won't."

"Good job, man," Wheeler said, stepping forward. "Now, let's just hope you don't have to use it."

James forced a smile, but… The Order wasn't going to back down either.

As they gathered their gear, Adam pulled James aside out of Wheeler's sight. He kept his low, but deadly serious. "James, I know that this isn't easy for you. You've been through a lot, we all have. I do not doubt that Silent Hill messed you up. But right now, you need to be sharp. We're not just fighting for survival, we're fighting for the people we care about. Got that?"

"I get it." James nodded. "I won't let you down, Adam."

Adam kept his hard, but it wasn't unkind. "I hope not. Because there's more coming your way than just gun training. We're going to need you."

James kept cleaning the parts of the gun that Adam gave him. He looked back up at Adam with a faint smile. "I always wondered how you and I managed to cross paths. To be honest I thought you were trying to scare me off Mary way back then."

Adam chuckled, it felt like such a long time since he allowed himself to. He shook his head as he tightened his gear. "Nah, if I wanted to scare you off, you'd know. Trust me. You were a …. Different sort of man. I wasn't about to run off the one guy who'd made her smile."

James's smile faded at the memory. "But you did try to scare me a little back then, didn't you? You were intense when we met."

Adam leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms. "No, but I did have to scare some creep off once. The kid wouldn't take Mary's 'no' for an answer. So one day six of my Green Beret buddies showed up, and let's just say that after, he started understanding the word 'no' real quick."

James said an eyebrow as he heard that. "You didn't kill him? Did you?"

Adam snorted. "Not my style. Besides, when six Special Forces guys show up, you don't need to kill anyone. Just making sure he knew Mary wasn't someone to mess with."

James nodded, taking the story in stride. "Guess I was lucky not to get the same 'special' treatment."

"Like I said, Sunderland," Adam replied "You weren't the kind of guy I needed to scare off. I think Mary saw something in you." He paused, then added. "You were a good man to her."

"I tried," James said somberly.

Adam watched him for another moment as James continued cleaning. "Now finish up. When you're done, you'll get ammo. Can't let you go unarmed out there. Got to know the gear inside and out."

James nodded and continued working on the task in front of him. He could feel Adam's respect for him had grown over time. Maybe in moments like these, he'd earned a little of it back."

"You know," James laughed softly as he continued working. "That first time you took me out hunting, I thought you were taking me out there to leave me for dead. It crossed my mind more than once."

"What? You think I'm that cold-blooded?" Adam raised an eyebrow, amused. "Nah, we're just big on the outdoors in this family. Good for clearing your head. Besides," he added with a grin, "that's not my style."

James chuckled and shook his head. "That's good to know. But back then… I wasn't so sure. I mean it wasn't like I made the best first impression."

"Honestly? I didn't know what Mary saw in you at the time. Took me a while to figure it out. But she did, and that's all that mattered. Guess I was testing you."

"Testing me?" James repeated. "So all those times in the woods, was just a test?"

Adam shrugged "Call it what you want. Had to know what kind of man you were. How you handled the pressure." He paused, looking more serious. "And to see if you'd run."

"Well, I didn't run," James said meeting Adam's eyes.

No, you didn't." Adam said with a nod. "Guess that's when I started figuring out why Mary stuck by you."

James continued listening to Adam as he worked on the gun. Their conversation was shifting from shared history to something else.

"You know," Adam said, growing his tone more serious. "Despite everything, there's something we both shared. We loved Mary. Me, her older brother, and you, the husband."

James looked up from the gun, meeting Adam's gaze. In his eyes, James could see his raw sincerity. "Yeah," James replied quickly. "I loved her more than anything else. I know you did too."

Adam let a faint show of vulnerability show. "Mary was… special. She was a big part of our lives. Even though we started on the wrong foot, we both had her in our hearts."

"I guess that's something that never changed. Even with everything else that's happened."

Adam slowly approached James and put a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, she's the reason we're here now. Fighting to make things right."

James returned the gesture. There was an unspoken understanding between the two men. They both mourned their shared loss and in that pain, they found a bond stronger than any past grievances.

"I know what happened between you and Mary, James," Adam said, voice quiet but firm. I know you were the one to finally put her out of her misery."

James looked back at him in shock and guilt He had never expected anyone to come out and say it, least of all, Adam.

"How..?" James started

"You think I wouldn't figure it out? After everything? I'm not blind, James. I knew what kind of pain she was in, and the pain you were in too."

James swallowed hard, though he had made peace with Mary all those many years ago in Silent Hill, the guilt never really went away. It had been festering inside him for so long. "I didn't want to… I… I just couldn't watch her suffer anymore."

Adam was silent for a moment. Then he signed and sat in a chair next to Adam. "I loved my sister, James. And if I'm honest, I hated the idea of losing her. I hated that it was you in the end with her, not me."

"Adam, I-"

"But," Adam cut him off. "I knew Mary wouldn't want to have lived like that. You did what you thought was right."

James struggled to find the right words. "You don't hate me?"

