Drag Them Into Hell - Chapter Four

[housejackbuilt1]

Title: Drag Them Into Hell
Author: housejackbuilt1
Rating: NC-17 eventually
Warnings: Swearing, violence, gore, horror *SPOILERS FOR SH5 AND SH2!*
Chapter Warnings: Violence, slight m/m
Pairing: Slight PH/Alex.
Disclaimer: I don't own Silent Hill or any of its characters or creations. All credit goes to the makers. I am not making any money off this story..
Summary: It's been five months since Alex Shepherd left Silent Hill and he is trying to rebuild his life. Things are going well until children start to go missing from his hometown and he hears voices calling him back to Silent Hill. James Sunderland is still in Silent Hill, continuously being tormented. His spirit is faltering and he is growing weaker by the day, considering suicide daily. Pyramid Head won't allow James to leave and wants Alex to come home. You cannot escape who you are.


For every sin a child has, must be a punishment to bear.
Your friends are now beyond our reach; trapped deep within his lair

"Now hold still Alex, it will be easier if you don't struggle."

Alex's breathing was awfully laboured as he looked up at the men in white coats looming above him. He was strapped down to a grimy, rusty hospital gurney in a room painted with blood that looked despairingly familiar. His eyes were wide with panic and he was soaked in a fine sheen of sweat. There were four doctors surrounding the gurney that he lay strapped to and their voices were muffled due to the gas masks they wore on their faces. Who were these people? Order members? Doctors? Both? To Alex's left lay a hospital tray with various instruments on top of it, all of them sharp, all of them bloodstained.

"No! Stop this! LET ME GO!" cried Alex in a strangled sob and pulling at the straps that held him down in a frenzied panic.

"Now, now Alex," said one of the men as if talking to a child who was misbehaving. "We have to prepare you for him; he's waiting for you. Now hold still."

The Order member-doctor hybrid reached to his left and plucked a bloody scalpel from the hospital tray. The instrument glistened as it was brought closer to Alex's throat. Alex's breathing became violently shallow and he thought that he was either going to pass out or have a panic attack. His brush with death was short lived however as the scalpel bypassed his throat and made its way to the top of his chest. The doctor put the scalpel to his exposed t-shirt beneath his open coat and began to cut downwards. The scalpel cut a fine slit in Alex's t-shirt as it travelled south, leaving a trail of blood behind as it also cut into his skin. Down, down it continued to travel, past his navel, lower... lower.

Alex squeezed his eyes shut as the cold sensation of the scalpel was about to reach the place where he dreaded the most. He balled his hands up into tight fists in anticipation. His breathing quickened. The scalpel stopped abruptly. Alex opened his eyes and saw each of the four doctors looking towards the battered double doors in front of them.

"He's coming," one of them whispered in a trembling voice.

Alex listened. And then he heard it.

*Thud, thud, scrape. Thud, thud, scrape. Thud, thud, scrape*

He now knew what they were afraid of. He now knew what was coming. Alex began to tremble and pull furiously at his restraints. It was him. The red demon. The one who'd killed his father. He was coming to take Alex away. Coming to drag him down into the dark. Coming to make Alex scream and beg and wish for the mercy of death. Alex let out a strangled sob when he saw hundreds of black bugs seep through the opening at the bottom of the doors. The black bugs that were always close when he was approaching. They scurried across the floor, the revolting clicking and popping noises making themselves known once more. Up the doctors leg's they crawled, making the men in white coats scream and twitch. Up their legs, then their torso's and then onto their faces. Crawling into their mouths, green pus leaking from their lips when one of the men bit down, making a sickening crunching noise as he did so. Covering each one of them until they became nothing but pulsing black body bags.

Alex let out a scream when they began crawling up the gurney, making their way towards him. Over his feet they crawled, getting nearer and nearer to his face. Closer... closer... Alex screamed.

And then he woke up.

He sat bolt upright in bed, the sheets soaked in sweat, his panting deafening in the silence of his bedroom. His dark brown hair was matted to his forehead and sticking up in all directions at the back. His room was covered in shadows, the soft light from the street lamp outside casting an amber glow on his bed. He looked at the digital clock on his night stand, the numbers illuminated in the dark. It read 3:13am.

