chapter 9

Steven is quickly over coming the obstacles laid out before him, but does this mean there will be a happy end?

Steven opened the front entrance of the police station and made his way over to the front desk.Nobody was currently there, forcing Steven to ring the bell. 

"Wait on a minute!"Called a voice, coming from the room out back.

No less than three minutes later, a female police officer came to the front desk. She appeared to be in her mid twenties, had long brown hair, pale skin, and looked as if she was confused.

"Hi there, what can I do for you?" Asked the officer.

Yes, hello..."

The officer stared at Steven with a confused look. She could see something was wrong.

"My name is Steven Wilcox. I'm in town to try and find my brother."

"Lieutenant Anderpart."

Steven was taken back. 

"Anderpart?"

"Yes."

"Are you related to Maxwell Anderpart, by an chance?"

"He is...was my grandfather."

"Was?"

"Yeah."

In that moment, Steven understood what she had meant. But it made no sense.

"Hey."

Steven just stared off into nowhere.

"Hey!" Shouted Lieutenant Anderpart, snapping her fingers in his face.

"Sorry, what?"Gasped Steven.

"You asked if he was a relative and I said yes. You then seemed to go into some kind of stupor."

"Well, it's just that, I met him not that long ago, actually."

"Are you trying to be funny?"

"No. I met him at the town hall. Maxwell gave me some pretty good info."

Just by the look on her face, Lieutenant Anderpart was having no part in this. She glared at Steven, staring directly into his eyes, scolding him with a simple look. Then, Lieutenant Anderpart slammed her hand down on the desk.

"Do you think this is funny?!"

"No..."

"My grandfather died two years ago, it's not even possible for you to have met him!"

"I'm not lying. I met him at town hall."

"Okay then. What does he look like?"

Steven gave an in depth description of Maxwell, even getting down to the long nose hairs he had.

"How can you know that about him?"

"I told you, I'm not lying."

"Why would someone go through all of this trouble to pull a prank?"

"This isn't a joke or prank!"

"I swear to god, if you mention him one more time, I will arrest you!"

"Fine!Fine. Just take it easy."

"Now what is this so called, good info?"

"I was told about a stranger being in town."

"Anything more to go on?"

"They were male."

Lieutenant Anderpart sighed and began searching through a pile of paper on the desk. After about a minute or so, she came across one report.

"Apparently there was a sighting of a man in Old Silent Hill. They were acting erratic and suspicious, causing a member of the public  to call it in."

"Does it say where they were seen?"

"The report says that they were last seen hanging around Midwich Elementary School."

"Thank you. You have no idea how much of a help this has been."

"I hope you find what you're looking for."

But Steven didn't hear those last words. He ran out of the police station and made a beeline for Old Silent Hill. The bridge was still operational,surprisingly. Steven made his way across to the older part of town and eventually found himself standing on Ellroy Street. Unfortunately, the road leading up Broch Street, was blocked off by a giant hole. The road going from Ellroy Street to Bradbury Street, was also blocked off by a hole. Steven could only travel up Ellroy Street, no other.

Steven came to Finney Street and turned left, following the road towards Levin Street. Something bad must have happened because all of the houses had been burnt to the ground, not leaving even one for people to live in. This was frustrating for Steven. As part of his life, Steven helped people get into houses, especially the homeless. To see these perfectly good houses all burnt down, it was maddening.

 Steven was even more mad when he found that the end of Matheson Street, was blocked off by a wall of metal. It was no longer possible to travel via Midwich Street, proven by all of the blocked off roads. So, Steven continued down Levin Street,turning onto Bloch Street. He saw the alley where the burnt down houses garages were, and followed it. The gate to one of the houses was unlocked, proving to be the most fruitful thing so far. Steven entered through the backyard and carefully made it through the burnt down house, venturing onto Midwich Street.

Hurrying towards the elementary school, Steven almost lost his footing. He was running so fast that he was tripping over his own feet. By the time Steven made it to the front entrance of the school, his breathing was erratic. He grabbed the latch on the door and made his way inside. Steven stood in the lobby of the school and began to investigate, noticing all of the posters plastered across the walls.

Steven entered the first hallway and observed his surroundings. To his left was the reception, to his right was the infirmary, and straight ahead was the courtyard. It did appear that the doors to the courtyard were locked by a chain and padlock, but there was no indication as to where the key was hidden. Steven went to infirmary to see what he could possibly find. However, all he did find was an ampoule, a health drink, and a notepad with something written on it.