Adam just shook his head. "No. I hated the situation. I hated that it came for her. But I don't hate you for it, James. I know the man you are. I know you loved her."

James let out a breath. "I never wanted to hurt her."

"Neither did I. But some things, we can't control."

For a moment, neither of the men spoke. The air was thick with the shared grief of the two men who had deeply loved the same woman. They had lost the same woman. It was grim, but the truth.

Adam sat quietly for a moment, holding back his anger. It wasn't blamed for James, but something else, something darker.

"You know," Adam, "I've had a lot of time to think about what happened to Mary."

James looked up, the guilt still thick in his chest.

"It wasn't just you, James. It wasn't just her sickness," Adam continued, his voice gaining more anger. "It was them. The Order. All that madness... they killed her. Maybe not with their hands, but in every other way, they destroyed her."

Adam's fists clenched on the table. "She got caught up in something she never should've been a part of. And by the time it was too late, they'd already sunk their claws into her, into us. The rituals, the sacrifices... all of it." His voice cracked slightly, betraying a depth of emotion James had never seen in him. "They broke her long before her body gave out."

Adam paused then continued, grimly. "The Order ruined so many lives. Mary's death was just one of their many casualties. You did what you thought was mercy, James. But they're the ones who made her suffer in the first place."

"At the time, I've always blamed myself. I always thought it was my fault."

"And it's time we made them pay for it."

Adam leaned against the workbench, glancing at the hunting rifle laid out in front of him. "You know what we're up against, right?" he said, looking up at James.

James nodded. "Holloway, a zealot. You said she controls most of the town?"

"More than that. She is the town, James. Holloway's got her claws in everything—the police, the local government, the people. Most of them, they don't even question it anymore. She's made them believe the sacrifices, the Order, are the only thing keeping them safe."

"From what?"

"From themselves, from Silent Hill, from their God, from whatever the Order will do to them if they don't," Adam muttered bitterly. "That's the truth of what this town is."

"And Alex? He knows what's going on?"

Adam hesitated, his eyes narrowing as if he were choosing his next words carefully. "Alex... I'm not sure what to do with him. He's all I have left."

"But he's back from the army, right? He'd know how to fight, wouldn't he?"

Adam looked down, waving it off. "Maybe… But I don't want to get him involved if I don't have to. He's…he's seen enough already."

"Adam," James said carefully. , "If Alex can help, he needs to know what's going on. We're not dealing with normal people here."

"I know." Adam let out a long sigh, rubbing his temples. "I know. But Joshua-" He stopped himself, shaking his head as if to clear the thought. "It's complicated."

"What about Joshua?" James frowned.

Adam quickly changed the subject. "Look, I'll give you a crash course in what you need to know. A little first aid, some combatives. Basic stuff. If Holloway comes for us, I want you ready."

James watched him for a moment, recognizing that Adam was hiding something painful. There was something deep and personal about his refusal to talk about Joshua. Now wasn't the time to push it.

Adam moved over to the hunting rifle, picking it up and checking the sights. "Just... if it comes down to it, we need to be prepared. Holloway's not going to stop, and she'll use whatever she can to break us. That's how she works. Psychological, physical, spiritual, everything's a weapon to her."

. "I get it. We'll be ready."

Adam paused, his voice lowering. "And James, when the time comes, if something happens to me, don't let Alex get sucked into this. You may be his uncle, but … He's still got a chance."

James nodded solemnly "I won't let that happen."

Meanwhile, over at the Shepherd's Glen power plant, a group of cultists had been busy. The light from their flashlights danced across the wires as they worked swiftly, guided by the whispers of their leader's orders. One of them glanced nervously over his shoulder before cutting through the final connection.

The entire town of Shepherd's Glen was plunged into total darkness.

Back at Judge Holloway's house, Elle was in the middle of her shower, washing her hair when the lights went out, and the water's temperature suddenly turned cold. She cursed under her breath, shutting the water off and stepping out quickly, wrapping a towel around herself as she shivered from the sudden temperature change.

"Oh, what the hell?" she muttered, rubbing her arms against the cold as she stumbled through the now pitch-black bathroom. "Doesn't anything work around here?"

Elle groped around for something familiar, eventually finding the door handle. She stepped out into the hallway, frustrated. Shepherd's Glen was already eerie what with the fog outside, but the sudden loss of power put her on edge.

Fumbling through the drawers in the hallway closet, she found a small flashlight. Clicking it on, a weak beam cut through the darkness, and she let out a small breath of relief. "At least something in this house works."

She dressed quickly in the dim light and made her way through the house, wondering what had caused the outage. "Power's probably out for the whole town," she thought aloud, pacing around the living room. "Great, no late-night horror movie marathon for this girl."

She pulled out her phone, trying to check for any signal, but the lack of bars confirmed her suspicion. No signal either. Something was wrong. Elle's instincts told her she needed to find Alex or Adam. Whatever was happening, they'd know what to do.

Her flashlight flickered slightly, and her heart skipped a beat. "Don't you dare die on me," she demanded to the flashlight, tapping it with her fingers. The beam steadied, and she exhaled.