Damn it! Alex thought. More bad dreams! This is getting ridiculous. Maybe I should come clean to Dr Fox about the nightmares. Not about the nature of them of course, but maybe he can prescribe something to help me sleep. God knows Alex needed it. He was barely getting four hours of sleep a night these days and it was taking its toll on him. He knew that lack of sleep could cause hallucinations and other various conditions, and the last thing he needed right now was to be constantly questioning his sanity. With everything that was going on at the moment he needed to be clear headed. He needed to be able to distinguish what was real and what wasn't.

Alex's throat was hoarse and dry; he needed a glass of water. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and got the fright of his life when he saw King looking out of the bedroom window. King always slept out in the hall, Alex didn't expect to see him in here in the middle of the night. He was standing on his hind legs with his forepaws on the window ledge, his nose pressed against the glass.

"King, what are you doing here boy? You're supposed to be in the hall."

King didn't turn around; he just continued to look out of the window and whined softly. Alex got up and began to make his way over to where the dog stood. The orange light from the lamp outside bathed the black Labrador in its light, making the dogs fur appear copper coloured. He could see the condensation King's breathing had created on the pane of glass.

"What're you looking at out there? Cat?"

Alex looked out of the window and immediately saw what had the dog so troubled and it wasn't a cat. Standing on the other side of the road under a flickering street lamp was a man in a white doctor's lab coat. He was wearing a hygiene mask over his mouth, obscuring most of his face and was staring directly at Alex's house. Staring at the window where Alex now stood in fact. Even though the mask prevented Alex from seeing the doctor's mouth, he knew that the man in the white coat was grinning inanely.

This can't be happening. This is the effects of the nightmare I just had. It's because I'm getting no sleep, I'm seeing things. There's nobody there!

Alex continued to stare and the doctor did the same. The street lamp continued to flicker, illuminating the watching figure one second and then casting him in shadow the next. With each flicker of the bulb Alex saw the light catch something shiny in the doctor's right hand. It twinkled each time like a burning star. Alex squinted and strained his eyes to try and see what it was.

*Flicker.*

Alex saw it and his palms began to feel damp. It was a scalpel... a bloodstained scalpel.

*Flicker. Shadow*

And in that instant when the bulb flickered for the final time, the street lamp shattered. Alex blinked and twitched in shock as silver sparks flew from the light source and the light broke. Tiny pieces of glass rained down on to the pavement like a mini hailstorm. King whined and Alex squinted into the gloom.

The doctor was gone.

The next morning, Alex awoke to sunlight streaming through his window and King snoring softly on the end of the bed. He'd let the dog sleep in his room after the incident at the window, he didn't really feel like sleeping alone. Alex argued back and forth in his head all night. He'd argued that he'd imagined the doctor standing there, holding that bloody scalpel and grinning behind that hygiene mask. He'd just awoken from a very vivid nightmare about doctors and hospitals after all. But one thing prevented him from believing that argument, the thing that was snoring softly at the end of his bed. King had seen the doctor too, Alex was sure of it. The dog had always slept out in the hall, ever since he was a little older than a pup. The only reason the Labrador would ever come into Alex's room in the middle of the night was if he was really troubled or really scared. He had been looking out of the window at the exact spot where the doctor was stood for Christ sakes. And then there was the lamp suddenly shattering at the moment of the doc's departure.

Alex wondered if that had really happened too. He got out of bed and made his way over to the window, dreading what he might see this time. His eyes were immediately drawn to the lamp and he was relived yet dismayed to see the glass from the shattered light sparkling like tiny pieces of crystal on the pavement. So he hadn't imagined that part, the glass lying on the floor clear as day was proof of that. But what about the doctor? He didn't have proof of that particular aspect and Alex felt despair creep in to his bones. He was beginning to question his perception again. Beginning to question what was real and what wasn't and he didn't like it one bit.

Alex was so pre-occupied with the street lamp that he didn't notice the police car that was parked outside Bill's house next door. Without even bothering to get changed he hurried down the stairs and out the front door barefoot wearing only his t-shirt and boxer shorts. A pretty auburn haired woman who was passing by gave him an approving look and Alex felt a blush creep into his cheeks. He really should have got changed. Alex made his way on to his neighbours front lawn and saw Bill and his wife Iris standing on their porch talking to none other than Officer Broad Shoulders. The officer gave Alex the same disapproving look that he gave him the previous day at the park. Only this time the look was for standing outside wearing next to nothing and looking like a complete idiot.

"Sir, if you don't mind this is a private matter," said Officer Broad Shoulders.

"No, no it's okay Officer Stanton," Bill interjected. Finally, the cop had a name. "He's a friend."

