Silent Hill fic 'Your Dark God' (2/3)
Here's the second part. Enjoy!
***********************************************************************
James was able to guess the building they eventually entered by the name and the reception desk on the main floor. What he couldn't understand was why they would be going to a hospital. It appeared to be massive, from what he had been able to see from the outside. A person could easily get lost in here.
There were some new sorts of creatures here in the hospital, some sort of masked and pipe-wielding nurse demons, but as soon as they caught sight of Pyramid Head, they disappeared very quickly. Falling back down the connecting hallways and making themselves invisible within the shadows of covered corners. The other demons in this place seemed to obviously fear Pyramid Head, and James had noticed that the armless ones in the streets had been noticeably absent as James had followed/been dragged after the taller demon. Before he hadn't been able to do anything to get them to leave him alone, and now it was like they had never even been there in the first place.
He almost groaned out loud as another flight of stairs appeared, the tips of his boots catching on every other step as Pyramid Head practically marched up the stairs not allowing James to voice any disagreement. Very soon, they were on another floor the areas too dark for him to get a good impression at first. But his eyes slowly began to adjust allowing him to make a rough assessment.
The place was an utter mess. Some of the doors were obviously bolted shut, but others looked as if something had been pounding mercilessly on the metal or wood in an effort to break their way in. James caught sight of a door labeled Men's Locker Room as he stumbled past, one of the few that had legible writing on it.
Pyramid Head was peering into any room that's door was opened or that he could simply force open. That massive helmet turned and inspected every nook and cranny, seeming to take offense when something didn't suit him. Whatever he was searching for, he didn't seem to find to his liking.
Once again, they went up another flight of stairs, and James could have cried. He was tempted just to let his body fall limp from the exhaustion of being dragged around like luggage.
One room appeared to satisfy Pyramid Head, and James saw the logo S3 that marked the door. Inside was a fairly decent space. Not too little, but not too big. The only really interesting feature in the room was a fairly decent bed. The mattress looked almost clean, and the pillow and blanket suffered only from a small amount of dust.
James expected Pyramid Head to throw him into the room like he had in the Wood Side Apartments, but the demon was relatively gentle, merely giving James a light shove in the direction of the bed. James caught himself before collapsing on the tempting softness, looking over in wariness as Pyramid Head remained in the open doorway.
With a clear warning Pyramid Head pointed a finger at James and then the room in general, a decisive message for James to stay put. Having delivered that silent command, Pyramid Head shut the door with a resounding bang that echoed throughout the hallway outside.
James crouched over the edge of the low bed, amazed at what had just transpired. Was he hallucinating?
'He just told me to stay? Well, didn't VERBALLY tell me to, but it was obvious what he meant. Like I'm some sort of child or something.' James was flabbergasted and somewhat humiliated. Here he had feared imminent pain and death, and after being thrown and banged around and dragged through blood, gore, down and up stairs, he was now designated to stay in an unfamiliar room like he was a disobedient child.
With cautious steps, James warily approached the closed door, mindful of the slowly retreating footsteps. He leaned against the door with his ear pressed against the wood, listening to Pyramid Head withdraw from the floor, hoping that he was also leaving the building entirely. He felt much safer the farther Pyramid Head was away from him. His body stung too badly for him to appreciate the demon's own styles of kindness of providing James a somewhat safe haven to lick his wounds and an area to rest.
It didn't make sense why Pyramid Head had spared him, let alone dragged James to a relatively safe area for his wellbeing. What were his intentions? Was he planning on finishing James off later? Savoring the event?
Sighing softly James turned away from the door, leaning his back against in and slowly sliding down until he was sitting with his back against the only exit. His head dropped so that it was resting on top of one knee. He was beginning to feel emotionally and physically exhausted after everything that had occurred. His body ached and pulsed with bruises and numerous cuts, while his mind quivered from the horrible realization that he had been lying to himself all of this time. The shrouds of lies being torn free hurt like an open wound. With deliberate speed and painful clarity, he could recall every single detail of the crimes he had committed. Every brushing touch, each smell and taste that had filled his sense heightened every single memory.
'It's starting to seem like I really do belong in this Hell.' James pondered. 'And look how fast I've had a tormentor picked out just for me.'
A part of him, the selfish part inside, cringed away from the thought of being anywhere near that demon that had his sights set on disciplining James in whatever way he saw fit.
'By which would I rather be punished? The laws of Hell, or the laws of man?'
If he were to be punished by this Hell and Pyramid Head, James knew that no escape lay anywhere nearby, and there would most likely be no end or death for him.
'But I don't deserve to live. Not after what I did to my wife.' James argued. 'If I were to be punished by the police and the court, it would probably be considered first-degree murder. I stand a good chance of facing the death penalty.'
The ultimate punishment by human laws and hands: death.
James rose to his feet, boots scraping absurdly loud in the small space as he turned to face the door.
He couldn't stay here, that was for certain. He had been given a golden opportunity. Pyramid Head hadn't killed him, so now there was a chance of escape. But escaping was only part of what James was planning.
'This is for Mary.' He told himself. 'This may be the only way that she can have the peace she deserves. Even if I end up burning in Hell for it.'
His hand fell onto the knob, finding cold comfort in the heavy weight against his palm but doubt and fear made him pause.
Not fear of what the police would do with him, if he found some way out of Silent Hill and back to human civilization. He feared what Pyramid Head would do to him if he caught wind of what James was planning to do. James was pretty certain that trying to run away from him would not amuse Pyramid Head. And who was to say that those nurse demons out there wouldn't suddenly appear and block his way now that the more dangerous demon had left the building?
"Which is worse? The devil I know, or the devil I don't?" James asked, trying to come to a quick decision since this would most likely be his only chance out of this place. He didn't have to work hard to pull up a perfectly-detailed of Mary in a hospital bed, her face pinched tight in a grimace with anguish and eyes glistening as she tried to muffle the agonizing pain. She had suffered so long, but she had held on. Living for him while she slowly died inside. Even holding her hand to try to comfort her made Mary scream and sob in misery, limbs kicking and jerking underneath the rough scrape of a hospital blanket. She had been so strong, much stronger than he could have been under the same kind of despair and agony. And how did he repay her? With a lullaby and a fat pillow that gave her a swift end as her chest heaved for air. It had been quick, her body already so far deteriorated that lungs quivered and fell in search of oxygen. What right did he have to take the role as her angel of death?
What goes around comes around. It was time to make his amends as best as he could.
'For Mary.' He reminded himself. 'For her.'
A loud and steady groan signaled the doorknob being turned, and James carefully leaned out of the safety of the room and quickly surveyed his surroundings. Carefully scanning the dark hallway hoping that his eyes had adjusted enough that he hadn't overlooked any looming danger that was eager to take him out. Since he was without flashlight or a weapon, he groped blindly for the undamaged radio and flicked the switch back to 'ON'.
To his relief, there were no hissing static or warning whirs of gears. It was a small victory, but the radio hadn't worked both times when he had run across Pyramid Head. He would have to be very careful.
'Okay….slow and steady. I can do this. I haven't been in this building before, but I know that I'm somewhere three floors up. Just get to the stairs first and work my way down. All I have to do is get onto the street and somehow find my way to the flower shop. I know where to go from there.'
Wincing as the door made enough noise to echo through the hallway James slowly closed it behind him, hoping that neither Pyramid Head or the other demons would realize early on that he had left his designated spot. The more time he had between him and them the better.
His hand against the wall to guide him James carefully began to make his way slowly down the hallway where he knew that Pyramid Head had dragged him up the stairway. He made as little noise as possible, carefully stepping over and around any debris or barricades. It took him nearly three minutes groping around in the darkness before relief settled in him when his hand came into contact with the cold handle of the door leading to the stairway.
Once inside his hand sought out the hand railing, and with slow shuffling steps forward he found the top of the stairs and began to take careful and slow steps down one at a time.
It was nerve-wracking. With every step, he expected the radio to burst to life and for something to reach out from the shadows and strike him down. His own imagination would best him if he didn't slam a lid tightly over it.
Down one floor. He had made it to the second.
He took a moment to calm himself, taking slow and steady breaths. He knew that to panic would do little to solve his situation, and that his only options were to continue forward or to go back.
It wasn't difficult to make that choice.
James resisted making an audible sound of gratification when he finally reached the bottom of the long flight of stairs. He had made it past the second hurdle. Now he just had to get out of the stairway, through the halls and out the doors without anyone or anything noticing.
James carefully eased the door open and stepped out. The radio practically screamed as it came to life.
Instinctively James ducked, and that saved him from having a lead pipe shoved into his skull as the weapon clanged loudly into the door where he had been standing.
He scrambled forward, head down and running using the radio to signal when he was too close to whatever was attacking him.
A strong grip tugged at the end of his jacket. Without a thought, James pulled his arms free, mindful of the sting and burn from open wounds and stiff shoulders. Whatever had grabbed him stumbled backwards as it pulled hard and suddenly found the prey gone and the reward for its efforts only a piece of clothing.
James could just make out blocks of light ahead, soft gray light cutting through the small windows on the front doors. He didn't stop to slow down as he burst through the doors, almost falling down the steps in his haste. The doors bounced several times against their frame before falling silent, the force of James dashing through them ringing loudly through the area. Vaguely James heard rapid and shuffling noise from inside the building he had just fled out of.
'GO, GO, GO!!!' He yelled to himself, giving him no time to catch his breath. Just running, and desperately searching to find a familiar street sign.
It felt like he was running for hours, ducking by or pushing away the demons that drew too close, popping out of the fog almost right in his face. With every street corner and intersection he searched for a familiar name, making a quick change of direction down another street. James came to a screeching stop when he came to the corner of an intersection, gulping deeply for air as he read the street sign.
~LINDSEY STREET~
There! He knew where he was!
Taking a turn in the direction he knew he needed to go, James continued for another block or so before another sign began to shape itself out of the fog. Again he came to a stop, using the short time that it took the read the sign as a small break.
~SANDERS STREET~
One more! At the very least!
He was practically running on empty when he finally came to the next street sign.
~WILTSE ROAD~
Right over there. The flower shop! He could just make it out.
