Me: Hey, ho, and whaddaya know?!

Zero: Holy fucking shit, he's still alive!

Me: Why is that your reaction every time I make another chapter?

Rendan: You almost never update anything.

Me: Well, I'm sorry! Between finishing college again, getting pretty much full time employment, and working my ass off, I haven't been finding enough time to actually sit down and pop out a chapter. That and writer's block is a bitch.

Zero and Rendan: Suuuure.

AJ: Give him a fucking break. Like you guys have anything better to do than to sit on your asses here. You don't have the responsibilities he does.

Me: Thank you, AJ.

AJ: Don't mention it. Now, HOW ABOUT YOU FUCKING UPDATE MORE OFTEN?!

Me: Should've known it was too good to be true. That maybe, for once, someone would be on my side. Either way, here's the continuation from the last chapter. DISCLAIMER TIME! I don't own Silent Hill or Hey Arnold, or any created properties of the former. They are the respective properties of Konami and Craig Bartlett. The only thing I do own are my OCs, the monsters and puzzles I create, and the plot.

Zero: I love the fucking timing for this chapter.

Me: Consider this chapter a Christmas present to the fans of this story. I'd say all of them in general, but I know they wouldn't all like this story. Everyone has their own tastes after all. Now, Merry Christmas, and I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 26: More Than One Prison

Sitting in silence, Lila and AJ patiently waited until Arnold and Helga would wake up. They occupied their time by doing whatever they could think of. In this case, AJ was inspecting his katana, checking it for any nicks or abrasions in the blade. Lila, on the other hand, turned her attention to the knife that was still coated in the Guardian's blood. She took a few breaths, the realization of her actions finally sinking in after all the adrenaline had come and gone. She knew she'd attacked him. Hell, she did more than that. She hurt him. If she'd gone for the kill straight away, she may have actually succeeded in finishing him off. Then again, had she done that, AJ would no doubt have died since it was only by the Guardian's mercy that he was still alive. Hell, if the Guardian wanted to, he could've killed the lot of them, and there wasn't anything they could've done about it.

The sound of stirring jolted the two from their thoughts, bringing attention to the slowly awakening Arnold and Helga. Arnold awoke first and rubbed at his eyes. He noticed, before anything else, that he was lying on top of someone. Turning his head to get a better view, he found himself looking at an unconscious Helga. Arnold moved off the girl as quickly as he could, changing his efforts to waking her. A few nudges did the trick; Helga stirred and awoke after the fourth nudge.

"Football Head?" Helga asked as her blurry vision came into focus. It wasn't often one got hit that hard with another person and she'd be bluffing if she didn't admit it'd knocked her silly. To her surprise, and secret pleasure, Arnold smiling at her was the first thing she saw. The second thing, however, had her repeating something she'd said a few times before. "How are you alive this time?" Arnold, hearing the question, turned around to face Lila and AJ. AJ, sitting up with a new wound in his vest but not bleeding and still, somehow, after being run through with that monstrous weapon the Guardian was wielding.

"The Guardian," AJ answered. "Apparently he gave Lila a first-aid kit that she used to heal me just in time." Lila nodded her assent. "After that, we've been waiting for you two to get up." Arnold and Helga shared a look before they shook their heads. Standing up, they faced the other two once more as those stood up as well. "What's the plan, then?"

"I think we still need to find the key to unlock the door to the prison," Lila said. The group silently agreed and began to search the immediate area. If the Guardian led them here, somehow, there had to have been a reason for it. Looking around, however, proved to be pointless. There was nothing on the ground, or on the walls, that could've given any hint to where the item might have been. Groaning, Helga raised her head, ready to shout at the ceiling, when she noticed something.

"Uh, guys," Helga began. "Look up." The others turned their attention skyward, only to spot a message on the ceiling scrawled in blood. Check your dress. "My dress?" Helga searched her person but found nothing. Lila, on the other hand, patted herself down and felt something… off. Reaching into her dress, she retrieved a key that had been placed there, but when and by whom? Her mind suddenly returned to the moment she attacked the Guardian. That close proximity attack gave him the perfect opportunity to slip the key onto her person. It was then that Lila came to a terrible realization. He let her hit him.

She recalled him dodging a bullet that was shot by Helga, and weaving around the attacks of the two more experienced fighters with a sword that, logically speaking, he should not have been able to wield with one hand. How was it that she hit him in the first place? Was it really that she caught him off guard? Or, perhaps, did he anticipate that and plan ahead accordingly? Lila shuddered, her fear once more taking hold of her as the realization truly struck home.

