The RV left the city of Derry behind, and now the town could finally become a relatively safe place. Every twenty-seven years, children would no longer go missing here, and the reason for that was a single malevolent creature that fed on fear before devouring its victims.

Derry had turned out to be just one stop along the way, and the RV was already heading toward the next place where help was needed. Alice confidently drove the vehicle, keeping it steady on the highway. From behind the wheel, she glanced into the cabin and noticed Dean and Sam asleep on the side couches, as if they had lost the last of their strength the very moment their heads touched the soft upholstery.

Alice’s gaze moved farther into the RV. Alex was sleeping with his head in Lucina’s lap while she slowly and soothingly stroked his hair. Alice knew that Alex wasn’t actually exhausted after the fight with the malevolent entity known as Pennywise — he simply slept like someone accustomed to shutting down instantly once the danger passed.

Off to the side, Wednesday continued working on her book, having gathered more than enough material in Derry, while Enid tried to process everything that had happened to her over the past few days. The last person Alice noticed was Samantha, who had taken what happened in Derry surprisingly calmly and was already mentally preparing for the next city. None of them knew exactly what plans Alex had next, but one thing was clear — there were at least three more cities ahead, all relatively close to one another.

A few hours later, Samantha offered to switch places with Alice so she could rest. Even though Alice was a vampire and didn’t really feel physical fatigue, she didn’t refuse — the monotonous road had started to wear her down mentally rather than physically.

Willingly pulling over to the shoulder, Alice gave up the driver’s seat, deciding not to pull off any stunts in the spirit of Alex, Dean, and Sam, who could easily have swapped places while the vehicle was still moving. Taking the wheel, Samantha guided the RV back onto the highway and continued along the preplanned route — the road to Silent Hill would take almost an entire day.

Handing over the wheel, Alice stretched and looked around the cabin. Inside, silence reigned, broken only by the rhythmic clatter of Wednesday’s typewriter and Dean’s light snoring — he clearly had no intention of waking up anytime soon. Alex was still asleep, but now he was holding Enid, who had decided to join him. After a moment’s thought, Alice lay down behind Alex, pressing her nose into his neck, and closed her eyes.

A few hours later, Alex opened his eyes and realized he had been sleeping with Enid pressed against him, her face buried in his neck, her chin resting against his shoulder. He also felt Alice hugging him from behind. When Alex shifted, about to get up, Enid sleepily opened her eyes and sat up, rubbing them.

Seeing her messy hair and her still-not-fully-awake gaze, Alex smiled faintly and smoothed her hair, helping her look at least a little more put together. Enid only nodded drowsily, leaned forward, kissed Alex on the lips, and nearly fell asleep again.

Alice was already on her feet and, as always, had put herself in order in a matter of seconds, adjusting her clothes and hair. Getting up from the couch, Alex picked up his phone and noticed that it was already close to dinner time. Stretching, he looked at Dean and Sam, who were still fast asleep. Then his gaze fell on Wednesday, around whom lay a pile of crumpled pages — failed fragments of her book that she had rewritten more than once. A little farther on, Samantha was reading Wednesday’s manuscript, preparing to give her opinion, while Lucina was now sitting behind the wheel.

Alex realized that the only one missing was Castiel, and not seeing him, he immediately guessed that Castiel was once again busy with something “extremely important,” playing the role of a useful team member. Stretching, Alex walked to the front of the RV and sat down next to Lucina, stretching out his legs and looking at the road ahead.

“You’re not tired? We can switch,” he said, glancing at Lucina.

“Not much longer. In ten kilometers there’s a hotel with parking for RVs. I think we should stop there for the night,” she replied, pointing at the navigator.

“Alright. Did anyone text or call while I was asleep? Every time I lie down, it feels like the world immediately tries to fall apart,” Alex said, yawning.

“No, it’s holding together without you for now. Only Jessie called — about Derry. I explained everything and sent her the recording. She needed to understand why Agent Wright mentioned an energy pillar in the report, the one that made all the equipment go crazy. And here’s your coffee,” Alice said, appearing behind him and handing him a cup.