"What's this?" Mumbled Steven.

There was a clue written on the notepad and it read as follows...

"Finding the key to success is harder than you want to accept. To find your key, complete the basic tests that have been set out before you."

With the knowledge at hand, Steven left the infirmary and checked in at the reception. There wasn't a single person at reception, this allowed him to pilfer through the desk. Unfortunately, there was nothing more than a key to the principals office. There wasn't much need to search for the principals office since it was the room behind reception, making it easier for Steven. He unlocked the door and entered.

Steven wasn't at all surprised by what he found. The principals office consisted of nothing more than a desk, three chairs, a couple of shrubs, and a tasteless painting hanging on the wall. He wondered how anyone could sit in that room all day, it was sad and depressing, sucking all of the life out of anybody who entered. Still, the room was locked for a reason, Steven just had to figure out what that reason was.

With a quick search, Steven turned the room upside down. There wasn't  single item of interest. But as he turned to leave the room a loud scream came from reception, startling Steven. The atmosphere suddenly shifted. Everything went from calm to intense Steven wasn't sure whether to leave or not, freezing at the idea of going to see what happened. No matter how much he didn't want to go, Steven knew he had to.

The door squeaked as it was slowly pushed open. Steven peeked around the door trying to make sure he wasn't spotted, but saw that there was nobody at reception. However, when looking down at the floor, Steven did notice a trail of blood going from the desk to the hallway door. He followed the blood and ended up in the next corridor, uncertain as to what else he may find. None of that mattered, though.

Steven roamed up and down the corridor trying to find anything that would tell him what to do next, eventually ending at the stairs to the second floor. They were out of order, apparently becoming unsafe to use due to wear and tear over time. This meant having to find an alternate route to the second floor, something that annoyed Steven.Nevertheless, Steven explored the teachers rooms in hopes of discovering a new objective.

The teachers room closest to the toilets, had a single desk for a student to use. In the middle of a desk was a metal box. The box lacked any words, a handle, or even a lock. There was no physical way to open it. However, written on the chalkboard was a question.

"When you were sixteen, what did you do that made you run away and hide?"

Steven was confused."What does that even mean?"

Along with the question were three answers to choose from. A) Arson? B) Theft? C) Violence? 

"Am I meant to answer the question?"

Steven found this very invasive. Someone knew something about his past and were now using it against him, forcing him to reveal one of his secrets. Still, no matter how much he didn't like it, Seven had to answer. He took the chalk and circled A. Once the chalk was placed down on the desk and Steven felt of dread, the box on the desk opened. Steven walked over to it and found a hairpin inside. He picked it up and stunned when the room changed.

Steven was standing outside of a burning house. It was night time and raining quite heavily, matching the ongoing scene. He saw a younger version of himself come running out of the inferno, throwing a now empty bottle of gasoline. Sirens could be heard off in the distance as both police and fire engines, made their way towards the fire. The younger version of Steven freaked out and sprinted off into the night, leaving behind the mess he had created. Steven couldn't believe what he was seeing.

When he blinked, Steven found himself back in the teachers room. He still had the hairpin in hand and guessed that it was meant for something important, maybe unlocking a door. So, Steven left the room and went to the second teachers room, this time hoping to find his brother The door was instead broken. Someone had smashed the handle clean off, preventing anyone from getting in. Steven wasn't surprised. After all, so many places throughout the town were in ruins, this would also include the school.

Luckily the school was still basking in the suns light, making it a hell of a lot easier to navigate. Steven used the hairpin to unlock the door to the next corridor and was unsure of what he might find. As he entered the next corridor, Steven was alerted by a figure standing about halfway. Oddly enough, the figure had their back to Steven. He decided to cautiously approach the figure to see who or what they were, but when he got too close the figure spun round to reveal what they were.

It was a bound child. Only this one didn't have any skin. When it knew Steven was there, it let out a scream similar to the one from the reception. While it did lack a head, The Bound Child was still able to make screams. This one was different from the others, evident by its skin being removed. A pool of blood sat at The Bound Child's feet. When it slowly began to walk towards Steven, it somehow managed to rip its arms free from the pegs.