Using that as his guide, James ran for the tunnel that he had used to enter Silent Hill. The rest of the way was long and narrow, but all he had to do was get through the Cemetery, back up the stone stairs and up the rest stop.
He just had to keep running!
***********************************************************************
Pyramid Head's POV
***********************************************************************
He had the sudden need to kill something. Slowly. Very slowly.
He KNEW, as soon as he arrived back at the Hospital, that something had occurred while he had been away and patrolling his territory.
The Nurse Demons shivered and cowered away from him, forgetting their weapons as they shielded their faces and heads turning away from his rage. One attempted to offer amends by presenting him with James' green jacket, but he grabbed the damaged cloth and threw it away with a sound of disgust.
Useless! All they knew was to attack mindlessly, even striking many of their own numbers in their wild thrashing. They couldn't comprehend a single command of keeping a lone human contained on one floor.
Shoving any stray female body that came too close he stormed up the stairs, his footsteps like thunder as he threw himself up to the third floor and practically ran for the room that James had been left in.
The door was nearly broken off of its hinges as he tore it open, confirming what he had already expected once arriving.
The bed wasn't even rumpled, having not even been used at all. Bare of any human presence or warmth.
James was gone.
James…was…gone.
What was so hard about understanding the command of 'stay put'? Did he have to go as far as to verbally tell the man? Didn't James understand that he was being merciful by not chaining and tucking him into the darkest and deepest hole in the basement of the building? He had given James a great boon no other had been graced with…and the man had thrown it right back in his face.
'YOU ARE MINE. WE ARE THE SAME, BUT I AM STRONGER, MORE POWERFUL. I AM THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN PUNISH AND REWARD YOU. BUT I SPARED YOU, AND THIS IS HOW I AM REPAID.'
'HOW DARE YOU…'
'HOW…DARE…YOU…'
'JAMES!!!!'
'YOU DARE TO RUN AWAY FROM ME?!'
At the same time, another small part of him was howling in disbelief and betrayal. 'HOW CAN YOU LEAVE ME? I TOOK YOU. I CONQUERED YOU. YOU CAN NOT DEFY ME!' It was the rules. By rights, he had won. Everything had been going precisely as it should until James had decided to be a fucking hero for that damned dead bitch. James may be eager to play the martyr for the woman who eagerly accept his demise and clasp it to her breast in order to feed her wrath from a painful early death. But if James thought that he could escape through death everything else that had recently come to pass here…
A roar, an animalistic fury poured out of him, and he spun and bolted out of the room.
'YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE BROUGHT DOWN UPON YOURSELF, JAMES!'
***********************************************************************
James had collapsed onto his knees just outside of the Cemetery. His legs felt as weak as a young foal's. It felt like lead weights had been strapped to his limbs trying to pull him down onto the dirt path. Everything just hurt.
What hurt worse was the sudden and painful roar that echoed throughout his skull, causing him to clap his hands over his ears as if it would stop the ocean of pain and noise. Whatever the sudden roar in his head signified, he didn't expect it to be anything remotely good.
'I think…it's safe to say that I don't have much time now…'
On his hands and knees James managed to push himself forward and onto his feet, using the trees and steep dirt inclines as support as he stumbled down the dim and winding trail.
'Was it always this long? It feels like every step forward is two steps back.' He wondered.
After several minutes of running/stumbling, James had to stop disbelief in his eyes as he took in the fork in the trail ahead of him. One small trail went off to the left and continued on and on, the one on the right took a sharp turn upwards in a steep rise.
'This…this wasn't here earlier…was it? I can't remember. I can't remember where I'm going…' James panicked.
Did this place shift and change when someone wasn't looking? Was that what happened? He was SURE there had been no divides in the trail when he had traveled down it earlier!
Was he running in circles?
James physically jumped as a loud metallic bang rang all around him from far, far behind. The sound was like the ringing moan of a hundred damned souls.
Another forceful bang and James realized what was making that horrible noise.
The Cemetery Gates.
'He's coming!!' His mind screamed.
He didn't need the time to determine just 'who' was coming.
Making a quick decision James took his best option, darting to the right and running up the trail that steadily sloped upwards. It was practically killing his chest and legs as he slogged his way up the steep trail, slipping through thick patches of dirt and leaves with the fog blinding him so badly that he could barely see his hands in front of his own face.
His hands made contact with rough steps as he nearly stumbled headfirst into them.
The stone stairs!
James was nearly on his hands and knees as he clambered up the stairs, feet finally scraping along concrete one he surpassed the numerous stairs.
'Left! Left! The car is that way!!'
Panting loudly James ran in the direction of where he knew he had left his car, the fog literally brushing his face as he ran.
When he had been running for several seconds, James felt a trickle of apprehension and extreme alarm. His car had been parked VERY close to the stairs. It shouldn't be taking him this long to reach it.
Up ahead, almost a hundred feet, he could make out a large rising rectangle of light, trees edging along the pale radiance. As he drew closer, he could make out thin dark beams within the halo that stretched up and broke the bright rectangle of light into thinner pieces.
'What is…' He was slowing down from exhaustion at first. He finally stopped when he reached the object that had caught his attention, hands closing around the thick metal bars as he stared out in horrified incredulity.
He was INSIDE the sealed and barred gates that led into town.
The sealed gates that had kept him from driving his car down the long and winding road, forcing him to turn into the rest stop and take the side trail by foot.
He could see his car, not even five hundred feet from him upon the cobbled paved rest stop and near the old dirty washroom. The driver's door was still wide open, and not too far was the familiar white van.
Next to his car between it and the washroom was another vehicle, a red sports car. Two people, a man and a woman were standing outside of the red car with a map spread out along the hood, both tracing the lines and details with their fingers and speaking quietly to each other. The woman pointed back up the road from where they had most likely driven, and the man pointed repeatedly at a spot on the map until the woman merely sighed and shook her head.
James' grip on the metal bars of the large gate tightened. With the strength he could muster he rattled the gate as loudly as he could, trying to make as much noise as possible. "HEY!! HEY!" He shouted, trying to get the two people to look over in his direction.
They didn't raise their heads up from the map.
"HERE! I'm right here! Help me, please!! Get me out of here!!!" James screamed.
The woman's head rose and she frowned at James' car and the open driver side's door. She said something to her companion, and the man looked thoughtfully at the car. He approached James' car and leaned into the driver's seat, soon rising out from within the dark confines holding up James' keys. The two appeared very uncomfortable about the abandoned car that had an open door with car keys still inside, but no occupant inside.
James shook and threw himself bodily against the gates, the metal bars clanging and rattling loudly. How could they not hear him?! He was right there, practically screaming his lungs out!
"Please! Please, I'm right here! You've got to open the gates! PLEASE!!"
It didn't make any sense! The fog was literally cut off from the rest stop by the gates, not a tendril of the soft gray dampness reaching out from between the metal bars. The sky above the rest stop was a soft purple, the sun disappearing behind low dark clouds. And trail below the stone stairs was unhampered by the damp fog, and wild birds and animals called out from the bushes and trees.
The man pulled out a cellphone from his pocket, flicking it open and pressing three buttons. He spoke calmly and rapidly into the phone, looking back into James' vehicle and reading off the license plate number.
"Why can't you hear me?!!" James screamed until his throat felt like it was bleeding, smashing his hands against the gates until the cuts reopened and painted the bars red. He gave a hard enough shake of the gates that for a moment it sounded like it would fall down all around him.
Exhausted and dismal he slumped against the gates with his hands wrapped around the solid bars. His forehead thumped hard into one of the bars, attempting to jar to life another plan.
A heavy sound shuffled from not too far behind where James had come up the stairs.
James hissed softly in distress, jerking partly around and looking back behind him, barely able to make out through the fog the broad stairs that he had stumbled up-
Pyramid Head rose steadily out of the fog, taking the stairs evenly and with no hurry. The pyramid helmet turned in James' direction as the demon rose to stand at the top of the stairs. James was momentarily frozen like he was a sudden caught facing onrushing headlight coming straight at him.
No. NO!
Not now! He was so close.
Twisting around he turned back towards the rest stop, kicking and thrashing against the locked gates. He had to get out, and fast. He just needed the two people to hear him and look over. But it was like he was mute or they were deaf to his cries. "Don't leave me here! Don't leave me with him!!" He pleaded.
It was like he wasn't even there. They weren't looking anywhere in his direction. They couldn't hear him screaming like a banshee. There wasn't even an interest in the large almost medieval walls and gates that stood as a silent sentry to guard the dark road into the town.
There was no hope in pleading or screaming at them. Some sort of invisible barrier stood between James and his freedom. 'Why aren't they listening?' James couldn't believe that he was so close and yet so far away.
James did scream, long and anguished as latex hands and arms reached around and encircled him from behind. He thrashed and bucked wildly within the solid heat of Pyramid Head's form, the gates crashing ominously from the two battling and pushing against the other. "Get off me! Get away! Just leave me alone!" James refused to let go of the gate even as the demon began to pull at him, his hands white as they clung desperately around the bars almost as thick as his wrists.
Pyramid Head's hands soon sought out the problem that was keeping him from physically grappling James away from the gates, sealing tight with punishing force around the hands that encircled the bars. James cried out in pain as his hands were trapped and slowly being smashed tight between hard unforgiving metal and the brutal strength of the demon's hands. When his hands slackened their grip for just a moment Pyramid Head almost tore them away from the bars, twisting James arms so that they wrapped around himself, allowing the demon to encase James' torso and arms within both of his. James kicked and jerked helplessly as he was pulled back away from the gates, the heels of his boots scraping loudly across the pavement as he continued to thrash about.
The fight that the man offered did nothing to slow the drag and pull of the hands and arms around him. He continued to shout and scream as a hand slammed over his mouth muffling the noise. Not that his cries had been answered earlier, but the act of screaming long and loud seemed to be his only way of declaring his defiance and rage.
He was being pulled away from the freedom that had been so near. He had been close enough to almost touch it if the space between the bars hadn't been too tight for him to squeeze an arm through.
Slowly the fog swirled around the two figures, both beginning to melt away and disappear back the way they had came. Falling away like specters.