“Well, that’s less work for me,” Alex snorted, taking the coffee.

“I heard the word ‘coffee.’ Where?” Dean’s sleepy voice came from the middle of the RV.

Alex, Alice, and Lucina turned their heads at the same time and saw Dean. He was wiping drool off his face and looked like someone had hit him hard and then unceremoniously dumped him onto the couch. Sleepily rubbing his cheek, he sniffed the smell of coffee filling the RV, and only then did his gaze fall on Sam, who was sleeping quietly nearby. Without thinking, Dean lightly kicked his brother to wake him up. Sam immediately jolted upright, looking around until his eyes landed on Dean’s sleepy, annoyed face.

With a heavy sigh, Sam ran a hand over his face and lazily stretched, feeling a strange weakness in his body. He didn’t understand where the sensation came from, but at the same time he felt unusually relaxed, as if his strength hadn’t left him completely, only temporarily dulled.

Meanwhile, Dean was already pouring himself some coffee. Taking his first sip, he walked to the front of the RV and, leaning against the seat next to where Alex was sitting, looked ahead at the road disappearing beneath the wheels.

“Where are we?” he asked without taking his eyes off the highway.

“An hour ago we passed Bangor. In about half an hour we’ll be at the hotel,” Lucina replied, barely turning her head.

“So we stop for the night, and in the morning we’re back on the road?” Sam asked, coming closer to the front of the cabin.

“Something like that. Tomorrow we’ll already be in the Silent Hill area. We’ll need to decide what to do and where to start,” Alex replied, nodding and taking a sip of coffee.

“Is it really necessary for the whole group to go to one city?” Wednesday remarked pragmatically, lifting her gaze to the others. “It would be more reasonable to split up and solve the problems in three places at once.”

They exchanged glances and then looked at Wednesday, realizing that she was obviously right. There was no real need for everyone to stick together, moving from city to city and wasting time. Alex himself found her suggestion perfectly logical. He had already explained everything they needed to know about Silent Hill, Ashfield, and Shepherd’s Glen.

All that remained was to eliminate the cause that had cursed those places, and then the job could be considered done. Alex nodded in agreement with Wednesday, and in the end they all decided to return to the discussion later — after stopping at the motel, so they could calmly decide who would go where.

The drive to the motel was short, so the tension gradually eased, and everyone decided to just relax. Alex stayed seated next to Lucina, who confidently drove the RV, while Dean and Sam returned to the middle of the cabin. Slowly sipping his coffee, Alex drifted into thoughts about what else he needed to tell the group.

Especially about Shepherd’s Glen — a town founded by a splinter faction of the Order from Silent Hill, which had made a pact one hundred and fifty years ago. Four families, who had left the Order and founded the town, agreed with a so-called god: every fifty years, each family was to sacrifice one child to protect the town from the influence of Silent Hill, cursed from the very beginning.

What had happened with Alessa only worsened the situation. When the time for the next ritual came, three families fulfilled their part of the deal, brutally killing their own children to appease their god.

But in the fourth family, the ritual failed — a young man from the Shepards, chosen as the sacrifice, accidentally drowned his own brother in the lake. After that, a fog descended over Shepherd’s Glen, monsters appeared, and the townspeople faced the consequences of the broken pact.

Alex understood perfectly that the only effective way to cleanse Shepherd’s Glen of Silent Hill’s influence was to kill or purify the children who had turned into monsters, breaking the very cycle of the curse, while he dealt with the main problem in Silent Hill. He knew that if the corruption wasn’t burned out completely and immediately, it would remain and continue to spread. That was why Wednesday’s suggestion to split into groups sounded like a truly effective plan — to solve all the problems at once, leaving no lingering consequences.

“What are you thinking about?” Lucina asked, glancing at Alex, who silently stared ahead, holding his coffee cup with both hands.

“About how incredibly stupid humans are,” he replied without looking away. “On a whim, they destroy other people’s lives, hiding behind slogans about the greater good. And in the end, they destroy not only themselves but drag along those who are completely innocent.”