Steven was horrified to see what the hands looked like. They were broken beyond comprehension, bits of bone sticking out in all directions, and chunks of flesh falling off. As for its fingers, they were twisted out of proportion. Whatever had happened to, The Bound Child, must've been pretty painful. The more Steven tried to look away the more he found himself drawn in. He felt pity for it.

Steven tried to shoot the creature with all three guns he had, but none of them worked. The Bound Child used its hands to absorb the bullets, easily blocking the attacks. So, doing the logical thing, Steven took out the fire axe and bludgeoned it to death.

"What is with these things? They seem to be getting stronger each time I encounter them!"

There was no time to waste. Steven still had more exploring to do. He checked the storage room but found very little. However, when he checked the rear exit of the school, Steven found an old cutlass sticking out of a wall. While it was larger than most of his melee weapons, the cutlass was faster and stronger, inflicting more damage on those it was turned against.

The doors leading to the courtyard were locked up the same way as the others, chains and padlock. Although, there was something written on the doors in blood.

"Turn back now. Entering the courtyard will bring nothing but pain and torment."

This was a warning too all those who dared enter the courtyard. So, out of frustration, Steven drew in a deep breath then shouted out loud.

"F**k whoever you are that wrote this!"

The doors to the next corridor were unable to open. From what Steven could see, someone had welded the doors shut from the other side. Left with no other choice, Steven entered the hall to try and find a way through. He was not disappointed. The hall was quite creepy. The hall was set up as if for use that day, everything in the same place as it had been left. Rows of chairs untouched, lights still on, podium still at the end of the hall, and even shoes from the children

Steven found that the secondary door was sealed shut by a think layer of wax. And what happened to be next to the podium on the stage? A lighter.

"This smells funny." Whispered Steven.

Nerves on edge, Steven crept down the aisle, hesitating when a noise came out of nowhere. Once he reached the stage and grabbed the lighter, Steven found himself unable to move. The entire hall filled children's laughter, all of which was directed at Steven. He tried to ignore the laughter but it kept pulling him back to his school years, constantly bullied and humiliated by his fellow classmates. Then, as fast as the laughter had started, it stopped. Steven now stood in an empty hall, a newly found sense of sorrow lingering alongside him.

Steven approached the door and used the lighter to melt away the wax. In the next corridor were two more Bound Children, the new versions. Steven took out his cutlass and hacked away at them, completely shredding them to pieces and killing them. He continued down the corridor until coming across the final locked doors. By jiggling he handles, Steven was able to unlock them.

The last two rooms on the first floor were classrooms. Steven didn't really want to go in them due to the hall incident, but  he did anyhow. He went inside the classroom closest to the hall and began checking for anything. However, when Steven entered the room, A False Dentist was waiting for him. But it was different to the rest. It wore no shirt or pants, just a bunch of bandages. Blood was all over them and dripped onto the floor forming little drops.

Although taken back by the new creatures new form, Steven was not phased. He blasted it with the shotgun and killed it, quickly moving on. After a search of the classroom, Steven saw another metal box sitting on a single desk.

"This s**t again?" Groaned Steven.

Just as it had been in the teachers room before, a question  was written on the chalkboard. 

"When you were seventeen, what did you do to your father after he beat you?"

A) Yelled? B) Pushed? C) Punched?

Knowing exactly what to do, Steven picked up the chalk and circled the answer C. The box opened and revealed Steven's reward. It was a little bit of a let down in all honesty, only a pair of scissors. Still, Steven knew that there would be a use for them. He picked them up and had the same experience as before. The room warped so that he was now standing in his parents apartment.

"What the hell am I doing here?"

Screaming came from behind a door. Steven's younger self came bursting in through the door and fell on the ground, followed by his father entering the room. Steven watched as his younger self was beaten with a belt, screaming at his father to stop. Then, when he thought his father was about to stop, young Steven received a mighty lash.

As if possessed, young Steven grabbed the belt and threw it across the room. He got up and pushed his father down onto the ground, screaming and  swearing at him profusely. Then came the final act. Young Steven landed punch after punch to his father's head, this leaving no way out for his father but to take it. When young Steven was done, he now had a newly found sense of aggression.

Just like that, the vision ended. Steven was in the classroom again. With the scissors in hand, Steven left the room and went to the stairs. A large metal gate was sealing off the stairs, held shut by nothing more than a pink ribbon. Steven tugged on the ribbon but found it wouldn't budge, almost as if made out of steal. So, using the scissors, Steven cut the ribbon and opened the gate.