"Lila?" AJ called to her worriedly.

"He let me hit him," Lila whispered. "He let me hit him." Arnold and Helga seemed to understand what she was getting at, and that same sensation of dread coursed throughout their bodies. They were starting to lose hope again. Lila paused, however, as his words echoed in her mind. If he truly wanted to kill them, he would have. He was keeping them alive, at least for now, so that they could face their inner darkness.

"He didn't let you," AJ said with certainty, making the others look at him. "Do you have any idea how much it hurts to get stabbed?" The three of them shared a glance before they shook their heads to the negative. "Being stabbed fucking hurts. I dislocated my shoulder firing a gun, and put it back into place. Remember?" A nod from the three was his answer. "Being stabbed trumped that, easily. The only thing that hurt worse was being thrown like a ragdoll by Pyramid Head. I can't even begin to imagine how much being stabbed by him would hurt."

"What's your point?" Helga queried.

"My point is, there is no way he'd let himself get stabbed, let alone repeatedly, just to plant a key on someone," AJ answered. "He dodges our attacks for a reason. Helga, I'm sure you've taken shots at him before. How many did he let hit him?"

"None," Helga responded.

"Exactly, because getting shot, much like getting stabbed, fucking hurts," AJ finished, speaking as though from experience. "Why throw yourself, intentionally, into so much pain that sometimes you can't even think straight until the realization sinks in? I'm guessing planting the key was a spur of the moment thing. He saw an opportunity and he took it." Lila stopped shaking and smiled gratefully at him.

"Thank you," she whispered. AJ merely smiled back. "Okay, we should get moving then." The four filed out, walking out of the building the same way they'd come in. Helga, of course, was now being escorted by the other three until her confident demeanor returned. Thankfully, it returned about halfway to the prison. The journey to the prison wasn't as quiet as they'd have preferred, running into a few monsters here and there, but, ultimately, the odd monster out didn't pose too much of a threat any longer. This was especially true since Arnold, Helga, and AJ were more than a little willing to kill whatever monster stood before them. Upon reaching the door to the prison, Lila handed the key to AJ, who immediately went up and unlocked the door, swinging it wide as he pushed it open. He stepped in briefly before signaling to them that it was clear. Arnold and Helga paid close attention to the radio, still on that dull roar, a comforting reminder now.

"So where do we start?" Arnold asked as the four entered the lobby.

"Well, as any prison goes, there are multiple cell blocks that we'll have to traverse if we want to actually get something done," Helga explained. "So, we can either do it all together, or we can split up. I vote we stick together."

"Seconded," Lila spoke up. Arnold chose to nod his assent.

"Best we can do," AJ stated as he spied a map to the prison on the receptionist's desk and grabbed it. He pulled it open and looked at it intently. "We would probably be best starting with Cell Block A and working our way down. We're almost certain to find something that way." He continued to stare at the map, as if studying it so he could navigate it without one should the need arise. "Here, Arnold, you take a look." Arnold walked to him and retrieved the map, getting a good look at it for himself. The prison was large, if the map was indeed correct, and had several levels to it, four prison blocks that made up the general layout, barring the hallways and such to the next block, anyhow, as well as the guard rooms and riot rooms which all seemed to be on the top level of the prison itself. If the map was correct and they were standing in the lobby, the North corridor would lead them to Cell Block A while the South would lead them to Cell Block D.

"North it is, then," Arnold commented as he pocketed the map. However, as he placed the map into his pocket, he unknowingly dislodged a piece of paper that fell out and dropped onto the floor. Hearing the noise, Arnold turned around and looked down, realizing, a little too late, that he'd placed the map in the same pocket as the paper he'd taken from the Green Lion Antiques shop. By the time he'd turned around to retrieve it, AJ had already grabbed it and opened it up. Arnold watched in silent worry for the fourth member's reaction when he reached that one particular spot. He watched AJ's eyes dart back and forth as he read onward, the movements becoming quicker as he sped up. Finally, AJ's eyes shot open, his eyes and hands trembling as his grip on the paper tightened.

"T-They're…" AJ whispered, his whole body now trembling.

"I'm sorry," Arnold said with as much sympathy as he could muster. Helga turned her head away, her eyes shut.

"You knew?" AJ turned his gaze to Arnold's, the silent question still in them being clear as day.

