Chapter 13 – The Reunion

The dim light within the Shepherd's Glen police station made the old office where he stood, barely visible. Adam Shepherd held his head over an old map of the town. His face began to show the fatigue that came with years of guilt and war against the Order.

Alex hesitated, staring at the man he felt he no longer knew. Though they shared a conversation a few days ago, the two didn't feel much of an understanding of one another. His father had always been so distant, cold, and detached. Alex would often find himself wondering why there was a wedge that had driven them apart. Now, after all that had happened, the chaos, the monsters, and the deaths of Mayor Bartlett and Dr. Fitch, Alex felt that he couldn't avoid this any longer.

Wheeler backed away from them, arms crossed, eyes catching theirs. He cleared his throat and gave an excuse to leave the room, giving space between father and son. Alex's Uncle, James Sunderland remained by the window, hands in his pockets, gazing out at the fog swallowing the streets.

The room remained motionless for a second.

Finally, Adam looked up, his exhausted eyes looking into Alex's. For a moment, his features almost softened before suddenly hardening again. "Alex," he began, the first to break the silence. "I never thought, after everything, that you'd come back here."

Alex stepped forward, unable to form the words. The truth was, he never thought he was going to come back either. Not to this. "I didn't have much of a choice," he said. "The town … it's falling apart.

Adam nodded. "I know. I should have stopped it. I should have protected you… and Joshua.

The mention of his brother brought an ache in his chest. Questions that were never answered, the uncertainty of what had become of Joshua, his little brother. How was he to talk about his brother when he knew full well there was something far more sinister occurring?

Adam turned away, pacing the room to somehow sidestep speaking what neither wanted to discuss. "I failed you, Alex," he muttered. "I was supposed to be your father… but I wasn't. I couldn't be."

The newfound vulnerability in the voice of his fathers shook Alex. The cold, distant man who had raised him from a baby was unraveling right before his eyes. "Why?" Alex asked. "Why were you so distant growing up? You shut me out, Dad. My whole life."

Adam stopped his pacing and turned to face him. "I was afraid, Alex. Afraid of what was happening in this town, of what I had to do… of the Order. But more than that, I was afraid of losing you. The Order took my sister Mary, your aunt, and James's wife because I refused to join the Order. You were just a boy yourself then. And because of that, I kept my distance. I thought it would keep you safe." He swallowed hard as he fought to keep his composure. "But it didn't. It just pushed you away."

The fists clenched at his sides as anger and sadness swirled together like a storm of emotion. "You never told me that about Aunt Mary! You never told me anything! Not about the Order, not about Joshua, not about what's going on in this town. I've been trying to work it out with Elle, and it's been hell."

Adam' looked on in regret. "I know, I thought I protected you by keeping you out of it, but I see now that was wrong. This town consumes everyone. I just didn't want it to consume you too."

A long silence followed again.

James Sunderland, who up to that point hadn't said a word came closer to them, his voice was firm but flooded with emotion. "Adam wasn't the only one who failed. I should've been there to see it coming for you and Joshua too. Mary and I were part of this family too, but I have been too caught up in my pain, and this is something I didn't notice."

Alex turned to his uncle, memories of him fuzzy from the years of absence. There had been a silent tension too between his father and James. It was always something that Alex didn't understand but now did. He could see it in James's eyes, that same amount of guilt his father carried, a shared burden between the two.

"Uncle James…," Alex started. He was just another ghost of his past, somebody who'd drifted away after Aunt Mary's death. Now he stood here, in the middle of all this madness, like some kind of fate was dragging him back.

James nodded. "We've all got our demons, Alex. But what's going on here? It's not just the past haunting us, this is something else. What Judge Holloway has planned is tearing everything apart, and if we don't put a stop to her, there won't be anything left.

Alex looked from his father to his uncle and back again. He knew they were right.