James didn't stop screaming until they were right outside of the tunnel leading into the town.
***********************************************************************
The man shut off the cellphone and pocketed it. There was nothing else he could do; the police would respond to his call about a suspicious abandoned vehicle. No apparent driver had been around, but the state of the car was unsettling. It wasn't often that a person left their keys in their car with the driver's door wide open.
The wind howled through the strange large gates that stood not that far away. He stilled suddenly, and then turned in the direction of the gates and the darkness within that looked as thick as a wall.
"What is it?" The woman asked, curious of why her companion seemed so suddenly intent.
The man frowned, tilting his head and listening. "Strange." He said out loud. Shaking his head, he looked over at her. "I thought I heard something."
***********************************************************************
Pyramid Head's POV
***********************************************************************
The chase hadn't been long, not even tiring for him.
For James it was another matter.
The man had stopped screaming and thrashing like a wild animal, finally. Instead, he hung unresisting in his arms, rocking himself with his head hanging low, a soft sob escaping occasionally. The failure of his escape had left a deep mark upon him and the man grieved over once again returning to the town.
The temptation of freedom had not been unrealistic. It was understandable why he had attempted to run. It must have felt like a harsh slap to the face to have his way barred when he made it so far.
But he would not let James' fear and misery allow him to escape the punishment for his error.
The few demons around them scuttled away or hid behind various cars and other structures. Eyes followed the two as he dragged the smaller man. None dared to follow as the two returned to the Brookhaven Hospital. The Nurse Demons that patrolled the interior of the building made themselves scarce.
He didn't drag James back up to the third floor. No, he had something else in mind.
Instead, he went down, taking the stairway that not even the Nurse Demons dared to trespass. Dragging the limp body with him as he went down, one, two, three levels. Down to the farthest floor and beyond the basement's basement.
No human had ever come down here before. At least, not alive. Where they were going was very special.
The entire floor was one long stretching unlit corridor leading towards a single open doorway. A lone light bulb flickered with a scant amount of life inside, outlining the barest edges of the items within the confines of the room. Various and widespread implements and devices were scattered and strewn about. Some had been tossed negligently to the side having no practical use at the moment but offered him a pleasant nostalgia when he recalled how he had used them previously. Others, the rare few which were his prizes, were maintained with almost obsessive care, not a hint of rust or wear and tear visible.
There was one item in particular that he was most interested in.
James was beginning to stir and a little amount fight was returning to him as he began to take in the room. Soft moans of distress echoing along the dirty concrete walls as he took in the sight of the few corpses that were left to rot in cages hanging from the ceiling. His arms tightened and he forced James to lift his head, not allowing the man to close his eyes or shield his face. He allowed James plenty of time to take in the sights, wanting him to memorize every inch and every surface.
'HERE. HERE IS WHERE YOUR PUNISHMENT WILL TAKE PLACE. I WANT YOU TO REMEMBER THAT YOU BROUGHT THIS UPON YOURSELF.'
In the farthest reaches of the room, against one wall was a long wide black slab. Getting closer, one could see a long metal handle and a lock system on the outside for the metal bolt to slide into. The top of the black object looked as if it opened up, but it had to be incredibly heavy.
Not as if it was anything that the Red Pyramid couldn't handle.
James' struggles increased in magnitude while with one hand he slid the bolt out of the locking mechanism and with a heavy creak began to pull the top up, the door on top of the long black box coming up with its hinges groaning from the heavy weight.
James began to thrash mightily, sensing the purpose of what that box was for. He lifted the man off of his feet so that he would stop wiggling so much.
Propping the open door against the wall, he gathered James up until he was grasping the struggling man as if preparing to throw him down a never-ending gully, one hand gripping the man by his collar and the other by his flank.
James' struggles were useless as he dropped the man into the container, and with an angry motion slammed the door shut as James began to shout within the confines of the box. The rough fall had been greeted with a rough *CRACK*, and he gained a small bit of pleasure in realizing that the radio that James had managed to hang on to was broken and several of its buttons falling to the floor of the container. A hard tug and the bolt slid home, and James' hands and feet drummed dully from the inside of the box against the door.
He didn't need to worry about James suffocating. There were minute and barely visible cuts and slits in the thick metal, invisible from the inside so that no light penetrated into the box, but allowing for plenty of air for the victim to breathe.
James could stay there for the time being. A day or two would be enough to educate him of his mistake and of the consequences that followed. The man could scream himself hoarse but his pleas would no nothing to dissuade him. He had been patient long enough.
It was time to see if James was finally beginning to understand. Understand that he could not run, and if he did, James would never escape the taint that Silent Hill, that he had left upon the man.
***********************************************************************
A coffin.
He was locked inside of a black coffin.
James hands and legs were hurting, but still he kicked and banged his fists against the sealed door. It didn't budge an inch.
The space was so small. He could barely move around in order to turn onto his side, with no room in order to prop himself up. It physically hurt to move or stretch within the confined space but still he kept throwing himself as hard as possible against the door above. The blows he landed only caused his limbs to ache further.
He was blind. It was pitch black within the confines and James' fast and wild breathing was pathetically loud in the small space. He hiccuped softly, swallowing several times to try and dispel the bubbles of air that caused his chest to jump and twitch. In desperate hope he ran his hands as far as he could along every inch of his prison, hoping, praying for some sort of opening or weakness.
There was none.
The metal was too thick for him to hear anything, leaving him deaf to the outside world, in the darkness and his only companion was the trembling rush of his breathing.
"Let me out!!!" He shouted, his voice ringing and hurting his ears within the tight space. He felt small droplets falling from the roof of the container as his hands continued to smash into the hard metal, unable to see the red droplets falling onto his face and neck.
Other droplets of moisture spilled unguarded from the corners of his eyes and James flinched as his legs grew too tired to even flex or stretch. He had to fold his arms over his chest due to the small space and his hands were starting to sting when coming in contact with anything.
Was he going to be left in this coffin until he starved or died from lack of water? That would take days, maybe even longer.
James shifted around in discomfort, realizing how sore and tender his body was. He flushed in embarrassment when he realized that his bladder was suffering from a familiar ache. He flinched when his hips shifted a little to the side causing his stomach muscles to tremble. Heat flared from his groin to his bladder. It was humiliating to think that if he didn't get out of here, and if his bladder became too full…
'Don't think about it. Don't think about anything.' He tried to distract himself by feeling around for the radio, remembering that it had been on him when he had been shoved into the dark box. Maybe, maybe he could use get some light or something from it.
When his hands found the radio, he instantly regretting having formed any hope of using it.
The casing was cracked and falling off. Several of the buttons were shattered and missing. Even when he felt for the familiar switch and flicked in on and off, not a sound or hiss greeted his efforts. He had only been wasting his time and effort in hoping that it would offer him any solace.
With that last vestige of hope gone, James shoved the damaged radio away and curled on his side within the dark confines of his prison. As best as he could, he wrapped his arms around himself in an effort to keep warm, and perhaps as some sort of comfort. Small hiccups of breath and aching sounds echoed around him.
"let me out….please….let me out…I can't…I don't want to be here…"
***********************************************************************
Pyramid Head's POV
***********************************************************************
A full day had passed, and he still wasn't quite considering the option of letting James out.
He did stay closer to the Hospital as he continued to make his rounds within the town, occasionally catching sight of the few humans that wandered the street. The older woman with short brown hair was of no concern of his. He would let her wander and search for her 'mother', no matter how useless it may be. She was wise enough to avoid him whenever she caught sight or heard him coming.
The little girl could be a nuisance, perhaps. She didn't belong here, but she wasn't willing to leave. Searching for her beautiful and kind Mary.
Mary…
Dead and gone, but left her mark behind.
And that Maria woman…she could be a problem.
She was there for a purpose, one that risked unraveling everything he had just accomplished. James would certainly fall for her spell, amazed by the sleek female who wore the same face as his wife. Not realizing the ruse that the woman carried out while smiling at him with the same breath, the wolf that hid itself in sheep's clothing.
He shrugged at that thought. If she became a problem, then he would deal with her. It wasn't as if she was going anywhere.
The Eddie person, he was someone that would have to be dealt with very soon. He was stuck in this town, seeing some of the things that lurked behind those walls but also blind to many of the others. Eddie was a danger to himself and a danger to any other humans. Already half-mad, deluding himself by professing his innocence and sniveling about how he was mistreated and verbally abused. Snuffling around like he was a whipped and repeatedly kicked puppy.
That didn't keep the man from sticking his nose where he didn't belong.
Eddie was getting too close to the Hospital. Whatever seemed to draw the man there was uncertain, but over the past few hours, he had steadily gone up and down the nearest streets that approached the building. At least the Patient Demons were doing their jobs in the streets and hounded the human until he was forced to back down and run for safety. But the man wasn't entirely stupid; the demons were guarding something and eventually he would find his way past them and into the Hospital.
From that point on…there was no telling what the man could or would do. He would have to get past the Nurse Demons first, and they would be quite eager to greet him with a lead pipe to smash open his skull. If by some odd bit of luck Eddie managed to scuttle his way past there wasn't too much that he could find. The only thing that he didn't want Eddie to find was hidden deep below the Hospital.
Again, if Eddie managed to have a bit of luck or misfortunes to find his way anywhere near the stairs leading down…
Later. There was always later.
He finished the last of his sweep and found nothing that required his attention. The only thing that caused him to momentarily pause had been the brief flicker and brush of Alessa's presence in the air around him. He had smiled at the dark slide of her filthy mind within his, amused by the girl's probe. Her efforts would provide her with nothing that could be used against him. She knew better from past experiences not to tangle too closely with the other dark forces in this limbo. While her powers and rage may be unique and particularly deadly in their own rights, there were plenty of other beings around that could snap her up like a twig and rattle her spite and gloated pride right out of her small body.
One day she would meet something that would respond less favorably to her probing searches. Waking up something else that would be in ill-temper and would response violently to being harassed by a little strip of a being that dared to bother it without giving it the recognition and respect it deserved. He looked forward to that time.