"I was worried that," Arnold started, "that you'd fall, or you would lose hope. That's why I didn't say anything." AJ didn't respond, not immediately. He simply stood there, his eyes going from the paper to Arnold and back again. After the feeling of shock had initially passed, he dropped the piece of paper, and sullenly began to walk south into Cell Block D, not saying a word. Lila began to reach out to him, but Arnold held her back. "I think he needs some time alone, Lila."

"What was on that paper?" Lila queried. Arnold shook his head and motioned downward, toward the note. Lila reached down and picked up the offending piece of parchment. She looked to Arnold for some kind of cue but never received one. Arnold simply looked away, a mixed expression of hurt and guilt on his face. Curiosity overtaking her, Lila began to read the paper. As she reached the end, her heart dropped. She understood now. AJ's parents had gone searching for him until they were killed by the cultists and, worst of all, he'd never know where they were buried so he could never say a last goodbye to them.

"Let's keep going," Helga said, placing a hand on Lila's back and ushering her with them as they headed north. Despite following them, Lila still looked back with tearstained eyes in the direction their companion had disappeared in.

Cell Block A was huge, as it was expected. Cells lined the walls from one end to the other on both sides, with only metal catwalks and stairs connecting them in any way. Needless to say, they'd be searching for a while. With a sigh, they began their search. On the ground floor, none of the cells had anything worth checking out and, aside from several scribbles scrawled in blood, nothing of interest either. As they moved up the metal stairway to the second floor, the radio's static suddenly shot up exponentially. They looked around, trying to determine where the monster was. Instead of seeing anything, they heard loud bangs, as if something slamming on concrete, coming from the far side of the block. They dropped low, turned off the radio and hid themselves on the catwalk, doing little to nothing so they wouldn't draw attention to themselves. Through the metal barred catwalk, they saw the creature that made its way down the block. Though they'd feared it was Pyramid Head, they found themselves relieved to discover it wasn't that unstoppable beast.

It was a large creature with massive arms, much like any strongman's, that it seemed to be walking on. The body the arms were attached to seemed almost small and frail, but they knew that it didn't need a big body to kill someone. This monster had skin color that seemed almost like normal skin instead of the dried blood color most of the others had, though the arms had several veins showing quite prominently like varicose veins did. The three were dismayed all the same to discover that this creature, compared to Pyramid Head, was very fast. It raced down the block and out the door, no doubt heading to the southern block. Lila gasped when she realized what it meant.

"I'm sure he can handle himself, Lila," Arnold said, trying to calm Lila down. Of course, Arnold didn't even believe it himself. It wasn't that he didn't think AJ could've handled such a creature, but the words AJ had said to him prior came to mind. No motivation to continue, no drive to push on, no reason to live. 'Would he let that thing kill him?'

Once they were certain the monster had disappeared, they stood back up and turned the radio on once more. No static. Just the way they liked it best. Searching the floor, the cells continued to have something scrawled on the walls in blood. However, instead of being random scrawls of who knew what, these all had letters in them. Arnold made note of every letter in the cells as they walked around the second level. As they reached the end on the opposite side at the exit they'd come in from, Arnold pieced the letters all together. Why would you leave a friend behind? Traitor. Betrayer. Arnold shuddered.

"What is up with this place?" Helga questioned, having figured out what that the letters all put together spelled out, herself. "Are all of the blocks going to be like this?"

"Maybe," Arnold muttered. Shaking any thoughts regarding the message from his head, they went up the next flight of stairs. Another message in blood, left by single letters in the cells. Reaching the end this time, the message spelled out was, "What makes a prison?"

"Less letters this time around," Helga noted. "What the heck does it even mean? What makes a prison? Uh, bars, steel, concrete, and stuff like that, right? I mean, seriously!" Arnold shook his head. Had it been a question like one on a test, Arnold might have agreed with Helga's assessment. However, they weren't in school and this wasn't a test. Well, it wasn't a written test at least. Anything that happened in Silent Hill usually referred to something mental, something that wasn't easy to understand or, at the very least, it wasn't supposed to be. The kids' thoughts were stopped when the radio's static suddenly spiked yet again. The sound of smashing metal came from above them as suddenly the monster they just saw came crashing through the catwalk, collapsing the entire walkway and sending the three tumbling to the ground.