Adam leaned in further "I don't expect you to trust me, not after what I've done… or what I didn't do. But I'm asking for your help now, Alex. We need to stop Holloway and the Order. If we don't, this town will take everything from us. And Joshua…

The mention of Joshua once more caused Alex's heart to one more skip. He had to find his brother, had to know whether Joshua was even alive if there was still hope. But could he put aside his anger long enough to fight alongside his father?

"I'm not doing this for you," Alex said. "I'm doing this for Joshua. For Elle. For this town."

Adam nodded. "That's all I can ask."

From the corner, Wheeler reappeared, face grim. "We don't have much time, Adam. Holloway's men are closing in on us. If we're going to take her down, we need to move fast."

Alex looked across at Elle, who hadn't uttered a single word during the exchange. She gave him a reassuring nod. Her eyes told him she'd be with him to the end, no matter what.

Alex could feel one more thing gnawing at him, Joshua. Despite the plans to fight Holloway, the mystery of his brother's fate loomed larger. And Adam still wasn't talking.

Alex shifted and looked towards his father. "Dad, we need to talk about Joshua. You've been avoiding it, and I can't do this anymore without knowing what happened to him."

Adam's hardened his face once more and turned away from Alex's. The distance between father and son, which had shrunk, began to grow again. Alex felt frustrated by all this. "You have to know something! You were involved in this town's secrets for years. Joshua was part of all this, wasn't he?"

James shifted uncomfortably at the tension, while Deputy Wheeler remained quiet, scanning the room as if expecting the enemy to crash through the door at any moment. Elle stood close to Alex's side, a quiet presence, but even she looked down at the floor, unsure what to expect from Adam.

Finally, Adam responded, but his voice was cold and final. "This isn't the time to discuss Joshua, Alex."

Alex felt a surge of anger. "Not the time? When is it ever going to be the time? This is our family, our lives! You think I don't deserve to know what happened to my brother? What did you do?"

Adam's fists clenched at his sides. "I'm doing what I have to do, Alex. Joshua... Joshua's fate is tied to everything happening now, but I can't explain it yet. Not until I know more."

James stepped forward, placing a hand on Alex's shoulder. "Alex, I know this is hard, but we need to focus on stopping Holloway first. Joshua… we'll get to that. But we can't do anything if the whole town is under her control."

Alex pushed James's hand off, still fuming. He looked to his father, trying to make sense of it all. Adam's refusal to answer questions about Joshua had been constant, but now that they were too deep into this nightmare. It felt like the last threads holding them all together were about to snap.

"You always shut me out!" Alex yelled. "You always shut us all out. First Joshua, and now me."

Adam's face held the same look that had defined him for years. "I'm trying to protect you, Alex. That's all I've ever done."

"Protect me? From what? The truth?" Alex shot back.

Elle stepped closer, gently resting a hand on Alex's. "Alex, we'll figure this out. Maybe he's right… maybe we have to deal with mo-… Holloway first." Elle corrected herself, not wanting to expose her relationship with Judge Holloway prematurely.

Alex turned to her, his anger tempered by her. She had always been the one person who could ground him back to reality when he felt like he was spiraling out of control. But still, the questions remained, unspoken and unanswered.

Adam glanced between them. "Holloway's planning something, something bigger than any of us realize. The sacrifices were just the beginning. The town's destruction, everything, it's all tied to her twisted beliefs. And if we don't stop her, none of this will matter."

Wheeler nodded in agreement. "She's got the town in a chokehold, Alex. We need to break that hold, or we're all finished."

James crossed his arms. "We still don't know exactly what her endgame is—destroying Shepherd's Glen? Her hometown? For what? If she's trying to bring about some 'paradise,' there has to be more to it than just control."

Elle looked at Adam's cold expression, then back to Alex. "Then we'll have to stop her before it's too late. Whatever she's planning, it's not going to end with just us."

Adam remained silent. Alex felt his stomach churn with anger, but he knew that now wasn't the time for more of a family feud. As much as he hated it, his father was right, they couldn't get caught up in Joshua's mystery right now, not with Holloway's threat. But it still ate at him, the not knowing, the feeling that something was being kept from him yet again.