Returning back to the room and to James, he leaned over the black box that imprisoned James. He could not make out any sound from within, running his hands directly over the surface feeling for the body heat inside. Assuring himself that James was alive and breathing inside. He contemplated his next move, calculating the costs and the benefits.
Would James finally begin to learn?
Maybe. Possibly not.
If not, he would learn very soon.
'IT FILLS ME WITH PLEASURE, BUT ALSO WITH PAIN TO DO THIS TO YOU. IT'S LIKE I'M HARMING MYSELF, BUT ALSO HARMING A STRANGER. YOU MAKE EVERYTHING SO DIFFICULT, JAMES, WHEN IT COULD BE SO EASY AND SIMPLE. YOU LET YOUR HUMANITY BLIND AND TERRIFY YOU.'
He would wait and see. And if need be, they would continue this exercise again, and again, and again. Until he had worn James down to his lowest, stripping him apart until he was left anew.
Making his decision and finding it worthy he finally turned away from the box, heading for the doorway and calmly walking down the long corridor of his domain. He would wait one more day before he considered letting James out. That would be enough time.
If that didn't work, then there would always be next time.
***********************************************************************
James was now past the point of shame.
However long he had been in here, it was beginning to affect him. A listless babble filled his head to replace his voice.
Screaming and cursing Pyramid Head had done him no good, leaving his voice rusty and his throat aching. His efforts had only left his ears ringing from the continuous yelling. Inside he cursed Pyramid Head. He beseeched and pleaded for the demon to let him out. He was willing to do anything to get out, claustrophobia and solitude sinking its teeth far into him.
He had nearly cried like a baby when his bladder had filled to high capacity, hurting so bad that it felt like it would burst out of him. Over a stretch of hours it tormented him and finally ended emptying itself. His pants were stained, stiff from the drying dampness and the bitter smell made him nauseous. The simple thing of losing control of his bladder made him feel so weak and incompetent.
The cold had settled deep, like it was burrowing and making a nest in the marrow of his bones. His teeth clacked together as his body was wracked with shivers. He felt sick, stomach hollow and aching. The dull throb of open wounds had faded long ago, but he was aware of the tarnish and every mark across his skin. It was like a brand or tattoo left to haunt him.
James had been here, in this small dark space for so long that his limbs felt as stiff as boards. He could barely will his arms to lift as he once again searched the door above him, fruitlessly searching and checking to see if there was any kink or weakness.
He felt blind, deaf, and mute. There seemed no end to the pitch-black darkness that curled around him.
With a stiff sigh, James allowed his hands to fall and he twisted around to lie on his side wincing as stiff clothing from various dried fluids pulled and scratched against tender skin. He could feel the stringy strands of sweaty and filthy hair as it slid along his face and he shook his head in order to shuffle the annoying lengths away.
Lack of sleep had made him drowsy and his body spastic. Limbs and head would jerk at odd moments when he began to fall asleep, jerking himself awake and usually banging his skull hard into the metal nearby.
But he had to try to sleep, even to fall into another form of darkness, one that gave him time to heal his wounds. That would be a small blessing.
He curled and wrapped his arms further around himself, eyelids heavy as they fluttered closed. Just as he was beginning to drift and attempt sleep, a great rectangle of light burst free above him. James jerked from the painful brightness, burying his face in his hands to shield both eyes from the jabbing pain.
***********************************************************************
Pyramid Head's POV
***********************************************************************
He jerked his head back with a noticeable motion away from the reek of a spoiled body, the door clanging as it slammed against the wall. The smell that rose from the black box told him a great deal of things, one of many being that James had been unable to control his bladder, and that the filth of sweat, blood, and urine had mingled to form a horrendous order even for him.
It may have not been a wise choice to leave James in for so long. The man's face looked noticeably gaunt and dark circles were heavy under his eyes or at least as far as he could see through the pale hands shielding the man's face. James was shivering uncontrollably, teeth clacking loudly as he huddled away from the light curling in as best of a fetal position in order to stay warm since he was without his jacket.
His face was stained red from where tears had tracked down his face, most recently from the suddenly spray of light in his eyes. Hair tangled and dirty hung around his temple with patches of various shades of brown staining the light strands. His eyes squinted and attempted to open trying to focus through the sudden spill of the small flicker of light from the lone bulb that was enough to make his pupils contract with pain.
James was a mess. He could barely look at the state of the man's clothing, where the majority of the smell was coming from.
That would be the first thing to go.
James looked up at him blearily as he hoisted the smaller man up and out of the box, noticing that James felt a little lighter than he had two days ago. He didn't bother to put the man on his feet, knowing that the stiffness would keep him from holding himself upright. One arm slung over his shoulders, his own wrapped around James' waist, and he was easily able to haul the lesser body with him, weighing a great deal less than his Great Knife.
The stairs were easy to stride up as he took two steps at a time, arriving at the second floor and moving in the direction where the Men's Locker Room lay. Carrying James' inside he took him past the lockers and into one of the showers where the entire room was covered in tile and lined with showerheads.
He placed James down underneath one of the showerheads, the man merely folding to sit down and blink slowly, eyes still trying to focus. He cranked the handles until water sprang out and James gasping as the sudden flow of water as it spilled over him. Taking the time to make sure that the water was comfortable enough for the human to handle, he bent down and with negligent regard to maintaining the state of the filthy clothing. He began to tear off large chunks of the soiled fabric. He was tossing the pieces over his shoulder like their mere presence disgusted and offended him. James tried to keep up with the disappearing state of clothing, hands trying to pull the ragged pieces off before he did, already having enough of being bodily lifted with each tug.
James stopped him when his hands fell onto the waist of his pants, like his smaller hands would really stop the demon. James' flush was bright and he turned away to shield himself with the ragged pieces that still covered him. He wanted to be the one to finish undressing himself. But he gave James the small bit of pride and privacy that he wanted, moving back and rolled his shoulders in order to shake the few droplets of water off of them and his helmet.
Turning to his left where he had seen a familiar white block he grabbed the small hunk of soap and tossed it at James' feet, not having to watch and make sure that James would clean himself of the stink and filth. The man reached out shakily for the bar relieved to have a chance to clean the grime that had formed into a persistent layer off of his skin.
He left James to clean himself in private. The ruined clothing at least assuring that James wouldn't attempt to run again while he was away finding something else half-decent for the man to wear.
Why was he taking the time or even caring about James' health, or that he was clean and clothed?
Because the sight of his creator lying in such filth and in such a state made him feel as if he had failed in some way, and failure was the last thing he could tolerate. It wasn't like he was beneath the capabilities of taking care of someone or something that held at the least marginal interest to him.
And James was well beyond being something of marginal interest to him.
The Nurse Demons shuffled out warily from their hiding places as he made his exit, answering the wordless command for them to guard the floors and not allow James to leave. They knew the consequences if they failed this time around.
It took him only a moment for him to familiarize himself with the town, recalling where and what each building held of value.
After searching up and down several blocks, he found what he was looking for. A somewhat decent looking clothing store, and through the dirty windows he could make out the large space inside and the racks of hanging shirts and folded pants in the wood cubicles along the walls.
The glass door was locked. He simply smashed his hand through and unlocked in from the inside, pushing the damaged doors open and forcing his way in. Not a single piece of glass imbedded into his skin and he shook the sparkling pieces off of himself. It wouldn't take long for him to find everything that he needed.
***********************************************************************
Eddie's POV
***********************************************************************
Some blonde man had just punched his fist through the glass door and broken into the clothing store. The building had offered no security so the act of breaking in had not broken a sweat.
Eddie watched from around the corner as the stranger disappeared into the unlit gloom of the abandoned store. The cracking of glass had drawn his attention away from his search for food, still hungry after the early meal. Laura was already pissed with him after already 'stuffing his face' with pizza and had left him to his wandering.
Was that the guy that she had mentioned earlier? What was his name? Jason? James? Had to be James.
But why the hell would he be wearing some sort of apron like people wore in a meat factory? Not any meat factory he had ever been in, though. Since when did somebody wear a butcher's apron that was sown from the back of the neck down to the bottom with thread as thick as his finger and wore such heavy boots and latex gloves? Didn't match the view he had of the guy's back and the long blonde hair trailing down to his shoulders.
Something smashed inside the store, a large display or whatever crashing to the floor. Whoever the stranger was, he wasn't being gentle with any of the merchandise.
Eddie hesitated for a moment before running as quietly as possible across the street until he was hiding right outside the open doorway and peering inside. Whoever the guy was, there was a lot of noise and awful banging to be made by just one person. It sounded like a small army in there.
He could just make out the outline of the big man's body near the back of the store as he ripped a shirt off of a hanger, inspected it before tossing it away and shoving his hands deep into another circle of racks. There was already a hip-length blue jean jacket slung over a broad shoulder, and the guy added a gray shirt on top of it. His body actions made it look as if he were performing some sort of chore that irritated him. But the care he took when he found whatever caught his eye left that theory in the dust.
What the hell was the guy thinking, stealing clothing? It wasn't like the clothing would fit him, since he was obviously larger than the size of clothing he was slinging around. The store wasn't cheap or anything; he was taking some fairly decent stuff.
That jerk. Taking other peoples' stuff like there wasn't anyone who could stop him. Moving around the store and pushing things aside like he didn't have a care in the world. Reminded him of Larry, the bully who would steal his lunch money and would laugh at him when he and his friends pushed him into a puddle of water or on the tracks.
Would his eyes bug out like Larry's did years later when he had shoved the nozzle of a gun down the bully's throat?
When the man's back was to the door, beginning to pursue the cubicles that were filled with folded jeans, Eddie slipped into the store and ducked behind one of the nearby clothing racks, trying to use the darkness to shadow his movement. The gun in the waist of his shorts was a heavy presence that just begged to be used and fired.
He didn't see the man's head lift up slightly and the face turn, a bright green eye peering over a shoulder through long strands of hair. Muscles along the face flexed and moved as if he were breathing deep through his mouth and nose. The man smiled sharply, lips pulling back in a leer.
If Eddie had been looking, he would have seen the broad mirror far in the back of the store and to the strange man's right that sat directly in the path of the doorway.
Eddie would have also seen the man's figure in the mirror, but with a strange and heavy pyramid helmet covering his hair and features.