The monster slammed its massive hands into the ground, cracking the concrete and sending small chunks of it flying. The creature leapt again, throwing itself at the three and forced them to dive out of the way in order to dodge. They'd barely managed to avoid a crushing death, but they'd dived in opposite directions. Arnold and Helga leapt to their left while Lila had jumped to the right. The beast turned toward Lila, raising its arms high into the air, and made to bring them down onto her, but stopped when Helga raised her pistol and shot it in the back. One shot with the Aglaophotis laced bullets brought the monster down, dead. Helga swore, having wasted yet another of the bullets that she intended to save for the Guardian. They were too important to waste on such small fry, by comparison of course. Without waiting, she removed the cartridge of affected bullets and chambered the round, putting the chambered bullet back into the cartridge and replaced it with standard bullets.

Unfortunately for them, the radio's static only fell briefly. A mere moment later it was back, followed by crashing as two more of the monsters c through the wall, ending up between the three kids. One turned toward Arnold and Helga and immediately began to attack them, forcing them further and further away from Lila. The other had turned its attention completely toward the horrified redhead and began to chase after her.

Lila, uncertain of her chances to reunite with Arnold and Helga and abysmally less so of her odds of actually killing the godforsaken beast before her, turned and ran with the monster in hot pursuit. She was so terrified that she didn't even hear Arnold or Helga call out to her as she raced from Cell Block A. Passing through the single door on the end, Lila was treated to a very satisfying sound of the monster crashing into, and failing to plow through, the doorway. She didn't care enough to wonder how or why, and instead used the moment to race further down the hallway, possibly toward the next cell block, possibly elsewhere. Again, she knew not and cared not.

As the sounds made by the beast smashing into the doorway began to fade away, Lila's footsteps were the only noise that sounded off in the otherwise completely silent prison. Each step seemed to echo in the hall, an act in and of itself that continually unnerved her. It was the only sound. There was no static, no conversation, not even her breath could be heard. It was almost as if she'd stopped breathing. Taking a deep breath in uncertainty to ensure to herself that she was, in fact, breathing, Lila continued down the passageway, her hands clutching her safety knife to her chest as though it was her only comfort. Finally, as she neared the end, a sound that she'd prayed she'd never have to listen to alone sounded off. The siren. Like every time before, the world itself seemed to peel away, forcing Lila to face the Otherworld alone for the first time since the Lakeview Hotel. God, how she didn't want to think about that. It brought back bad memories… that weren't even that damned long ago in the first place. Why did it feel as if those memories were so old already, almost bordering on ancient? Like everyone else, the children of P.S. 118 long since lost track of how time flowed in this place. How long had they really been gone, anyway?

The door at the end of the hall had turned a sickly brown color, much like the rest of the Otherworld, and though Lila wanted nothing more than to turn back and return from whence she came, upon turning behind her she only discovered a black void present. Not even the hellish red glow of the Otherworld penetrated the void. Lila lost track of long she stared into the void. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? All that seemed clear was the longer she stared into the void, the longer it seemed to be staring back at her. Worse yet, the longer she stared the greater the feeling of dread that welled up in her breast became. Realizing that she had no choice but to move forward, Lila turned back to face the door and placed a single hand upon it. Slowly, she attempted to turn it, half expecting a crazed monster to suddenly burst from the door and slaughter her. The fear kept her firmly rooted in place. Gulping, Lila turned back toward the void again and had to stifle a gasp. Was… it closer now than it was before? Her heart almost stopped. It… couldn't be closer… right?

Lila turned again to face the door, while the preexisting fear of the monsters that may lie in wait on the other side returned with a burning vengeance. Trembling, Lila again looked behind her, and her heart skipped a beat. The void was still there but something seemed… off somehow. There seemed to be even less of the Otherworld that bordered her view. She shook her head, thinking herself to be going mad, and turned again to face the door, only to be assaulted yet again by her fear of the unknown. Did she hazard a look behind her now? She did. She turned and went pale. Darkness. That was all that lied behind her. No longer did any of the Otherworld's corruption assault her vision, even her peripheral vision. She looked down and found that the blackness that was the void had stopped barely an inch from her feet. Forgoing her fear of the unknown in lieu of survival from whatever would happen in the infinite black, Lila turned the doorknob and raced through the doorway, never taking her eyes off the void until it was no longer in her vision, now blocked behind the door she had feared to pass.

Lila panted heavily, her breathing erratic and haggard. She tried to clutch the knife even tighter in her hand, but didn't hold much hope for it to be able to protect her any. She wasn't really very good with a knife, no matter how much AJ had tried to help her… stabbing the Guardian notwithstanding since she'd caught him by surprise. Lila almost wanted to cry. She wasn't cut out for things like this! She never would want to do anything like this! Still, in Silent Hill, one never strayed very far from doing what they believed unthinkable. She turned again, finding herself in a simple room. There was nothing in it, nothing but the hellish glow of the Otherworld to show her how barren the room actually was. There wasn't even another exit, none except for the door behind her. While there was no monster she would have to contend with, how was she supposed to escape?