Alex exhaled slowly. "Fine. We will deal with Holloway first. But after that, you're going to tell me everything, Dad."

Adam nodded, his eyes betraying a hint of regret. "When the time comes, I will."

An uneasy alliance was forged between them. For now, they would face Judge Holloway together. But Alex couldn't help but wonder what they still didn't know about Joshua, and what his father was keeping from him.

As they gathered their things and prepared to move out, Alex still felt the tension between him and his father. He wasn't sure if they would survive what was coming, but one way or another, he would get the truth. And if it meant confronting the darkest parts of his family, he was ready.

James stood a few steps behind Alex and looked from nephew to Adam, He had been through his share of loss, his battles with guilt and regret, and now he could see the same struggles reflected in Alex and Adam. He knew this fragile peace between them was the only thing keeping the group together.

"Alex," James started softly, stepping forward to his nephew "I know you're angry. I get it. But we've all been through hell. This isn't the time to tear each other apart. You and your dad... you both have the same goal now."

Alex glanced at James, but he didn't interrupt.

James then turned to Adam. "Adam… I know what it's like to carry guilt. We all do. But we need to face this together. Alex deserves to know the truth, even if it's painful. But right now, we can't let Holloway win. We need to stop her, for Joshua's sake and everyone else's."

Adam looked away. The years of cold silence and avoidance built up a wall between him and Alex, but James's words were cutting through. He had always been the strong one, the silent type, the one who kept his emotions in check, but now that resolve was faltering.

James stepped closer to both men. "We're all hurting. You both lost Joshua, but you still have each other. Don't let this town, this cult, take any more from you."

Alex looked back down at the floor. He hated how vulnerable he was feeling, hated that he still wanted his father's approval after everything. But James's words had struck something inside him, something he didn't want to admit. He had spent so many years feeling like the outsider in his own family. But now, in this nightmare, he was forced to rely on the one person who had always kept him at arm's length.

Adam looked over to Alex. For the first time in what felt like years, Adam's voice softened. "I know I've made mistakes, Alex. I didn't protect you the way I should have. But I've always done what I thought was necessary to keep this family alive. You may not understand it now, but... everything I've done was to stop this nightmare."

Alex swallowed hard. He didn't fully trust his father yet, but there was something in Adam's words that made him pause. Maybe, there was more to his father's coldness than he realized.

James, who sensed the tension beginning to ease, spoke up again. "We don't have time to dig through the past right now. But Adam, Alex needs to know that you're with him. That we're all in this together. Holloway isn't just going to stop with sacrifices. She's going to tear this town apart, and if we don't work together, none of us are making it out alive."

Adam nodded slowly. "I'm with you, Alex. I should've told you sooner. After we stop Holloway, you'll get the answers you need. I promise."

Alex met his father's gaze. It wasn't a perfect reconciliation for the two, far from it, but it was nevertheless a start. And in this town, amid monsters and cults, it was the best they could hope for right now.

"Fine," Alex said finally. "But when this is over, I'm getting the truth. About Joshua. About everything."

Adam nodded, and for the first time, Alex felt like there was a chance they might be on the same side.

James exhaled in relief, happy to see the fragile bond forming between father and son. "Good. Now let's figure out how we're going to stop Holloway before this town burns to the ground."

Wheeler, who had been watching from the side, gave a nod of approval. "We're running out of time. We need to move now before she tightens her grip on the town any further."

Elle, who had been quiet through the whole exchange now stepped forward, her hand brushing Alex's arm. "We'll get through this," she said softly. "Together."

Alex felt the warmth in her touch, a pleasant reminder that no matter how dark things got, he wasn't alone.

With an uneasy alliance between him and his father now in place, with James serving as mediator, Alex felt a small but significant shift. They were fractured, yes, but they were still a family. And in the nightmare that was Shepherd's Glen that was all they had. But for the first time, Alex felt like they had a fighting chance. Even if their bond was fragile, it was enough to keep them moving forward, for now.