Alex walked closer and noticed that Iris was crying. Her eyes were red and puffy and her grey flecked ebony hair that she always kept immaculate was hanging loosely around her thin face, unkempt and a little greasy. Bill didn't look any better. He wasn't crying but the lines on his rather handsome face looked deeper and he looked at least ten years older.

Alex had a pretty good idea of what had happened and he was afraid to ask. But he asked anyway, "Bill... what's happ-"

"William's gone Alex," Bill answered before Alex could finish. His voice was harsh and sleep deprived. "Last night after we saw you, I tucked him into bed and said good night. I went to wake him up for school this morning and-" He stopped, his voice beginning to crack. "And his bed was empty; no sign of him Alex... no sign of my little boy."

Iris began to sob once more and Bill pulled her closer to him. Alex felt like he was falling down an endless hole, faster and faster and there was nothing that he could do to stop it. William... gone. Just like Toby Griffiths. Another missing child within two days of the first disappearance. The blackouts, the whispers, the gutter, William's doll, the doctor... something was going on here, something that had an awful sinister feeling about it. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, Alex couldn't help listening to the little voice inside his head that continued to scream, "Silent Hill!" A dark feeling like some horrible disease began to creep into his bones, making him shiver. If this did have anything to do with Silent Hill, then what was the purpose? He was getting better, making progress. There was no need for him to go back there. And he wouldn't. God damn it, he would never go back there!

"You were talking to William last night?" Stanton asked. Stanton's short, sandy coloured cropped hair paired with his hard grey eyes and short stubble gave Alex the impression of drill sergeant and he felt a little intimidated.

"Yeah. Well only for a minute, I was coming back from taking my dog for a walk. William-he was, um is, very fond of King."

"Yes, I saw you yesterday didn't I? Well, did William say anything to you that would suggest that he might be planning to leave his home in the middle of the night like this?" Stanton questioned.

Alex opened his mouth to respond. He was going to tell Stanton to look in the park; he was certain that's where William had gone. He didn't know how he knew, he just knew... but there in lied the problem. Stanton would want to know how Alex knew and when all he would be able to answer with was just a shrug of the shoulders, Stanton would either get suspicious or dismiss him as the village idiot. But Alex looked at Bill and Iris, looked at how distraught they were. Even if Stanton called the men in white coats, Alex had to get the police to look in the park. How many more missing children would it take to get this situation resolved? He chose his words very carefully.

"Well... yesterday when I was talking to William I noticed he had a pink bunny rabbit doll that I'd never seen him with before."

"Yes, William said his friend gave it to him," said Bill.

"I don't think that was the whole truth Bill. He told me that a man had given it to him... a man who lives in the park. I really think that's where you should be looking Officer Stanton." Alex left out the part about William telling him that the man lived in the gutter. After the incident with Stanton and the gutter yesterday, Alex thought it might make his story seem a little less credible.

At the mere mention of an unknown man who lives in the park, the same park where Toby Griffiths had gone missing, Iris squeezed her eyes shut, fresh tears spilling out from beneath her eyelids. Bill clenched his jaw and a fine tremor passed through his frame. Alex felt a stab of sympathy for the both of them. He knew what they were thinking. A man hanging around a children's park, handing out gifts and luring them into the dark with treats and promises. A man, the type of which you hear so much about in the news, stealing little children away, children who are never heard from again.

"Thank-you for the information Mr..."

"Shepherd. But just call me Alex please."

"Thank-you for the information Alex. We'll be sure to follow it up." Stanton turned to the despaired couple and put a hand on Iris's shoulder. She looked up at him with eyes that were shimmering with tears. Stanton's expression softened, an expression that was poles apart from his strong jaw and broad frame. "Try not to worry Mr and Mrs Oldman. I promise that we'll do everything in our power to find William. Even if I have to search for the rest of my career, I'll find him."

Alex knew that Stanton meant it. He had misjudged the man at first. He thought he was just another hard-ass cop who abused his authority. The kind of guy who would give you a ticket even if you were under the limit. On some level Alex knew that he had also judged the man because he reminded him a little of his father, and he was the last person he wanted to be reminded of. But behind those hard, grey eyes Alex saw gentleness and a fierce dedication to his job. He saw a man who guarded his feelings because he'd saw many horrors in his line of work but a man who would always try and uphold the law because that was his job, it was in his blood. Alex felt bad for, as his mother always used to say, judging a book by its cover.

Stanton made his way down the porch steps towards his police cruiser. As he passed Alex he stopped and gave him a small card.