The classrooms on the next floor were out of use. The doors almost appeared as if they were posters, not actually able to open. Steven found it extremely annoying, yet it also was a huge relief. He descended into the basement to see what he could find but the doors down there were locked. This left with little options so he ascended to the second floor again. Steven was greeted by a Bound Child, and False Dentist.

Steven quickly dispatched the two of them and moved on. The doors leading to the music and locker rooms, were busted open. It was as if they had been blown open by a powerful force, ripping them from their hinges. Steven entered the locker room and found a massive stash of supplies. Shotgun shells, pistol ammo, uzi clips, and two health drinks, were in a locker. Steven took them and went back to the door. 

The door slammed itself shut and locked. Confused, Steven grabbed the handle and tried to forcefully open the door, fully unaware that the door was deadlocked. He searched the room to try and find a way out, but as he was doing so, the door flew off its hinges and slammed against the opposite wall. Even though there had been a doorway there before, it was now just a solid wall.

Curiosity got the better of Steven. He walked over the to door and twisted the door handle, surprised when the door actually opened. There was one problem. Steven was now standing in Dr Walters office. Entering might have been a mistake. Once he entered the office and had a quick look around, the door shut itself. Dr Walters was indeed in her office, just not as her normal self

It appeared that there were three of her all twisted together, fused by their flesh. One as in the middle while two were on either side of it, permanently bonding them together. It was as if their skin had melted, sticking them to each other. To make it worse, the same was with their heads. Plus their legs were stuck together, making it out like they had four legs.

Steven didn't know what to do. He watched as this massive monstrosity stood up from behind the desk, flipped it out of the way, then let out a mighty roar. Dr Walters was now more. She was now known as Biomass, simply due to the structure of her new body. To Steven, Biomass appeared as if straight out of some kind of horror movie. Disturbing and disgusting.

Biomass began to laugh. Its voice came across very distorted and animal like.

"Look at how pathetic you are! You are the biggest disappointment to your family, always living down to their lowest expectations! You never made anything of yourself! You failed your family, you failed your daughter!"

Those words hit Steven in a sensitive spot. The mention of his dead daughter was enough to throw him in to a fit of rage.

"Don't ever mention my daughter!!" Boomed Steven.

Biomass charged at Steven, but missed. It slammed in to the wall and gave itself a concussion, rendering it momentarily out of action. Steven used the cutlass to launch a barrage of of slices across Biomass, dealing a huge amount of damage. This only enraged it. In retaliation, Biomass changed its physical form. It went from having three bodies to two. The two absorbed the middle one and increased its body size.

Now Biomass had two times the strength, two times the height, and two times the body size. She picked him up with one hand making it appear easy. Steven pulled out his switchblade and plunged it into her wrist, forcing Biomass to drop him. Next, Steven drew out his shotgun and blasted her. Chunks of flesh fell from Biomass' body, causing it scream out in pain. The noise was deafening and made Steven wince.

In that moment of chaos, Biomass seized the opportunity to knock him back, landing a powerful backhand against Steven. As Steven stumbled backwards from the sudden attack, Biomass picked him up again but began to squeeze him, tightly. Once again, Steven stabbed the switchblade into her wrist and forced her to drop him. While Steven got up off the ground, Biomass charged. However, Steven was quick enough to dodge out of the way and attack with the cutlass.

One last time, Biomass absorbed itself and became even bigger than before, including the height and strength. It was now one being. When it set its eyes on, Steven, there would be no way of stopping it. So, Biomass charged at him and picked him up, applying more strength to her grip than before. Steven winced again but stabbed the blade into her. This had no effect. So, Steven slashed at her wrists until she eventually dropped him. He then proceeded to assault it with the cutlass. 

It appeared that Biomass was done. She fell on her knees and bowed her head. Steven walked over to her, pulled out the fire axe, then chopped off her head. And just like that, it was done. With a flash of light, Dr Walters office returned to normal. Steven  was now standing in Dr Walters office again but it looked as if the fight had never taken place. He was very confused. Also, Dr Walters  was sitting at her desk alive and well.

"Well done, Steven, you must remember everything by now." Smiled Dr Walters.

"Remember what?" Asked Steven.