***********************************************************************
James was able to guess the building they eventually entered by the name and the reception desk on the main floor. What he couldn't understand was why they would be going to a hospital. It appeared to be massive, from what he had been able to see from the outside. A person could easily get lost in here.
There were some new sorts of creatures here in the hospital, some sort of masked and pipe-wielding nurse demons, but as soon as they caught sight of Pyramid Head, they disappeared very quickly. Falling back down the connecting hallways and making themselves invisible within the shadows of covered corners. The other demons in this place seemed to obviously fear Pyramid Head, and James had noticed that the armless ones in the streets had been noticeably absent as James had followed/been dragged after the taller demon. Before he hadn't been able to do anything to get them to leave him alone, and now it was like they had never even been there in the first place.
He almost groaned out loud as another flight of stairs appeared, the tips of his boots catching on every other step as Pyramid Head practically marched up the stairs not allowing James to voice any disagreement. Very soon, they were on another floor the areas too dark for him to get a good impression at first. But his eyes slowly began to adjust allowing him to make a rough assessment.
The place was an utter mess. Some of the doors were obviously bolted shut, but others looked as if something had been pounding mercilessly on the metal or wood in an effort to break their way in. James caught sight of a door labeled Men's Locker Room as he stumbled past, one of the few that had legible writing on it.
Pyramid Head was peering into any room that's door was opened or that he could simply force open. That massive helmet turned and inspected every nook and cranny, seeming to take offense when something didn't suit him. Whatever he was searching for, he didn't seem to find to his liking.
Once again, they went up another flight of stairs, and James could have cried. He was tempted just to let his body fall limp from the exhaustion of being dragged around like luggage.
One room appeared to satisfy Pyramid Head, and James saw the logo S3 that marked the door. Inside was a fairly decent space. Not too little, but not too big. The only really interesting feature in the room was a fairly decent bed. The mattress looked almost clean, and the pillow and blanket suffered only from a small amount of dust.
James expected Pyramid Head to throw him into the room like he had in the Wood Side Apartments, but the demon was relatively gentle, merely giving James a light shove in the direction of the bed. James caught himself before collapsing on the tempting softness, looking over in wariness as Pyramid Head remained in the open doorway.
With a clear warning Pyramid Head pointed a finger at James and then the room in general, a decisive message for James to stay put. Having delivered that silent command, Pyramid Head shut the door with a resounding bang that echoed throughout the hallway outside.
James crouched over the edge of the low bed, amazed at what had just transpired. Was he hallucinating?
'He just told me to stay? Well, didn't VERBALLY tell me to, but it was obvious what he meant. Like I'm some sort of child or something.' James was flabbergasted and somewhat humiliated. Here he had feared imminent pain and death, and after being thrown and banged around and dragged through blood, gore, down and up stairs, he was now designated to stay in an unfamiliar room like he was a disobedient child.
With cautious steps, James warily approached the closed door, mindful of the slowly retreating footsteps. He leaned against the door with his ear pressed against the wood, listening to Pyramid Head withdraw from the floor, hoping that he was also leaving the building entirely. He felt much safer the farther Pyramid Head was away from him. His body stung too badly for him to appreciate the demon's own styles of kindness of providing James a somewhat safe haven to lick his wounds and an area to rest.
It didn't make sense why Pyramid Head had spared him, let alone dragged James to a relatively safe area for his wellbeing. What were his intentions? Was he planning on finishing James off later? Savoring the event?
Sighing softly James turned away from the door, leaning his back against in and slowly sliding down until he was sitting with his back against the only exit. His head dropped so that it was resting on top of one knee. He was beginning to feel emotionally and physically exhausted after everything that had occurred. His body ached and pulsed with bruises and numerous cuts, while his mind quivered from the horrible realization that he had been lying to himself all of this time. The shrouds of lies being torn free hurt like an open wound. With deliberate speed and painful clarity, he could recall every single detail of the crimes he had committed. Every brushing touch, each smell and taste that had filled his sense heightened every single memory.
'It's starting to seem like I really do belong in this Hell.' James pondered. 'And look how fast I've had a tormentor picked out just for me.'
A part of him, the selfish part inside, cringed away from the thought of being anywhere near that demon that had his sights set on disciplining James in whatever way he saw fit.
'By which would I rather be punished? The laws of Hell, or the laws of man?'
If he were to be punished by this Hell and Pyramid Head, James knew that no escape lay anywhere nearby, and there would most likely be no end or death for him.
'But I don't deserve to live. Not after what I did to my wife.' James argued. 'If I were to be punished by the police and the court, it would probably be considered first-degree murder. I stand a good chance of facing the death penalty.'
The ultimate punishment by human laws and hands: death.
James rose to his feet, boots scraping absurdly loud in the small space as he turned to face the door.
He couldn't stay here, that was for certain. He had been given a golden opportunity. Pyramid Head hadn't killed him, so now there was a chance of escape. But escaping was only part of what James was planning.
'This is for Mary.' He told himself. 'This may be the only way that she can have the peace she deserves. Even if I end up burning in Hell for it.'
His hand fell onto the knob, finding cold comfort in the heavy weight against his palm but doubt and fear made him pause.
Not fear of what the police would do with him, if he found some way out of Silent Hill and back to human civilization. He feared what Pyramid Head would do to him if he caught wind of what James was planning to do. James was pretty certain that trying to run away from him would not amuse Pyramid Head. And who was to say that those nurse demons out there wouldn't suddenly appear and block his way now that the more dangerous demon had left the building?
"Which is worse? The devil I know, or the devil I don't?" James asked, trying to come to a quick decision since this would most likely be his only chance out of this place. He didn't have to work hard to pull up a perfectly-detailed of Mary in a hospital bed, her face pinched tight in a grimace with anguish and eyes glistening as she tried to muffle the agonizing pain. She had suffered so long, but she had held on. Living for him while she slowly died inside. Even holding her hand to try to comfort her made Mary scream and sob in misery, limbs kicking and jerking underneath the rough scrape of a hospital blanket. She had been so strong, much stronger than he could have been under the same kind of despair and agony. And how did he repay her? With a lullaby and a fat pillow that gave her a swift end as her chest heaved for air. It had been quick, her body already so far deteriorated that lungs quivered and fell in search of oxygen. What right did he have to take the role as her angel of death?
What goes around comes around. It was time to make his amends as best as he could.
'For Mary.' He reminded himself. 'For her.'
A loud and steady groan signaled the doorknob being turned, and James carefully leaned out of the safety of the room and quickly surveyed his surroundings. Carefully scanning the dark hallway hoping that his eyes had adjusted enough that he hadn't overlooked any looming danger that was eager to take him out. Since he was without flashlight or a weapon, he groped blindly for the undamaged radio and flicked the switch back to 'ON'.
To his relief, there were no hissing static or warning whirs of gears. It was a small victory, but the radio hadn't worked both times when he had run across Pyramid Head. He would have to be very careful.
'Okay….slow and steady. I can do this. I haven't been in this building before, but I know that I'm somewhere three floors up. Just get to the stairs first and work my way down. All I have to do is get onto the street and somehow find my way to the flower shop. I know where to go from there.'
Wincing as the door made enough noise to echo through the hallway James slowly closed it behind him, hoping that neither Pyramid Head or the other demons would realize early on that he had left his designated spot. The more time he had between him and them the better.
His hand against the wall to guide him James carefully began to make his way slowly down the hallway where he knew that Pyramid Head had dragged him up the stairway. He made as little noise as possible, carefully stepping over and around any debris or barricades. It took him nearly three minutes groping around in the darkness before relief settled in him when his hand came into contact with the cold handle of the door leading to the stairway.
Once inside his hand sought out the hand railing, and with slow shuffling steps forward he found the top of the stairs and began to take careful and slow steps down one at a time.
It was nerve-wracking. With every step, he expected the radio to burst to life and for something to reach out from the shadows and strike him down. His own imagination would best him if he didn't slam a lid tightly over it.
Down one floor. He had made it to the second.
He took a moment to calm himself, taking slow and steady breaths. He knew that to panic would do little to solve his situation, and that his only options were to continue forward or to go back.
It wasn't difficult to make that choice.
James resisted making an audible sound of gratification when he finally reached the bottom of the long flight of stairs. He had made it past the second hurdle. Now he just had to get out of the stairway, through the halls and out the doors without anyone or anything noticing.
James carefully eased the door open and stepped out. The radio practically screamed as it came to life.
Instinctively James ducked, and that saved him from having a lead pipe shoved into his skull as the weapon clanged loudly into the door where he had been standing.
He scrambled forward, head down and running using the radio to signal when he was too close to whatever was attacking him.
A strong grip tugged at the end of his jacket. Without a thought, James pulled his arms free, mindful of the sting and burn from open wounds and stiff shoulders. Whatever had grabbed him stumbled backwards as it pulled hard and suddenly found the prey gone and the reward for its efforts only a piece of clothing.
James could just make out blocks of light ahead, soft gray light cutting through the small windows on the front doors. He didn't stop to slow down as he burst through the doors, almost falling down the steps in his haste. The doors bounced several times against their frame before falling silent, the force of James dashing through them ringing loudly through the area. Vaguely James heard rapid and shuffling noise from inside the building he had just fled out of.
'GO, GO, GO!!!' He yelled to himself, giving him no time to catch his breath. Just running, and desperately searching to find a familiar street sign.
It felt like he was running for hours, ducking by or pushing away the demons that drew too close, popping out of the fog almost right in his face. With every street corner and intersection he searched for a familiar name, making a quick change of direction down another street. James came to a screeching stop when he came to the corner of an intersection, gulping deeply for air as he read the street sign.
~LINDSEY STREET~
There! He knew where he was!
Taking a turn in the direction he knew he needed to go, James continued for another block or so before another sign began to shape itself out of the fog. Again he came to a stop, using the short time that it took the read the sign as a small break.
~SANDERS STREET~
One more! At the very least!
He was practically running on empty when he finally came to the next street sign.
~WILTSE ROAD~
Right over there. The flower shop! He could just make it out.