"If you think of anything else that might help us Alex, please give me a call day or night. I apologise if I seemed a little harsh yesterday. It's just when kids go missing, I can't help feeling a little on edge you know?"

"No apology necessary. I know my behaviour couldn't have been helping matters. I really hope that you find them Officer Stanton, William's a good kid... Look, I know that the doll thing might have seemed like pretty thin information but promise me that you'll look in the park."

"Every piece of information we receive is vital, no matter how small you may think it is. I'm going to radio in right now to get more men over there. I just hope we have better luck than yesterday. Remember; if you think of anything give me a call."

Stanton made his way back to his car and began talking into his police radio. Alex looked at Bill and Iris. His vision blurred momentarily. Alex shook his head and his vision was fine once again.

"I better get inside Bill; I need to get some clothes on. If you need anything you know where I am. I'm sorry about William, they'll find him." Alex didn't know what else to say. He knew that nothing he said would make either of them feel better anyway.

"See you soon Alex," Bill replied warily and they both made their way indoors.

Alex gave Stanton a wave as the cruiser drove off down the street. As he made his way up his porch steps and towards his front door, Alex's head began to pound.

No, please. He thought. Not another blackout, I don't need this right now!

Alex tried to keep his breathing steady and not panic. He slammed his front door behind him and made his way into the living room. He needed to sit down. But before Alex could even make his way to the couch, he stopped dead in the middle of the living room, a low and horrified groan escaping his throat.

The walls were covered with blood, the red substance crawling downwards and dripping onto the floor. It seemed to be seeping from the ceiling, leaking south in thick and heavy streaks. Not one bit of the cream coloured walls was visible beneath the crimson rivulets. Alex felt vomit rising in his throat and had to swallow the sensation to throw up violently.

This can't be real! Another hallucination, that's all it is. These past few days have taken its toll on you, not happening, not happening, not happening!

Alex squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again but the blood continued to coat the walls in its thick substance. Alex's eyes were drawn to the mirror above the fireplace that was also painted red, but not entirely. Someone or something had written a message in the bloodstained reflective glass. Alex stared at the seven words with revulsion and fear.

COME HOME ALEX. I'M WAITING FOR YOU.

Alex's legs felt weak and he thought he was going to collapse. He stumbled backwards into the wall and felt blood running down his shoulders and on to his chest. He felt it crawl down the sides of his face and into his hair. He began to panic but before he could pull himself away an arm shot out from behind him and grabbed him around the throat, pinning him with his back to the wall. Alex couldn't turn his head but from what he could tell, the arm was very muscular and the strong hand that was now wrapped around his throat was wearing a black glove. What the hell was this? There was nothing behind him but the wall so... had the arm come through it?

Alex tried to pull away but the hand held fast. Sweat ran down his forehead and he was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe. The blood that was now soaking him to the skin made an almighty feeling of nausea sweep over him. Alex was seized by terror when he heard a voice close to his ear, he could feel the hot breath of whomever the voice belonged to on his skin. He knew now who had grabbed him, even though he couldn't see him. It was him. The red demon. The voice was barely above a whisper and sent chills down Alex's spine.

"You need to stop denying who you are Alex. You've seen me... you made me."

At this point, the other arm of his attacker made its way through the wall on his left side and the gloved hand began making its way under the hem of Alex t-shirt. Alex's blood ran cold as the hand began moving over the muscled plains of his stomach with the gentleness of a lovers caress. Alex felt extremely uncomfortable and began to struggle, trying to pull the assaulting hand away, but it was as if it was made of iron and it wouldn't budge.

"I'm getting tired of waiting Alex, you are needed. You need to come home... you need to come back to me. Embrace who you truly are... otherwise the streets will run red with the children's blood."

Alex squeezed his eyes shut as he felt something cold and wet lick at his ear. A tongue. The hand that was caressing his stomach, the blood that he was now bathing in, the tongue that was lapping at his ear, it was all too much. Alex's headache rose to an agonising level and his vision blurred, the blood swimming before him creating a pulsing red sea. The hands that were pinning him to the wall withdrew and he slid to the floor in a heap.

He felt the darkness beginning to take hold and he could feel the blood pouring down and washing over him.

Funny, he thought. Just like drowning.