"Come now..."

"Explain!!"

Dr Walters held open her hand at, Steven, a bright light erupting from within it. When the light faded, Steven was still in the office but something was off. He watched as a doppelganger of himself entered the room.

"Steven," Smiled Dr Walters." come in, take a seat."

Once seated, the session began. The copy was crying and being hysterical.

"Calm down, Steven. Tell me, what's going on."

Steven wouldn't listen. He got more and more worked up, pushing himself to the breaking point. Then, in one violent motion, Steven lunged at her and wrapped his hands around her throat. Dr Walters went into fight mode and pushed him away, yelling at him to leave.

"Leave! Now!"

"I've done something unforgivable. The nightmares won't leave me alone, they're pushing me to the brink of insanity!"

"What did you do?"

"My brother came to me seeking forgiveness."

"Ok...what else?"

"My brother had been to Silent Hill! He went to confront the person that was attempting to blackmail him!"

"Your brother?"

"He had received a letter explaining that he needed to go there to see this person and end it. So, out of fear, my brother went there and found the stranger."

"What happened?"

"The person made him admit his sin out loud!"

"Tell me what happened, Steven."

Steven began to cry out of fear, anger, and disgust. It was easy to see on his face that he had done something bad.

"Tell me Steven!"

"He did something to me, something awful. How could I ever forgive him?!"

"What did he do Steve..."

At that exact moment of asking the question, Steven lunged at her and strangled her again. Dr Walters hit him in the head with an item on her desk, temporarily allowing herself to break free. And just like that, Steven took letter opener off the desk. He pointed  it her and began yelling.

"You never wanted to help me! All you care about is the money!"

"That's untrue, Steven."

Those words fell on deaf ears. Steven took the knife and plunged it into Dr Walters chest. Pure fear spread across her face, finally coming to terms that she was not going to escape this alive. So, instead of fighting it anymore, Dr Walters let the life pour out of her. Within a few shorts minutes she was dead.

"You were right...Returning home would be the best thing."

Normal Steven couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. The one person who had actually shown him some compassion, he killed. It also explained why he had seen Dr Walters all over town. She was dead. Plus, it became apparent that he might have had a hand in another disappearance. Jamie's. His own mind had blocked it out. But before he could do anything to help him remember the rest of the story, Steven now found himself sitting on the floor of the locker room.

"What have I done?" Wept Steven, his hands covering his face.

No amount of crying, hiding, or pleading, was going to save him. He had done the most unthinkable thing and killed a friend. But now was not the time to give up. Steven picked himself up and exited the locker room. He made his way to the music room only to find it was locked, once again stopping him in his tracks. So, Steven proceeded to the next corridor, discovering that every surface was covered in a thick layer of dust.

With no other choice, Steven explored every door in the corridor. The toilets were locked, so too were the classrooms, but not the stairs leading to the roof. Steven went upstairs to try and see if he could enter the roof, but fell short when he found it was locked. So, with very little choice left, Steven went back downstairs and entered the final corridor. The corridor had little to offer.

Steven checked the Lab Equipment Room, soon finding that it was full of small bottle. Each one contained some type of acid which were obviously  used for science experiments, but in this case, Steven was going to use it for something else. He took a bottle and slipped it into his pocket. He then exited the equipment room and entered the Chemistry Lab. After a brief encounter with a Bound Child, Steven found some of spray bottles. He took the bottle of acid and emptied the contents into the spray bottle.

With a thought in mind, Steven returned to the roof access door. He sprayed the lock with the acid and melted it away. Now that the door was unlocked, Steven had access to the roof. He entered the roof only to find that it was getting dark, simply due to it being nightfall. Steven needed to hurry. If he was going to have a chance of getting out of, Silent Hill, then Steven needed to do it before dark. But that meant finding his brother, Chris.

Steven explored the roof and was annoyed that there was nothing there. Nothing at all. He became confused, stumped by the fact that there was nowhere else to go. However, after examining the water tower, Steven saw that the roof of it had been ripped open. He climbed the tower and found a small box floating in the water. Steven was careful not to touch the water, opting to use the pipe to retrieve it.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Steven smashed open the box and found a key. The handle of the key was carved from bone and let off and extremely disturbing vibe. Nonetheless, it was a key. Steven took it then returned to the first floor to unlock the courtyard. As expected, the key was a perfect fit, unlocking the padlock. The chain unraveled itself and fell on the ground.