"A shadow of the past can cripple the present, even the future," an unknown voice said. Lila jumped and looked around frantically, looking for the source of the voice. She saw nothing, until she began to pay attention. In the far right corner of the room, the shadow near the floor was a bit… darker than the others. That darkness suddenly began to rise, standing up as if a person would. She wasn't sure, but Lila swore something was staring at her from the black. "The tragic thing is," the voice continued, revealing to Lila that it was, in fact, coming from the shadow, "we cannot escape our shadows… unless we confront them." Lila pressed her back against the door, holding the knife in front of herself threateningly. Whatever that shadow was, she hoped the knife would be enough to deter it. It wasn't long before another voice broke through the silence.

"What do you think you're doing?!" A horrifyingly familiar voice shouted. Lila recoiled and dropped the knife in shock. Turning in the direction of the voice, she found a shadowy silhouette on the wall, the angle it seemed to be suggested it was looking at her. The silhouette was female, an all too familiar form to Lila. "Looks like I'll have to teach you another lesson!" The silhouette brandished what appeared to be a frying pan, or something of the like, followed by the sounds of metal striking flesh and finally by cries of pain that were all too familiar to the terrified redhead. They were her cries. Lila quickly turned away as each strike followed by an earsplitting shriek of agony slowly pushed her down toward the floor, her hands covering her ears as she tried to block out the noise.

"Think you're so pretty, don't you?" The familiar voice said from the opposite side of the room. "Well, I was pretty too! It's all your fault!" Lila looked to the side opposite the wall where the first silhouette was only to find another standing in much the same position, only this one was holding a broom. "You ruined me… the least I can do is return the favor."

"NO!" Lila cried out, screaming as loudly as her voice would allow. "MOM! PLEASE STOP!" Alas, her cries were for naught, as a sickeningly familiar squelching sound was heard, followed after by more of her horrified, pained cries. Lila curled herself into a fetal position and began rocking herself back and forth, all the terrible memories she thought she'd buried away forever suddenly being unearthed for her to face.

"You want me to stop?" The voice said one final time, much too close for comfort for the girl. "Make me." Lila looked at the door, finding another silhouette of her mother standing there on the wall. Lila shrieked and backed away from the door, at least until she backed up into something solid which she assumed was the back wall. In horror, Lila realized that it wasn't just one silhouette. There were three. One for each wall sans the one she'd apparently been against. Lila trembled, her teeth clattering at her worst nightmares being brought to life. As Lila's mind ventured a thought as to how it could get any worse… it did. The silhouettes suddenly seemed to step off of the wall and stood erect. Living shadows not bound to any surface, that could go anywhere, all of which being remnants of the one person who turned her life into a living hell. They all began to approach her, making Lila try to back up even more, which was impossible.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders. Lila screamed and looked up, finding herself in the hands of her father, his eyes shut and a soft smile on his face. Lila could almost cry. Her father had shown up to save her! At least, it felt that way until he opened his eyes. In the place his eyeballs should've been were naught but black voids, and that soft smile suddenly seemed much more sinister. His grip tightened as Lila tried to struggle from his grip, but he held firm. That sinister smile never left his face as Lila continued to flail, her sight going back and forth from the evil version of her father to the ever approaching silhouettes of her mother. Just as the shadows reached her and she let out an earsplitting scream, the siren that would be her savior sounded off yet again, turning the world white.

When Lila came to, she was in another hallway, this one only shrouded in the fog that she knew as the Fog World. Lila began to cry, unable to comprehend what she just went through. Off to the side, by the door at the end of the hall, she spied a faint glint, a glimmer of something. She approached it, finding a key placed in the corner of the hall. She quickly gathered it, hopefully having found the key that would mean her father's salvation. She shook her head clear as unbidden thoughts of that evil version that assaulted her in that nightmarish world. Still, in this case, she'd have to keep going, no? She grabbed the doorknob and turned it, surprised when she discovered that the door led her outside. Not just outside, but to the roof of the prison! She stepped outside, shutting the door behind her. Maybe there was something for her on the roof? Had that been why she was dropped off there? The fog up on the roof seemed to be somehow thicker than the fog on the ground. She could barely see three feet in front of her. As she moved around, she heard something that stopped her dead in her tracks; footsteps. She made to grab her knife, only to pale in realization that she no longer had it. It was gone, lost, maybe forever, in the Otherworld.