James stared at his reflection in the muddied mirror of the dressing table in room 205 of Woodside Apartments. He'd decided to abandon his old home of room 307 after returning with nothing to barricade the damaged door with, bringing everything he could carry from weapons to canned food to the room where he'd first found his trusty flashlight... and encountered his first Mannequin creature. Yes, he'd abandoned his old room, just like he'd abandoned little Toby. That's why he was awake now, in the middle of the night. He hadn't been able to sleep; his conscious was continually tormenting him.

James stared at his reflection intensely, his eyes seeming to bore holes through the glass, seeing right through to the soul of the person staring back at him. His blonde hair was longer now, the bangs from his fringe falling into his eyes. He maintained his hair less often than he used to, he didn't see the point anymore. He didn't have a beard by any means, but the stubble that grew on his face was getting heavier by the day creating an ever darkening shadow on his chin and cheeks. He'd lost weight since coming here too. His cheekbones were now more defined and his clothes hung loosely on him.

Despite all of the changes in his appearance however, James still recognised himself. He looked the same as he used to, he had just changed due to circumstance. Like a young man who goes off to war for some years and returns changed, physically and mentally. Like a fresh faced police man turned detective after a long period of time, the horrors that he's seen making themselves known on his face. This was the same situation, only sometimes there was one thing that James didn't recognise. His eyes.

"Eyes are the window to the soul," James murmured without realising.

Sometimes he would look in the mirror at his emerald eyes and see the man he used to be. He would see the James Sunderland who was a loving husband and would do anything for his wife. The James Sunderland who had wanted children someday and would always be more than willing to give help to anybody who needed it. But sometimes he would look in the mirror and see a suspicious darkness behind those green irises. A darkness that he was forever trying to control, because if he lost control he would become just another one of those beasts that roam the streets at night, howling and screaming in tortured agony. The darkness that killed Mary... the darkness that enjoyed it.

Who the hell are you? A voice inside of James's head asked. He was just a kid, and you left him to be dragged away by Him. Can you hear him? Can you hear him screaming in the dark? Of course you can't, because you ran away like a coward! But he is screaming, oh God is he screaming.

"I wouldn't have been able to save him even if I tried!" cried James to the voice in his head. Although to anybody watching, it would appear that he was shouting at his reflection. "And who's to say he would have been safe with me anyway? I don't know what I'm capable of anymore."

You didn't even try. It was you Pyramid Head wanted and now a child is being punished for your sins. You couldn't even spare the kid his death at the hands of your creation. Even you wouldn't wish that on anybody.

Even though James knew what he was, what kind of person he was, the voice was right. He wouldn't wish death at the hands of Pyramid Head on his worst enemy. He felt the darkness begin to claw at the edges of his mind and fiercely pushed it away. He wouldn't wish it on anyone! James knew that there must be some decency left in him because he had been wracked with guilt ever since he left Toby. That's why, when he couldn't sleep after many hours of lying there in the dark, he'd woken up and assembled his arson of weapons with the decision made. He was going to go to the Lair and try and rescue the kid. He was well aware that he may be too late, Toby might already be dead. But he could at least try. Maybe he could salvage whatever small portion of humanity he had left.

He turned around to the weapons he had laid out on the table and began assembling them quickly before he could change his mind. He picked up his handgun and checked that it was loaded. There were ten rounds in the clip. He put it in the back of his waistband as he always did. Next he picked up his shotgun and with the make-shift strap he'd attached to it, put it over his head so it rested on his back. He could swing it round to his front quickly and effectively should he need to use it. It held the maximum capacity of six shells. James patted the knife that was in his right front pocket to make sure he had it.

James reached down to the duffle bag on the floor and slung it over his shoulder. The bag contained ammo for the weapons along with a hunting rifle. He didn't want to use the rifle unless absolutely necessary as ammunition for that particular gun was scarce and he didn't want to waste it carelessly.

He took one last look at his reflection and exited the apartment. He encountered no monsters on the way down to the lobby and he was thankful for that. James exited the building and stepped out on to the dark streets of Silent Hill.

James flashlight illuminated the way as he made his way toward central Silent Hill. He didn't like having it on, the monsters would be drawn to him like a moth to flame if he was seen, but without it he would be blind and that prospect was far more terrifying than attracting a few beasts. At least if he knew what was coming he could defend himself. He walked briskly but carefully along Sagan Street, his boots that he'd taken from the dead body of an Order member making no sounds on the pavement. He heard sounds all around him. A hiss that sounded distinctly like a Lying Figure rang out somewhere nearby. A guttural snarl that almost definitely had to be a Feral cut through the night air. James knew that he had to hurry; he was way too vulnerable out here in the open like this.