The tension in the air thickened again. This time, it wasn't between Alex and his father. Now, it was something else entirely.

Alex stood beside Elle, feeling the weight of what was about to happen. James, who had also kept a close eye on everything, quietly assessed Elle, and Alex knew it was only a matter of time before his uncle connected the dots.

James, as sharp as ever, wasn't one to let things slide. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Elle, then back to Alex. "Wait a second... Elle, you were about to say something before correcting yourself, Mom, then Holloway?" His voice carried a mix of disbelief and suspicion. "As in Judge Holloway?"

Alex braced himself, knowing fully well that this was going to be hard for Elle. He could feel her tense beside him. James had lost Mary to the cult, and it was Judge Holloway who had played a role in that curse. For him, hearing that Elle was Holloway's daughter was bound to stir up old wounds.

Elle stood her ground, but Alex could see the look of hurt in her eyes. Before she could say anything, James took a step forward, his voice low and strained. "Alex, are you telling me that the daughter of the woman who's trying to destroy this town is with us? The same woman who's behind all of this madness, the one whose cult cursed my wife?"

"James, wait," Alex said quickly, stepping between them. He could see the anger rising in his uncle, and he knew this could spiral out of control if he didn't stop it. "It's not what you think."

James shook his head, the bitterness in his voice unmistakable. "Not what I think? Alex, do you have any idea what she's responsible for? Her mother-"

"I'm not my mother!" Elle cut in sharply, her voice trembling with frustration. She stepped forward, meeting James's eyes head-on. "I am nothing like her. If you think I'd stand by and let her destroy everything, and hurt everyone I care about, then you don't know me at all."

Alex put a hand on Elle, trying to ease the rising tension. "Elle's been with me this whole time, James. She's on our side. She's not part of Holloway's cult. In fact..." He hesitated, unsure how much to reveal, but knowing that this was necessary. "Elle's already lost someone. Holloway sacrificed her sister, Nora."

James's eyes widened, the revelation having caught him off guard. He looked at Elle again, this time with a mixture of confusion and sympathy. "Sacrificed... her daughter?"

Elle's voice softened the pain of her words. "Nora was supposed to be her 'perfect' child, the one who would carry on her legacy in the Order. But even that wasn't enough. She gave Nora up for this sick ritual, for her obsession with her cult. Do you think I'd ever forgive her for that?"

James's anger began to fade, replaced by the recognition that Elle, too, was a victim of Holloway's twisted ambitions.

"I didn't know," James admitted quietly. "I didn't know about Nora."

Alex nodded, stepping closer to his uncle. "None of us knew, not until recently. But Elle's with us, James. She's fighting against her mother, just like we are."

James ran a hand through his hair. He was still struggling to process everything, but Alex could see that he was beginning to understand.

Elle looked at James, quieter now but no less firm. "Look, I don't expect you to trust me right away. But I'm not like her. I'm not going to let this town burn for her so-called paradise. I'm going to stop her, even if it means going against my blood."

James exhaled slowly, he regarded Elle with a newfound respect. He had seen enough of Silent Hill's horrors to know that blood ties didn't always dictate loyalty. He had learned that lesson himself, painfully.

"I can see that," James finally said. "I've seen enough to know when someone's telling the truth. And if you're with Alex, then that's good enough for me."

Alex felt a wave of relief wash over him. It wasn't easy to get James to trust someone, especially after everything he's been through. But now that the tension had eased, they could focus on what mattered most, stopping Holloway and figuring out what had happened to Joshua.

"Thanks, James," Alex said. He looked at Elle, who gave him a small, grateful nod.

"We're in this together," Elle said. "All of us."

James managed to let out a faint smile. "Yeah, we are. But we need to be smart about it. Holloway's not going to stop until she's finished what she started. And if we don't work together, none of us are making it out of here."

Alex looked between his uncle and Elle. He hoped that they might have a chance.

But the question still lingered in the back of his mind, gnawing at him even as they prepared to move forward. Where was Joshua? And what role did he play in all of this?