She continued forward despite her fear, if only because she wanted to know what was making the footsteps. After all, they were in front of her, moving away, instead of being behind and coming toward her. As she neared what she must have figured to be the edge of the roof, she spied a figure shrouded by the fog standing on the ledge. She almost stopped, until she saw the faint silhouette of a very peculiar sword resting at his waist. She could've leapt for joy.

"AJ!" Lila cried, trying to catch his attention. Said boy merely turned as if to acknowledge her, but then turned again to face nothing. "AJ! I'm ever so glad you're okay!" Lila began running toward him, trying to reunite with her protector, the only thing in this hell that she knew she could trust.

"I'm not," he said hollowly, stopping her cold.

"W-What?" Lila queried. She recoiled only slightly, in fear of what could happen next. Had he gone crazy? Was he going to try to kill her? Despite those questions popping up, she shook them away with immense ease. He would never hurt her like that. She had no doubts in her mind regarding that.

"I'm not okay," AJ repeated. "How the fuck could I be okay?" AJ's voice was hollow, as if he was but a shell of himself. Lila slowly walked toward him, her eyes revealing her sympathy for the boy. "My parents are gone, Lila. They're never coming back. Even if I escape somehow, what are the chances that I'll ever see them again? I'll probably just be on the outside, and they'll still be dead."

"A-AJ," Lila whispered, biting her lower lip as she tried to think of something, anything, to say. Alas, she could think of nothing. Her heart went out to the poor boy. He went through something that no kid should ever have to go through. She even heard his voice beginning to break as he spoke.

"What's the point, Lila? What's the fucking point?!" AJ turned and rounded on her, jumping off the ledge onto the roof and glaring at her, his eyes red and puffy as tears freely streamed down his cheeks while he brandished his katana. "What do I have to fucking go back to?! NOTHING! NOT A SINGLE! GODDAMNED! THING!" Each cry was punctuated by a swing of the katana in a random direction, none of which came even close to harming Lila.

"What about us?" Lila queried, her voice barely audible.

"Oh, how could I forget?" AJ cried, his tone exuding sarcasm while the anger in his voice came through clearly. "Mr. Football Head that would probably stick a fucking knife in my back the minute he gets a goddamn chance! He already fucking hates me! He's only been tolerating my presence since he fucking knows that I could actually help him get out! Once that's done, I'm good for nothing! Let's not forget Helga, either! She already fucking shot me once! I'm sure it didn't bother her nearly as much as she let it on it did! I'm sure all it would take is for me to get a hangnail and she'll put a bullet in my fucking head!"

"Well," Lila began, twiddling her fingers and not willing to let it go just yet, "what about me?" She had never had any issues with him, ever, and she trusted him without issue.

"What about you, Lila?" AJ asked, his eyes burning with fury. "You've been using me too, only you've been using me like a fucking anchor to the outside world. What do you care about what happens to me so long as you escape, right?!"

"No, it's nothing like that!" Lila exclaimed. "I mean… aren't you my friend? You've done ever so much to help us, how can I think of you as anything but?" AJ paused in his tirade, letting his arms drop to his sides. While he still brandished the katana, his grip on the weapon had loosened considerably, to the point it was barely being held up. His tears continued to freely fall, as they had not stopped once in the entire time he'd ranted.

"Friend?" His tone came out scared and unsure. Lila could see that behind those eyes was a broken child, one that had lost everything once before and, honestly, couldn't stand to lose much else. It was entirely likely that any bond she felt with him was one-sided. Considering the betrayal he'd gone through, she wouldn't have blamed him if that was the case, being unwilling to bond with anyone didn't seem too farfetched. Did he see them as a means to an end? Perhaps. In truth, Arnold and Helga undoubtedly saw him as the same thing. He was a means to an end, an end that involved their escape. That didn't, however, stop Lila from seeing him as something more.

"Yes! You did everything in your power to help us for ever so long! The way you talk, you think that we'll just forget about you. That can never happen! Even if you and Arnold are always butting heads, I know it's because he truly respects you ever so much! He wants to be as confident and able as you've been! He just can't see that you're just like he is. You're just another kid, like us, that's ever so afraid of this place, and only want to escape. Even Helga truly feels the same way. They just have an ever so hard time expressing it. And, when we all escape, yes, all of us, you can come back with us, and you'll never have to be alone like this again." AJ said nothing for a moment, instead opting to simply stare at the girl.

"Why would you want me around?" AJ asked, the disbelief evident in his tone.