Steven cautiously entered the courtyard. He wasn't taking any chances, choosing to go forth with the shotgun on hand. To his surprise the courtyard was empty. There was no sign of life except for an abundance of plant life, mainly flowers, lush bushes, and freshly cut grass. It was all so out of place. Someone had wanted to stop him from getting to the courtyard, but why? There wasn't anything useful.

The clock tower was still in use. It gave Steven a fright when it chimed, signalling that it was now 8pm. More time had passed than realized. Steven had spent the entire day looking throughout Silent Hill, but was still no closer to finding his brother.At that point, Steven was ready to give up. What else was there for him to do? He had explored every possible place for his brother, what more could he do?

Just as Steven was about to give up, a bright light came from the sky. It wasn't sunlight but something else. Steven covered his eyes to try and block it out, but it was futile. The light grew brighter and brighter until it became unbearable. Steven's eyes stung horribly, burning from his feeble attempts to block the light. Then, just like that, it was gone.

Steven turned and looked back at the center of the courtyard, flabbergasted by something he could not believe. Defying all odds, The Hell Hound was at the center of the courtyard. Only now it was the size of two fully grown horses, instantly sending a chill up his spine. Out of pure fear, Steven began to walk backwards, not breaking eye contact with the beast.

The Hell Hound looked worse than before. Its tail was missing, it had a hole in its chest, larger pieces of flesh had fallen off, and it's jawline went all the way down. To make it clearer, The Hell Hound's jaw was barely hanging on. From Steven's point of view, The Hell Hound appeared more fearsome than before. He had delivered a massive blow to it during their encounters, but now the beast looked as it was at its end.

The Hell Hound remembered Steven. It lowered itself to the ground and snarled at him, clearly pissed off. Then, in a seconds notice, The Hell Hound lunged at Steven, pushing him in to the clock tower door. It didn't finish there. The Hell Hound jumped on him again and destroyed the door, this time sending Steven falling down into the darkness.

Steven awoke to find himself in a very dark room. He turned on his flashlight and saw that there was no ceiling, no walls, and the floor was covered in the thick dust. The room was like a giant metal box. However, hanging from seemingly nowhere, was a single bed. Steven recognized the blankets on it and instantly began to hyperventilate.

"I'm so sorry," Cried a man's voice." it should never have happened."

Steven gazed around to try and find where it was coming from but couldn't see anyone. However, he did know whose voice it was. It was Chris'. And for whatever reason, Chris seemed to be crying and begging.

"Please forgive me. I know now that it was wrong, it should never have happened."

"I don't know what you're talking about! Tell me what it is that you mean!"

Just like it done many times before, a bright light filled the room. This time however, Steven was in his apartment. Chris was on the couch crying and begging to be forgiven.

"You have no idea how many times I've thought about what I did, how many times I've thought what it did to you."

A Steven doppelganger was in the kitchen trying to catch his breath. He had been told something disturbing, forcing him to freak out and go to the kitchen. Steven took a turn for the worse. He took a kitchen knife and returned to the living room, plunging it into Chris' back. He withdrew the knife and stabbed him again, this time with more force than before. Chris staggered backwards in shock and fell on the floor.

"Stop, please!"

The vision ended with Steven  standing over Chris' dead body, holding the bloody knife in hand. He was back in the big empty room. This didn't change anything, he now know that he was responsible for his brothers death, seeing as he was now holding the knife. It troubled him to realize that he had killed Chris, making the entire journey void.

It dawned on him that he killed both Chris and Dr Walters, then forgot that it happened. But how does someone forget something like that, especially when they had been looking for the person they killed? Also, both Steven and Jamie, had seen him. They had even interacted with him. The entire scenario was making little to no sense. But another question came to mind. What had tipped Steven over the edge, pushing him to kill his own sibling?

It was on the tip of his tongue but so far from revealing itself. For Steven, it was maddening. He was so close to figuring everything out, but also far from the truth. When he tried to think about it more, Steven found himself frustrated. The ground shook beneath his feet. He staggered backwards as a large circle forced around Chris' body( in the center of the room), and the dust blew away. The dust remained outside of the circle, just not inside. From what Steven could see, the circle was now a hole. 