Using that as his guide, James ran for the tunnel that he had used to enter Silent Hill. The rest of the way was long and narrow, but all he had to do was get through the Cemetery, back up the stone stairs and up the rest stop.
He just had to keep running!
***********************************************************************
Pyramid Head's POV
***********************************************************************
He had the sudden need to kill something. Slowly. Very slowly.
He KNEW, as soon as he arrived back at the Hospital, that something had occurred while he had been away and patrolling his territory.
The Nurse Demons shivered and cowered away from him, forgetting their weapons as they shielded their faces and heads turning away from his rage. One attempted to offer amends by presenting him with James' green jacket, but he grabbed the damaged cloth and threw it away with a sound of disgust.
Useless! All they knew was to attack mindlessly, even striking many of their own numbers in their wild thrashing. They couldn't comprehend a single command of keeping a lone human contained on one floor.
Shoving any stray female body that came too close he stormed up the stairs, his footsteps like thunder as he threw himself up to the third floor and practically ran for the room that James had been left in.
The door was nearly broken off of its hinges as he tore it open, confirming what he had already expected once arriving.
The bed wasn't even rumpled, having not even been used at all. Bare of any human presence or warmth.
James was gone.
James…was…gone.
What was so hard about understanding the command of 'stay put'? Did he have to go as far as to verbally tell the man? Didn't James understand that he was being merciful by not chaining and tucking him into the darkest and deepest hole in the basement of the building? He had given James a great boon no other had been graced with…and the man had thrown it right back in his face.
'YOU ARE MINE. WE ARE THE SAME, BUT I AM STRONGER, MORE POWERFUL. I AM THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN PUNISH AND REWARD YOU. BUT I SPARED YOU, AND THIS IS HOW I AM REPAID.'
'HOW DARE YOU…'
'HOW…DARE…YOU…'
'JAMES!!!!'
'YOU DARE TO RUN AWAY FROM ME?!'
At the same time, another small part of him was howling in disbelief and betrayal. 'HOW CAN YOU LEAVE ME? I TOOK YOU. I CONQUERED YOU. YOU CAN NOT DEFY ME!' It was the rules. By rights, he had won. Everything had been going precisely as it should until James had decided to be a fucking hero for that damned dead bitch. James may be eager to play the martyr for the woman who eagerly accept his demise and clasp it to her breast in order to feed her wrath from a painful early death. But if James thought that he could escape through death everything else that had recently come to pass here…
A roar, an animalistic fury poured out of him, and he spun and bolted out of the room.
'YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE BROUGHT DOWN UPON YOURSELF, JAMES!'
***********************************************************************
James had collapsed onto his knees just outside of the Cemetery. His legs felt as weak as a young foal's. It felt like lead weights had been strapped to his limbs trying to pull him down onto the dirt path. Everything just hurt.
What hurt worse was the sudden and painful roar that echoed throughout his skull, causing him to clap his hands over his ears as if it would stop the ocean of pain and noise. Whatever the sudden roar in his head signified, he didn't expect it to be anything remotely good.
'I think…it's safe to say that I don't have much time now…'
On his hands and knees James managed to push himself forward and onto his feet, using the trees and steep dirt inclines as support as he stumbled down the dim and winding trail.
'Was it always this long? It feels like every step forward is two steps back.' He wondered.
After several minutes of running/stumbling, James had to stop disbelief in his eyes as he took in the fork in the trail ahead of him. One small trail went off to the left and continued on and on, the one on the right took a sharp turn upwards in a steep rise.
'This…this wasn't here earlier…was it? I can't remember. I can't remember where I'm going…' James panicked.
Did this place shift and change when someone wasn't looking? Was that what happened? He was SURE there had been no divides in the trail when he had traveled down it earlier!
Was he running in circles?
James physically jumped as a loud metallic bang rang all around him from far, far behind. The sound was like the ringing moan of a hundred damned souls.
Another forceful bang and James realized what was making that horrible noise.
The Cemetery Gates.
'He's coming!!' His mind screamed.
He didn't need the time to determine just 'who' was coming.
Making a quick decision James took his best option, darting to the right and running up the trail that steadily sloped upwards. It was practically killing his chest and legs as he slogged his way up the steep trail, slipping through thick patches of dirt and leaves with the fog blinding him so badly that he could barely see his hands in front of his own face.
His hands made contact with rough steps as he nearly stumbled headfirst into them.
The stone stairs!
James was nearly on his hands and knees as he clambered up the stairs, feet finally scraping along concrete one he surpassed the numerous stairs.
'Left! Left! The car is that way!!'
Panting loudly James ran in the direction of where he knew he had left his car, the fog literally brushing his face as he ran.
When he had been running for several seconds, James felt a trickle of apprehension and extreme alarm. His car had been parked VERY close to the stairs. It shouldn't be taking him this long to reach it.
Up ahead, almost a hundred feet, he could make out a large rising rectangle of light, trees edging along the pale radiance. As he drew closer, he could make out thin dark beams within the halo that stretched up and broke the bright rectangle of light into thinner pieces.
'What is…' He was slowing down from exhaustion at first. He finally stopped when he reached the object that had caught his attention, hands closing around the thick metal bars as he stared out in horrified incredulity.
He was INSIDE the sealed and barred gates that led into town.
The sealed gates that had kept him from driving his car down the long and winding road, forcing him to turn into the rest stop and take the side trail by foot.
He could see his car, not even five hundred feet from him upon the cobbled paved rest stop and near the old dirty washroom. The driver's door was still wide open, and not too far was the familiar white van.
Next to his car between it and the washroom was another vehicle, a red sports car. Two people, a man and a woman were standing outside of the red car with a map spread out along the hood, both tracing the lines and details with their fingers and speaking quietly to each other. The woman pointed back up the road from where they had most likely driven, and the man pointed repeatedly at a spot on the map until the woman merely sighed and shook her head.
James' grip on the metal bars of the large gate tightened. With the strength he could muster he rattled the gate as loudly as he could, trying to make as much noise as possible. "HEY!! HEY!" He shouted, trying to get the two people to look over in his direction.
They didn't raise their heads up from the map.
"HERE! I'm right here! Help me, please!! Get me out of here!!!" James screamed.
The woman's head rose and she frowned at James' car and the open driver side's door. She said something to her companion, and the man looked thoughtfully at the car. He approached James' car and leaned into the driver's seat, soon rising out from within the dark confines holding up James' keys. The two appeared very uncomfortable about the abandoned car that had an open door with car keys still inside, but no occupant inside.
James shook and threw himself bodily against the gates, the metal bars clanging and rattling loudly. How could they not hear him?! He was right there, practically screaming his lungs out!
"Please! Please, I'm right here! You've got to open the gates! PLEASE!!"
It didn't make any sense! The fog was literally cut off from the rest stop by the gates, not a tendril of the soft gray dampness reaching out from between the metal bars. The sky above the rest stop was a soft purple, the sun disappearing behind low dark clouds. And trail below the stone stairs was unhampered by the damp fog, and wild birds and animals called out from the bushes and trees.
The man pulled out a cellphone from his pocket, flicking it open and pressing three buttons. He spoke calmly and rapidly into the phone, looking back into James' vehicle and reading off the license plate number.
"Why can't you hear me?!!" James screamed until his throat felt like it was bleeding, smashing his hands against the gates until the cuts reopened and painted the bars red. He gave a hard enough shake of the gates that for a moment it sounded like it would fall down all around him.
Exhausted and dismal he slumped against the gates with his hands wrapped around the solid bars. His forehead thumped hard into one of the bars, attempting to jar to life another plan.
A heavy sound shuffled from not too far behind where James had come up the stairs.
James hissed softly in distress, jerking partly around and looking back behind him, barely able to make out through the fog the broad stairs that he had stumbled up-
Pyramid Head rose steadily out of the fog, taking the stairs evenly and with no hurry. The pyramid helmet turned in James' direction as the demon rose to stand at the top of the stairs. James was momentarily frozen like he was a sudden caught facing onrushing headlight coming straight at him.
No. NO!
Not now! He was so close.
Twisting around he turned back towards the rest stop, kicking and thrashing against the locked gates. He had to get out, and fast. He just needed the two people to hear him and look over. But it was like he was mute or they were deaf to his cries. "Don't leave me here! Don't leave me with him!!" He pleaded.
It was like he wasn't even there. They weren't looking anywhere in his direction. They couldn't hear him screaming like a banshee. There wasn't even an interest in the large almost medieval walls and gates that stood as a silent sentry to guard the dark road into the town.
There was no hope in pleading or screaming at them. Some sort of invisible barrier stood between James and his freedom. 'Why aren't they listening?' James couldn't believe that he was so close and yet so far away.
James did scream, long and anguished as latex hands and arms reached around and encircled him from behind. He thrashed and bucked wildly within the solid heat of Pyramid Head's form, the gates crashing ominously from the two battling and pushing against the other. "Get off me! Get away! Just leave me alone!" James refused to let go of the gate even as the demon began to pull at him, his hands white as they clung desperately around the bars almost as thick as his wrists.
Pyramid Head's hands soon sought out the problem that was keeping him from physically grappling James away from the gates, sealing tight with punishing force around the hands that encircled the bars. James cried out in pain as his hands were trapped and slowly being smashed tight between hard unforgiving metal and the brutal strength of the demon's hands. When his hands slackened their grip for just a moment Pyramid Head almost tore them away from the bars, twisting James arms so that they wrapped around himself, allowing the demon to encase James' torso and arms within both of his. James kicked and jerked helplessly as he was pulled back away from the gates, the heels of his boots scraping loudly across the pavement as he continued to thrash about.
The fight that the man offered did nothing to slow the drag and pull of the hands and arms around him. He continued to shout and scream as a hand slammed over his mouth muffling the noise. Not that his cries had been answered earlier, but the act of screaming long and loud seemed to be his only way of declaring his defiance and rage.
He was being pulled away from the freedom that had been so near. He had been close enough to almost touch it if the space between the bars hadn't been too tight for him to squeeze an arm through.
Slowly the fog swirled around the two figures, both beginning to melt away and disappear back the way they had came. Falling away like specters.