He began to walk faster, then broke into a jog west on Sagan Street. He needed to get to Wilson Street... to the church where the Lair was deep below. James stopped dead in his tracks when a soft static began to hiss from his radio. He stood very still and listened. The static remained soft, not getting louder or quieter. Whatever it was either hadn't spotted James yet or was standing somewhere in the dark, watching him. James slowly and quietly stepped onto the sidewalk and did his best to keep his back to the wall which ran along Sagan Street. He moved west gradually, his handgun pointed at the floor but his finger on the trigger. If he could just make it to the church without confrontation he'd be fine. He didn't want to shoot his weapon alerting other beasts of his presence, or even worse, Pyramid Head.

Hisssssss.

The static remained steady. When the wall behind James broke off, he walked forward, constantly checking all sides of him as he did. He was approaching the left turn onto Wilson Street. Almost there, he thought.

Hiss. Hisssss. HISSSSSSSSSSS!

The static grew louder as James approached the turn off. He stopped, his gun pointed out in front of him. He tried to keep his breathing steady and even. He heard a noise, faint, but it was there. It seemed to be coming farther west down Sagan Street, not from Wilson Street which was what he initially thought. He squinted into the darkness and the hissing became even louder when a Schism stepped into view. Then another. Then another. Further down Sagan Street to the right was the police station and James was sure that was where they had come from.

The three beasts stood a few feet away from James, their blade-like heads hanging down exposing their dull yet sharp teeth that ran through the middle of them. James knew that these things were fast movers, if all three of them rushed him at the same time he'd have virtually no chance. As slow as he could, which was hard considering he knew he didn't have much time, James put the handgun back in the waistband of his jeans and began to pull the strap on his shoulder to bring the shotgun around to his front.

One of the Schisms grunted and took a step forward. James stopped pulling the strap and the Schism stopped moving. James knew that the slow method wasn't going to work as the Schism on the far left began to move forward now. It would only be a matter of time before the beasts forgot the slow method too and ran toward him with surprising speed. It was now or never, he had to finish this. He was running out of time. James rapidly pulled the strap from over his head and pointed the shotgun. It made a loud click-click sound as he cocked it and with chilling feral cries, all three Schisms began to rush forward in his direction. The gun only held four shells and he wouldn't have time to reload so James knew he could only afford to miss once. He didn't miss at all.

The Schism on the right was the first to go down; James caught it square in the chest. He scored a direct hit with the second one too sending it flying backwards through the air. He took aim at the third and final monster and blew its head to pieces. It landed on the floor with a lifeless thump. All of this happened in the space of about ten seconds and the blasts from the shotgun still rang through the air. The static from his radio had ceased for now and James knew he had to get moving. He reloaded the shotgun and turned left on to Wilson Street.

As James was scanning the back alleys and side streets, trying to figure out the best way to approach the church, his flashlight caught something lying in the road by a gutter. James withdrew his handgun in case a Lurker decided to give him a little surprise and approached the object cautiously. As he got closer he realised what it was and bent down to pick it up. It was a pink bunny rabbit doll. Could this be Toby's? James examined it and noticed some writing on the label, definitely written by a child. It said, 'William Oldman, Oakley'. James's blood ran cold. Did this mean that Pyramid Head had brought another child here? That he had him in his Lair right now along with Toby Griffiths? What the hell was going on? Why was Pyramid Head bringing children to Silent Hill? All of the questions that were circulating around James's mind were beginning to give him a headache.

James's thoughts were interrupted when he heard footsteps approaching south from Koontz Street. They were heading in his direction and fast. He stuffed the doll into his bag and switched off his flashlight covering himself in darkness. He crossed the street swiftly and made his way into a narrow alleyway between buildings and pressed himself tightly against the wall. His radio wasn't omitting any static and he knew why. The approaching footsteps weren't made by that of monsters; they were made by Order members. Just as dangerous.

The footsteps got louder as they made their way up Wilson Street and fell silent when the Order members stopped close to James's hiding place. Through the gloom they were just blurry shapes, but James thought there must be at least six of them. Why are they roaming the streets in the middle of the night? James thought. They never do, they know how dangerous it is at night. James got his answer when one of the Order members addressed the others, his voice tinny behind his gas mask. As James listened a tight ball of fear began to grow in his stomach.

"He will protect us; there is no need to fear. You all know who you are looking for and what is to be done with him." The Order member held up his rifle. "Find the one named James Sunderland."