The fog thickened as Alex, Elle, James, Adam, and Wheeler trudged through the empty streets of Shepherd's Glen, heading toward the family home. The streets were deserted, as if the monsters that Elle and Alex had encountered knew best to stay out of the way, or perhaps ordered to. Each step was filled with tension, not just because of the silence that filled the town, but because they all knew something was coming. The cult, Holloway's plans, everything was pushing them toward a confrontation.

The familiar shape of the Shepherd family home came into view and Alex felt a knot tighten in his chest. Memories, both good and bad, resurfaced. Now it felt like walking into a tomb. But they had no other choice. This was the only place where they could regroup, where they might stand a chance of figuring out what to do next.

"We're almost there," Alex said quietly, though it was as much for himself as for the others.

. The front door creaked open, and they stepped inside the darkened house.

Lillian Shepherd was already waiting for them, sitting quietly at the kitchen table, sipping from a cup of tea. Her eyes, weary and distant, lit up slightly when she saw Alex. But something was unsettling in her demeanor, a coldness as if the weight of years spent in this cursed town had drained her of any hope.

"Alex," Lillian said softly, rising to her feet. Her voice was warm, but the exhaustion was clear.

"Yeah," Alex replied. "We needed somewhere safe."

She looked at him for a long moment, then her eyes shifted to the others. She gave a slight nod of acknowledgment, though her gaze lingered on Elle. It wasn't an accusatory look, more of a recognition of who Elle was and what her presence meant.

"I knew you'd come back eventually," Lillian said. "There's no escaping what's happening here."

Alex frowned. "What do you mean?"

Lillian walked over to a window, peering out into the dense fog. "The Order, the cult… they've been waiting for this. And they're not going to stop."

James, standing at the edge of the room, spoke up. "Then we have to stop them. Whatever Holloway is planning, we can't let it happen."

Lillian turned to face them, expression grim. "She's not planning to take over the town. It's bigger than that. She's preparing for something much worse."

Before anyone could respond, a sudden noise from outside made them all freeze. A low rumble, like the sound of heavy footsteps, echoed through the fog. Adam's hand instinctively went to his gun.

"We don't have much time," Lillian said.

Elle's eyes widened. "They're coming, aren't they?"

Lillian nodded, face pale. "The cult. They've been watching, waiting for the right moment. They're coming for us."

"Then we have to get ready," Adam said, his voice hardening with resolve. "We're not going down without a fight."

James exchanged a look with Wheeler, who nodded grimly. "I'll secure the back," Wheeler said, grabbing his shotgun and moving toward the rear of the house.

Elle moved closer to Alex, her hand brushing against his arm. She didn't say anything, but Alex could feel her tension. They had been through so much already, but this felt different, more final.

"I won't let anything happen to you," Alex said quietly.

"I know," Elle replied, but a flicker of fear flashed in her eyes. "But we have to be smart about this. If they overwhelm us…"

"They won't," James cut in, stepping closer to them. "We'll make sure of it."

Lillian stood off to the side, watching them with a strange detachment. Alex wondered how much she knew, just how deep her involvement with the Order went. But now wasn't the time to ask.

As they began barricading the windows and doors and fortifying the house, the tension continued to rise. Every creak in the floorboards, every gust of wind outside made them flinch, knowing the cult could strike at any moment.

Alex glanced over at his mother, who still hadn't said much about what she knew. He wanted answers, but he also knew they were running out of time. He needed to trust her, for now.

Once the barricades were in place, Adam took a deep breath and turned to face the others. "They're going to hit us hard. But we're not going to let them win. We fight, we survive, live another day and we figure out how to stop Holloway."

James nodded in agreement, but his eyes were distant, clearly thinking about Mary and the vengeance that had driven him to Shepherd's Glen. "Whatever happens, we can't let them take any more from us."

The rumbling outside grew louder, and suddenly there was a mob outside, armed, and eager for blood. Adam's heart raced as he pointed his gun at the window.

This was it. The cult was here.

The nightmare had come home.