James didn't stop screaming until they were right outside of the tunnel leading into the town.
***********************************************************************
The man shut off the cellphone and pocketed it. There was nothing else he could do; the police would respond to his call about a suspicious abandoned vehicle. No apparent driver had been around, but the state of the car was unsettling. It wasn't often that a person left their keys in their car with the driver's door wide open.
The wind howled through the strange large gates that stood not that far away. He stilled suddenly, and then turned in the direction of the gates and the darkness within that looked as thick as a wall.
"What is it?" The woman asked, curious of why her companion seemed so suddenly intent.
The man frowned, tilting his head and listening. "Strange." He said out loud. Shaking his head, he looked over at her. "I thought I heard something."
***********************************************************************
Pyramid Head's POV
***********************************************************************
The chase hadn't been long, not even tiring for him.
For James it was another matter.
The man had stopped screaming and thrashing like a wild animal, finally. Instead, he hung unresisting in his arms, rocking himself with his head hanging low, a soft sob escaping occasionally. The failure of his escape had left a deep mark upon him and the man grieved over once again returning to the town.
The temptation of freedom had not been unrealistic. It was understandable why he had attempted to run. It must have felt like a harsh slap to the face to have his way barred when he made it so far.
But he would not let James' fear and misery allow him to escape the punishment for his error.
The few demons around them scuttled away or hid behind various cars and other structures. Eyes followed the two as he dragged the smaller man. None dared to follow as the two returned to the Brookhaven Hospital. The Nurse Demons that patrolled the interior of the building made themselves scarce.
He didn't drag James back up to the third floor. No, he had something else in mind.
Instead, he went down, taking the stairway that not even the Nurse Demons dared to trespass. Dragging the limp body with him as he went down, one, two, three levels. Down to the farthest floor and beyond the basement's basement.
No human had ever come down here before. At least, not alive. Where they were going was very special.
The entire floor was one long stretching unlit corridor leading towards a single open doorway. A lone light bulb flickered with a scant amount of life inside, outlining the barest edges of the items within the confines of the room. Various and widespread implements and devices were scattered and strewn about. Some had been tossed negligently to the side having no practical use at the moment but offered him a pleasant nostalgia when he recalled how he had used them previously. Others, the rare few which were his prizes, were maintained with almost obsessive care, not a hint of rust or wear and tear visible.
There was one item in particular that he was most interested in.
James was beginning to stir and a little amount fight was returning to him as he began to take in the room. Soft moans of distress echoing along the dirty concrete walls as he took in the sight of the few corpses that were left to rot in cages hanging from the ceiling. His arms tightened and he forced James to lift his head, not allowing the man to close his eyes or shield his face. He allowed James plenty of time to take in the sights, wanting him to memorize every inch and every surface.
'HERE. HERE IS WHERE YOUR PUNISHMENT WILL TAKE PLACE. I WANT YOU TO REMEMBER THAT YOU BROUGHT THIS UPON YOURSELF.'
In the farthest reaches of the room, against one wall was a long wide black slab. Getting closer, one could see a long metal handle and a lock system on the outside for the metal bolt to slide into. The top of the black object looked as if it opened up, but it had to be incredibly heavy.
Not as if it was anything that the Red Pyramid couldn't handle.
James' struggles increased in magnitude while with one hand he slid the bolt out of the locking mechanism and with a heavy creak began to pull the top up, the door on top of the long black box coming up with its hinges groaning from the heavy weight.
James began to thrash mightily, sensing the purpose of what that box was for. He lifted the man off of his feet so that he would stop wiggling so much.
Propping the open door against the wall, he gathered James up until he was grasping the struggling man as if preparing to throw him down a never-ending gully, one hand gripping the man by his collar and the other by his flank.
James' struggles were useless as he dropped the man into the container, and with an angry motion slammed the door shut as James began to shout within the confines of the box. The rough fall had been greeted with a rough *CRACK*, and he gained a small bit of pleasure in realizing that the radio that James had managed to hang on to was broken and several of its buttons falling to the floor of the container. A hard tug and the bolt slid home, and James' hands and feet drummed dully from the inside of the box against the door.
He didn't need to worry about James suffocating. There were minute and barely visible cuts and slits in the thick metal, invisible from the inside so that no light penetrated into the box, but allowing for plenty of air for the victim to breathe.
James could stay there for the time being. A day or two would be enough to educate him of his mistake and of the consequences that followed. The man could scream himself hoarse but his pleas would no nothing to dissuade him. He had been patient long enough.
It was time to see if James was finally beginning to understand. Understand that he could not run, and if he did, James would never escape the taint that Silent Hill, that he had left upon the man.
***********************************************************************
A coffin.
He was locked inside of a black coffin.
James hands and legs were hurting, but still he kicked and banged his fists against the sealed door. It didn't budge an inch.
The space was so small. He could barely move around in order to turn onto his side, with no room in order to prop himself up. It physically hurt to move or stretch within the confined space but still he kept throwing himself as hard as possible against the door above. The blows he landed only caused his limbs to ache further.
He was blind. It was pitch black within the confines and James' fast and wild breathing was pathetically loud in the small space. He hiccuped softly, swallowing several times to try and dispel the bubbles of air that caused his chest to jump and twitch. In desperate hope he ran his hands as far as he could along every inch of his prison, hoping, praying for some sort of opening or weakness.
There was none.
The metal was too thick for him to hear anything, leaving him deaf to the outside world, in the darkness and his only companion was the trembling rush of his breathing.
"Let me out!!!" He shouted, his voice ringing and hurting his ears within the tight space. He felt small droplets falling from the roof of the container as his hands continued to smash into the hard metal, unable to see the red droplets falling onto his face and neck.
Other droplets of moisture spilled unguarded from the corners of his eyes and James flinched as his legs grew too tired to even flex or stretch. He had to fold his arms over his chest due to the small space and his hands were starting to sting when coming in contact with anything.
Was he going to be left in this coffin until he starved or died from lack of water? That would take days, maybe even longer.
James shifted around in discomfort, realizing how sore and tender his body was. He flushed in embarrassment when he realized that his bladder was suffering from a familiar ache. He flinched when his hips shifted a little to the side causing his stomach muscles to tremble. Heat flared from his groin to his bladder. It was humiliating to think that if he didn't get out of here, and if his bladder became too full…
'Don't think about it. Don't think about anything.' He tried to distract himself by feeling around for the radio, remembering that it had been on him when he had been shoved into the dark box. Maybe, maybe he could use get some light or something from it.
When his hands found the radio, he instantly regretting having formed any hope of using it.
The casing was cracked and falling off. Several of the buttons were shattered and missing. Even when he felt for the familiar switch and flicked in on and off, not a sound or hiss greeted his efforts. He had only been wasting his time and effort in hoping that it would offer him any solace.
With that last vestige of hope gone, James shoved the damaged radio away and curled on his side within the dark confines of his prison. As best as he could, he wrapped his arms around himself in an effort to keep warm, and perhaps as some sort of comfort. Small hiccups of breath and aching sounds echoed around him.
"let me out….please….let me out…I can't…I don't want to be here…"
***********************************************************************
Pyramid Head's POV
***********************************************************************
A full day had passed, and he still wasn't quite considering the option of letting James out.
He did stay closer to the Hospital as he continued to make his rounds within the town, occasionally catching sight of the few humans that wandered the street. The older woman with short brown hair was of no concern of his. He would let her wander and search for her 'mother', no matter how useless it may be. She was wise enough to avoid him whenever she caught sight or heard him coming.
The little girl could be a nuisance, perhaps. She didn't belong here, but she wasn't willing to leave. Searching for her beautiful and kind Mary.
Mary…
Dead and gone, but left her mark behind.
And that Maria woman…she could be a problem.
She was there for a purpose, one that risked unraveling everything he had just accomplished. James would certainly fall for her spell, amazed by the sleek female who wore the same face as his wife. Not realizing the ruse that the woman carried out while smiling at him with the same breath, the wolf that hid itself in sheep's clothing.
He shrugged at that thought. If she became a problem, then he would deal with her. It wasn't as if she was going anywhere.
The Eddie person, he was someone that would have to be dealt with very soon. He was stuck in this town, seeing some of the things that lurked behind those walls but also blind to many of the others. Eddie was a danger to himself and a danger to any other humans. Already half-mad, deluding himself by professing his innocence and sniveling about how he was mistreated and verbally abused. Snuffling around like he was a whipped and repeatedly kicked puppy.
That didn't keep the man from sticking his nose where he didn't belong.
Eddie was getting too close to the Hospital. Whatever seemed to draw the man there was uncertain, but over the past few hours, he had steadily gone up and down the nearest streets that approached the building. At least the Patient Demons were doing their jobs in the streets and hounded the human until he was forced to back down and run for safety. But the man wasn't entirely stupid; the demons were guarding something and eventually he would find his way past them and into the Hospital.
From that point on…there was no telling what the man could or would do. He would have to get past the Nurse Demons first, and they would be quite eager to greet him with a lead pipe to smash open his skull. If by some odd bit of luck Eddie managed to scuttle his way past there wasn't too much that he could find. The only thing that he didn't want Eddie to find was hidden deep below the Hospital.
Again, if Eddie managed to have a bit of luck or misfortunes to find his way anywhere near the stairs leading down…
Later. There was always later.
He finished the last of his sweep and found nothing that required his attention. The only thing that caused him to momentarily pause had been the brief flicker and brush of Alessa's presence in the air around him. He had smiled at the dark slide of her filthy mind within his, amused by the girl's probe. Her efforts would provide her with nothing that could be used against him. She knew better from past experiences not to tangle too closely with the other dark forces in this limbo. While her powers and rage may be unique and particularly deadly in their own rights, there were plenty of other beings around that could snap her up like a twig and rattle her spite and gloated pride right out of her small body.
One day she would meet something that would respond less favorably to her probing searches. Waking up something else that would be in ill-temper and would response violently to being harassed by a little strip of a being that dared to bother it without giving it the recognition and respect it deserved. He looked forward to that time.
Returning back to the room and to James, he leaned over the black box that imprisoned James. He could not make out any sound from within, running his hands directly over the surface feeling for the body heat inside. Assuring himself that James was alive and breathing inside. He contemplated his next move, calculating the costs and the benefits.