Steven got closer to the hole and peeked down into the abyss. The darkness seemed to have a life of its own, drawing Steven in. By the time he realized that he was getting too close, Steven was almost about to fall in. He snapped himself out of the trance and stepped away from the edge. Once he stepped back the shaking started again. A huge hand made out of metal, rose up out of the hole and planted itself palm down. A second did the same. Then the arms followed, pulling a massive creature from the abyss. Its entire body was made out of metal, intertwined with flesh.

The head was a human skull, the chest was that of a bull, and its abdomen was only a spine connecting the two torsos together. From the spine down the beast had a singing guillotine. This creature was known by the name, The Judge. It stared down at Steven, mocking him by chattering its jaw. Once it pulled its entire body out of the hole, the hole was filled with fire.

The Judge had to use its arms as a mean of movement, rendering itself slow. This would not stop it, though. When close enough, The Judge would swing its guillotine to try and slice through its victim. This proved deadly. Steven had to keep moving to avoid being damaged by The Judge, still taking some. With a quick heal, Steven was as good as new. He pulled out the shotgun and blasted at the beast. Even though this caused massive damage over several shots, The Judge didn't go down. This only seemed to anger it.

After a dozen good blast with the shotgun, Steven had to change guns. He had no more shells left. So, Steven took out the uzi and unleashed a wave of bullets upon The Judge. It seemed to work, too. The Judge's guillotine fell of forcing it to let out an agonizing cry. It was now angry beyond comprehension. It no longer had a counterweight, dropping onto its upper torso. The Judge's spine got stuck in the ground and prevented it from moving around.

While The Judge could still move in a full 360 degree circle, it couldn't move around. When Steven would get too close, The Judge would swing round and try to hit him. Steven used the rest of his his uzi ammo which caused one of its arms to fall off, fully making it easier to attack. So, Steven  took out the cutlass and slashed the hell out of The Judge. It picked him up and tried to shake him, quickly reversed with a stab of the switchblade. The Judge dropped him and let out a cry of pain.

Steven once again used the cutlass to unleash a massive assault on The Judge. Apparently, this one last attack was enough to drop it. Steven then cut off its other arm and felt a sense of ease wash over him. He took out the fire axe, took position next to the Judge's head, then chopped it off. The room went dark and all sound vanished. When light once again shone from above, Steven saw that he was in a completely different room.

Strangely, Steven noted that he was in his childhood bedroom. Everything was as he remembered. Posters, toys, drawers, even the same bunk beds. However, there was something troubling. It appeared to be early morning, the light was only just rising. The birds were starting to chirp and a younger version of Steven was just opening his eyes. He was laying in bed wondering what to do that day. Something broke his trail of thought. Chris.

He had top bunk and called authority over the bedroom. Chris leaned over the edge and whispered to Steven.

"Hey, Steven, come up here."

Being naive. Steven ascended without question. When he got up and laid next to Chris, he was surprised by a shocking revelation.

"Hey Steven, do you know what sex is?"

"No."

"Have you ever done anything to do with sex?"

"No."

Although confused, Steven had no idea what was about to happen.

"I have something to show you. If you like it I want you to explore it a little."

The scene fast forwarded to after everything happened and the two of them were now just laying still, perfectly quiet. Their mother known on the door.

"Are you two ok in there?"

"Yes!" Called Chris." We'll be out soon."

Luckily for Steven's sake, the vision ended. He was back in the big room and was faced with a troubling situation. There, standing in the center of the room, was Chris. He was his adult age again, not seeming to have aged at all. Steven slowly approached him.

"I'm sorry for what happened," Sighed Chris." it should never have happened."

"What do you mean?" Asked Steven, deliberately trying to get a confession.

"I should never have done what I did. It constantly played on my mind and I regret it to this day."

"Liar! What you did left a permanent mark on me! You damaged me!"

Chris bowed his head." I understand why you killed me."

"I'm sorry for killing you. I shouldn't have done it."

"Is there any hope for forgiveness?"

This was a crucial moment. If he forgave Chris, Steven would find closure. However, if Steven did not, then he would find bad closure. There are two choices here. You, the reader, get to choose what happens. Remember the decision you made with Jamie. If you choose good closure, you will get a different ending. If you choose bad closure, you get a different ending also. There will be four different endings depending on what you chose.

Author's Note

read, enjoy, share. I hold no responsibility if this content offends you.