"I already said it," Lila said, smiling at him. "You're my friend. Even if Arnold and Helga don't want you to be around, I do. At the very least, AJ, please, stay around for me? I don't want to lose any of my friends." 'Least of all you,' she mentally added. There was a momentary silence between the two. It was only in that moment that Lila realized that there was no static coming from AJ's walkie-talkie. None whatsoever. Did he shut it off? Her thoughts were cut abruptly short when she felt something warm and wet splatter on her face. AJ's eyes shot wide open in shock and his sword fell from his grip and clattered onto the ground. Lila reached up and wiped at the wet spot, only to spy her fingertips coated crimson. Blood. In shock, she looked down, spying something that made only a soft whimper escape from her lips. A large fist had punched through AJ's torso. AJ was apparently still in shock from being run through again. With a quick jerk, he was suddenly pulled back and tossed off the roof with only a soft, resounding thud heard to indicate that he'd hit the ground.

The beast that had performed such an act was like the ones that attacked her, Arnold and Helga prior, only this one was much bigger. It slammed its hands on the ground, one of which was still caked with AJ's blood. Lila's eyes stared at the monster before they quickly darted to the sword still resting on the ground. Her breathing picked up again, this time, however, her anger began bubbling to the forefront. She glared hatefully at the creature before her and raced toward the downed sword, scooping it up as she dodged a fist slam that left a sizable dent in the concrete that was the roof. Lila held up the sword with the tip facing the monster. Granted, she had no idea how to use it well, but she figured it wouldn't be too different than using her knife. It was just a much longer knife. Lila waited for the beast to charge at her before she dashed underneath its diminutive body, slashing at its left arm as she did so. The beast roared but otherwise didn't show much evidence that it had been harmed.

It charged at her again, swinging its arm low to the ground in a strange sort of haymaker that Lila barely moved out of its range to avoid. She did, however, feel the wind from the attack hit her. Lila rushed forward again, slashing at the other arm with much of the same result. Another roar, another seemingly useless strike. She readied herself again and ran straight at the beast but was forced to cease her attempted attack as the monster had attempted to grab her. She turned to run away, but the beast managed to catch the end of her braid in its hand. Thinking quickly, Lila moved the sword behind her and managed to slice the ends of her hair off, just before the tie that kept her braid intact, which allowed her to escape. Now, with one braid gone and half of her hair let down, she reached back again and sliced the other braid out. Her hair was still long, just slightly shorter than it was before. Sure, she liked having her hair in pigtails, but with her hair loose she could, at least in her mind, whip her hair out of range of grip with a flick of her head much easier. That, and it was easier to escape if the monster only had a few strands of her hair instead of a ton. Sure, it'd hurt to pull out said strands, but a little pain was always preferable to a painful death.

Her hair loose and fury in her eyes, Lila glared down the monstrous beast, no mercy showing in her usually kind eyes. Truthfully, what had happened pushed her past her breaking point. She was already tired of being so scared, so useless, but now… with her anchor, her guardian, gone, there was nothing standing between her and the darkness that was Silent Hill. The Guardian's words resonated in her mind briefly and she found herself smirking. When faced with her darkness she'd face it with her head held high. Granted, she hated what it took to make her face it, and the heel turn she felt her mood take was highly unusual for the otherwise timid girl, but it was now or never. Either she would fight or she would die. Maybe both but, if it would be both, at least she would die fighting. She stared at the slash marks in the monster's arms.

'That brute!' Lila thought in fury. 'It's ever so strong! Just like a bully! But its body is ever so small. Could that be the weak point?!' Strangely, while Lila didn't opt to make much of a move, the Brute, as Lila had come to think of it, didn't move either. It didn't seem to be regarding her, but it seemed to be more of a reactionary creature. It reacted to her movements, her emotions, most notably her fear. Now, she'd cast it aside, if only temporarily, in favor of her rage. She charged forward, moving out of the way as the Brute attempted another slam with its fist. After moving past the fist, Lila slashed at the small body, getting a loud, pained, screech from the beast as the blade cut through it and spilled its blood. It stumbled on its massive arms for a moment, before righting itself. Lila had to resist the urge to smirk. She didn't know what came over her, but she didn't care right now. She'd figure it out later, after her adrenaline rush died.