Would James finally begin to learn?
Maybe. Possibly not.
If not, he would learn very soon.
'IT FILLS ME WITH PLEASURE, BUT ALSO WITH PAIN TO DO THIS TO YOU. IT'S LIKE I'M HARMING MYSELF, BUT ALSO HARMING A STRANGER. YOU MAKE EVERYTHING SO DIFFICULT, JAMES, WHEN IT COULD BE SO EASY AND SIMPLE. YOU LET YOUR HUMANITY BLIND AND TERRIFY YOU.'
He would wait and see. And if need be, they would continue this exercise again, and again, and again. Until he had worn James down to his lowest, stripping him apart until he was left anew.
Making his decision and finding it worthy he finally turned away from the box, heading for the doorway and calmly walking down the long corridor of his domain. He would wait one more day before he considered letting James out. That would be enough time.
If that didn't work, then there would always be next time.
***********************************************************************
James was now past the point of shame.
However long he had been in here, it was beginning to affect him. A listless babble filled his head to replace his voice.
Screaming and cursing Pyramid Head had done him no good, leaving his voice rusty and his throat aching. His efforts had only left his ears ringing from the continuous yelling. Inside he cursed Pyramid Head. He beseeched and pleaded for the demon to let him out. He was willing to do anything to get out, claustrophobia and solitude sinking its teeth far into him.
He had nearly cried like a baby when his bladder had filled to high capacity, hurting so bad that it felt like it would burst out of him. Over a stretch of hours it tormented him and finally ended emptying itself. His pants were stained, stiff from the drying dampness and the bitter smell made him nauseous. The simple thing of losing control of his bladder made him feel so weak and incompetent.
The cold had settled deep, like it was burrowing and making a nest in the marrow of his bones. His teeth clacked together as his body was wracked with shivers. He felt sick, stomach hollow and aching. The dull throb of open wounds had faded long ago, but he was aware of the tarnish and every mark across his skin. It was like a brand or tattoo left to haunt him.
James had been here, in this small dark space for so long that his limbs felt as stiff as boards. He could barely will his arms to lift as he once again searched the door above him, fruitlessly searching and checking to see if there was any kink or weakness.
He felt blind, deaf, and mute. There seemed no end to the pitch-black darkness that curled around him.
With a stiff sigh, James allowed his hands to fall and he twisted around to lie on his side wincing as stiff clothing from various dried fluids pulled and scratched against tender skin. He could feel the stringy strands of sweaty and filthy hair as it slid along his face and he shook his head in order to shuffle the annoying lengths away.
Lack of sleep had made him drowsy and his body spastic. Limbs and head would jerk at odd moments when he began to fall asleep, jerking himself awake and usually banging his skull hard into the metal nearby.
But he had to try to sleep, even to fall into another form of darkness, one that gave him time to heal his wounds. That would be a small blessing.
He curled and wrapped his arms further around himself, eyelids heavy as they fluttered closed. Just as he was beginning to drift and attempt sleep, a great rectangle of light burst free above him. James jerked from the painful brightness, burying his face in his hands to shield both eyes from the jabbing pain.
***********************************************************************
Pyramid Head's POV
***********************************************************************
He jerked his head back with a noticeable motion away from the reek of a spoiled body, the door clanging as it slammed against the wall. The smell that rose from the black box told him a great deal of things, one of many being that James had been unable to control his bladder, and that the filth of sweat, blood, and urine had mingled to form a horrendous order even for him.
It may have not been a wise choice to leave James in for so long. The man's face looked noticeably gaunt and dark circles were heavy under his eyes or at least as far as he could see through the pale hands shielding the man's face. James was shivering uncontrollably, teeth clacking loudly as he huddled away from the light curling in as best of a fetal position in order to stay warm since he was without his jacket.
His face was stained red from where tears had tracked down his face, most recently from the suddenly spray of light in his eyes. Hair tangled and dirty hung around his temple with patches of various shades of brown staining the light strands. His eyes squinted and attempted to open trying to focus through the sudden spill of the small flicker of light from the lone bulb that was enough to make his pupils contract with pain.
James was a mess. He could barely look at the state of the man's clothing, where the majority of the smell was coming from.
That would be the first thing to go.
James looked up at him blearily as he hoisted the smaller man up and out of the box, noticing that James felt a little lighter than he had two days ago. He didn't bother to put the man on his feet, knowing that the stiffness would keep him from holding himself upright. One arm slung over his shoulders, his own wrapped around James' waist, and he was easily able to haul the lesser body with him, weighing a great deal less than his Great Knife.
The stairs were easy to stride up as he took two steps at a time, arriving at the second floor and moving in the direction where the Men's Locker Room lay. Carrying James' inside he took him past the lockers and into one of the showers where the entire room was covered in tile and lined with showerheads.
He placed James down underneath one of the showerheads, the man merely folding to sit down and blink slowly, eyes still trying to focus. He cranked the handles until water sprang out and James gasping as the sudden flow of water as it spilled over him. Taking the time to make sure that the water was comfortable enough for the human to handle, he bent down and with negligent regard to maintaining the state of the filthy clothing. He began to tear off large chunks of the soiled fabric. He was tossing the pieces over his shoulder like their mere presence disgusted and offended him. James tried to keep up with the disappearing state of clothing, hands trying to pull the ragged pieces off before he did, already having enough of being bodily lifted with each tug.
James stopped him when his hands fell onto the waist of his pants, like his smaller hands would really stop the demon. James' flush was bright and he turned away to shield himself with the ragged pieces that still covered him. He wanted to be the one to finish undressing himself. But he gave James the small bit of pride and privacy that he wanted, moving back and rolled his shoulders in order to shake the few droplets of water off of them and his helmet.
Turning to his left where he had seen a familiar white block he grabbed the small hunk of soap and tossed it at James' feet, not having to watch and make sure that James would clean himself of the stink and filth. The man reached out shakily for the bar relieved to have a chance to clean the grime that had formed into a persistent layer off of his skin.
He left James to clean himself in private. The ruined clothing at least assuring that James wouldn't attempt to run again while he was away finding something else half-decent for the man to wear.
Why was he taking the time or even caring about James' health, or that he was clean and clothed?
Because the sight of his creator lying in such filth and in such a state made him feel as if he had failed in some way, and failure was the last thing he could tolerate. It wasn't like he was beneath the capabilities of taking care of someone or something that held at the least marginal interest to him.
And James was well beyond being something of marginal interest to him.
The Nurse Demons shuffled out warily from their hiding places as he made his exit, answering the wordless command for them to guard the floors and not allow James to leave. They knew the consequences if they failed this time around.
It took him only a moment for him to familiarize himself with the town, recalling where and what each building held of value.
After searching up and down several blocks, he found what he was looking for. A somewhat decent looking clothing store, and through the dirty windows he could make out the large space inside and the racks of hanging shirts and folded pants in the wood cubicles along the walls.
The glass door was locked. He simply smashed his hand through and unlocked in from the inside, pushing the damaged doors open and forcing his way in. Not a single piece of glass imbedded into his skin and he shook the sparkling pieces off of himself. It wouldn't take long for him to find everything that he needed.
***********************************************************************
Eddie's POV
***********************************************************************
Some blonde man had just punched his fist through the glass door and broken into the clothing store. The building had offered no security so the act of breaking in had not broken a sweat.
Eddie watched from around the corner as the stranger disappeared into the unlit gloom of the abandoned store. The cracking of glass had drawn his attention away from his search for food, still hungry after the early meal. Laura was already pissed with him after already 'stuffing his face' with pizza and had left him to his wandering.
Was that the guy that she had mentioned earlier? What was his name? Jason? James? Had to be James.
But why the hell would he be wearing some sort of apron like people wore in a meat factory? Not any meat factory he had ever been in, though. Since when did somebody wear a butcher's apron that was sown from the back of the neck down to the bottom with thread as thick as his finger and wore such heavy boots and latex gloves? Didn't match the view he had of the guy's back and the long blonde hair trailing down to his shoulders.
Something smashed inside the store, a large display or whatever crashing to the floor. Whoever the stranger was, he wasn't being gentle with any of the merchandise.
Eddie hesitated for a moment before running as quietly as possible across the street until he was hiding right outside the open doorway and peering inside. Whoever the guy was, there was a lot of noise and awful banging to be made by just one person. It sounded like a small army in there.
He could just make out the outline of the big man's body near the back of the store as he ripped a shirt off of a hanger, inspected it before tossing it away and shoving his hands deep into another circle of racks. There was already a hip-length blue jean jacket slung over a broad shoulder, and the guy added a gray shirt on top of it. His body actions made it look as if he were performing some sort of chore that irritated him. But the care he took when he found whatever caught his eye left that theory in the dust.
What the hell was the guy thinking, stealing clothing? It wasn't like the clothing would fit him, since he was obviously larger than the size of clothing he was slinging around. The store wasn't cheap or anything; he was taking some fairly decent stuff.
That jerk. Taking other peoples' stuff like there wasn't anyone who could stop him. Moving around the store and pushing things aside like he didn't have a care in the world. Reminded him of Larry, the bully who would steal his lunch money and would laugh at him when he and his friends pushed him into a puddle of water or on the tracks.
Would his eyes bug out like Larry's did years later when he had shoved the nozzle of a gun down the bully's throat?
When the man's back was to the door, beginning to pursue the cubicles that were filled with folded jeans, Eddie slipped into the store and ducked behind one of the nearby clothing racks, trying to use the darkness to shadow his movement. The gun in the waist of his shorts was a heavy presence that just begged to be used and fired.
He didn't see the man's head lift up slightly and the face turn, a bright green eye peering over a shoulder through long strands of hair. Muscles along the face flexed and moved as if he were breathing deep through his mouth and nose. The man smiled sharply, lips pulling back in a leer.
If Eddie had been looking, he would have seen the broad mirror far in the back of the store and to the strange man's right that sat directly in the path of the doorway.
Eddie would have also seen the man's figure in the mirror, but with a strange and heavy pyramid helmet covering his hair and features.