Without hesitation, she raced forward again, dodging another strike and this time aiming at the underarm portion of the Brute. The Brute fell down as one arm went to cover the wounded spot, dropping it on its side. Lila raced to its back and began slashing at the small body, knowing by its pained cries that she was hurting it. The Brute found its way to its hands again and swung outward, smacking Lila flush and sending her sprawling across the roof while the katana was knocked clean from her grip. Lila groaned. She couldn't take more than a few shots like that, and she knew it. Remembering that she had a health drink on her, she reached into her pocket and quickly procured the health drink before popping the top and downing the nonexistent liquid. Her vigor renewed and her wounds healed, Lila stood tall and retrieved the katana with a quick sprint toward it.

'I need to finish this quickly,' Lila thought, knowing that the monster was grossly stronger than she was. Her only advantages were her speed and the fact that she had a sword. Intending to make this charge the final one, Lila charged forward and repeated her previous action. She dodged the Brute's attack and slashed at the underarm portion of the beast, getting it to topple over when she sliced through its flesh. Once it fell, Lila positioned herself behind it and thrust the sword forward, piercing the monster's body with the blade sideways so the bladed part of the sword was facing the creature's head. As soon as the sword went through, she began to push the sword up through the monster's body, getting a guttural cry from the Brute as it thrashed about. A few seconds later, the thrashing stopped, and the beast stilled with a final death rattle escaping it. Lila drew her sword and plunged it again through the Brute's head, intent on finishing it once and for all. The creature didn't move. Had she a radio on her person, the static would've stopped.

Once she drew her sword from the monster again, she heard the door that had led her to the roof open, revealing both Arnold and Helga. The two of them stopped and stared at the scene before them. A bloody Lila, holding an equally bloody katana, with a dead monster before her.

"Holy shit," Helga whispered. "She actually did it."

"Lila," Arnold began, "did you—?"

"Be quiet and follow me!" Lila shouted as she moved to push past them. "And hurry! Maybe we can make it in time!" Arnold and Helga shared a quick look as Lila hurriedly attempted to lead them out of the prison, back into the street.

Me: And that's the chapter!

Zero and Rendan: *They turn slowly to face AJ who has, up until this point, said nothing since the chapter began.*

Me: What are you doing?

Zero: How is he still here? *points to AJ*

AJ: Whatever happens to me in the story has no actual consequence to me in Author Space, dumb ass. The only thing that'd make me... anything, is if the boss man here, *he points to Azard* makes me like that here. Since he hasn't, I'm not.

Rendan: But, AJ, you got run the fuck through.

AJ: And I imagine it hurt like a motherfucker. Still, look at what Lila did. Holy shit!

Zero: Yeah, I think she finally snapped.

Me: Well, everyone else got a mind fuck and a half. It was her turn.

Rendan: I thought the Guardian said he wasn't going to do that to her?

AJ: Who ever said that it was the Guardian that did it?

*Silence reigns*

Me: He's got a point. Silent Hill fucks with everyone equally. It doesn't really pick or play favorites. Now, on to the Monster Dictionary!

Monster Dictionary:

Name: Brute

Description: A strange monster that walks on its hands which are also used for defense and attack. Unlike other monsters thus far, its skin seems more human. The arms are excessively large and have prominent veins that are consistently visible. It has a small body and head that lie between the arms that seem to be just there to keep the arms together. The legs on the small body are not strong enough to support the monster's weight, therefore the Brute moves and remains erect by using its hands. It is an impatient, bloodthirsty beast that will chase down anyone unfortunate enough to get in its path. Remain still, however, and the Brute may just pass you by.

Attack Speed: Fast.

Attack Methods: Anything that can be done unarmed.

Symbolism: The Brute is an obvious creature that is highly symbolic of bullies. Unlike the Grey Child, who were just distorted versions of verbal or nonphysical means of harassment, the Brute is pure, unadulterated physicality. This monster simultaneously is a manifestation of all three having dealt with bullies at one point or another from different sources. The immensely powerful arms represent how most people see bullies, beings with a lot of strength. The small body is representative of how bullies are often considered to not have much elsewhere, be in in the brain department or anywhere else. Their strength is their only "real" trait, and their brutality is a direct result of that. The fact that the Brute doesn't really attack much on its own is symbolic of the notion that bullies tend to only pick on others that will give them some sort of reaction. With no reaction, many bullies lose interest, as it is with the Brute. Once a target is found, though, the Brute will pursue to any end, again symbolizing the amount of effort many of the bullies that the three had dealt with would go through in order to do what they wanted to.

Me: And I think that'll do it for this time around. Hope you all enjoyed. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Zero: That's not your sign off.

Me: Fine, fine. Be good and be safe, everyone. I'm outta here!