“That’s the principle of all cults,” Wednesday said calmly, standing behind Alex and resting her hands on the back of his seat. “They promise paradise, but bring hell. Fanatics have never been known for their intelligence.”

“You’re right, my dear Wednesday,” Alex said with a heavy sigh. “What worries me most is what they did to the children. And what we’ll have to do now.”

Lucina looked at Alex and immediately understood what he meant. However, she wasn’t going to voice her thoughts. Everyone who heard his words already knew what had happened to the sacrificed children and the difficult choice that still lay ahead.

In truth, besides Alex, only Wednesday could do what needed to be done without doubt or remorse. That was what made the situation especially heavy.

A dense, pressing silence hung over the RV. Alex’s words seemed to fill the entire space, and no one was in a hurry to break it. The RV continued moving forward smoothly until finally a hotel sign appeared ahead.

Lucina turned onto the driveway and drove into the parking lot. Alex placed his coffee cup on the counter, stretched lazily, and then stepped outside to pay for the overnight parking.

Once on the street, Alex lit a cigarette and paused for a moment, looking around. There were quite a few RVs nearby — apparently, many families traveling across the country had stopped here. Exhaling the cigarette smoke, he headed to the administrator, paid quickly, and soon returned to the RV.

Approaching closer, Alex noticed Dean carrying a folding table outside, while Alice and Samantha were stretching a tarp, turning the space next to the RV into an improvised gazebo. Sam followed Dean out, holding the barbecue grill.

“Are you guys planning a barbecue?” Alex asked, raising an eyebrow as he stepped closer.

“And how else?” Enid replied with a smile. “We’re practically in the middle of nature. It’s finally time to just relax.”

Alex looked at the other girls, who all nodded in agreement, clearly liking the idea. He shrugged and decided that since everyone was set on having something cooked on the grill, he might as well handle it.

GIR, Mimi, and Stitch quickly prepared the firewood while Alex and Samantha worked on marinating the meat. He knew everyone’s tastes well, so in addition to regular meat, seafood was also prepared.

As Alex worked, Alice came up from behind and lightly tugged on his shirt. He turned, and with a mischievous smile, she made it very clear what was missing from the table.

Alex immediately understood, wiped his hands with a towel, and pulled alcohol from his inventory. Smiling, Alice quickly kissed him on the cheek, grabbed the bottles, and dashed outside. Alex and Samantha exchanged glances, smiled slightly, and laughingly returned to cooking.

Once the prep was done, they carried the food outside. Dean and Sam were already seated in comfortable camping chairs, sipping beer, while Lucina, Alice, and Wednesday settled with glasses of wine. Only Enid had something that looked like a strange homemade cocktail. Alex rolled the table closer to the grill and began laying out the marinated meat and vegetables.

“I was starting to think we’d end up without dinner,” Dean smirked, looking at Alex.

“Don’t be smart, or you’ll be eating salad alone,” Alex replied, rolling his eyes as he opened the grill.

“I want my steak rare,” Wednesday said, placing her wine glass on the table.

“And I want fish. And mushrooms. And tomatoes,” Alice added, raising her hand.

“Of course, of course. Anything you wish,” Alex said with a slight smile, glancing at the others. “Girls, what about you?”

“I’ll have everything. Fish and meat,” Enid said happily.

“For now, just fish and salad,” Samantha replied, sitting down and pouring herself some wine.

“I’ll take fish and salad too,” Lucina nodded.

“And you, Sam, what do you want?” Alex asked, looking at him.

“Hey, what kind of unfairness is this?” Dean protested, placing his beer bottle on the table. “Why is everyone asked, but not me? I, by the way, want a burger. But one where the buns are steak.”

“How does your heart even survive that diet?” Samantha asked skeptically.

“When Dean gets completely fat, we’ll just put him on a vegetable diet,” Sam smirked.

Hearing Sam’s comment, everyone laughed quietly, and the tension that had held them since their arrival began to ease. While Alex tended to the grill, the group finally allowed themselves to relax.

As Dean had requested, Alex prepared a burger for him — a monstrous creation that was hardly healthy. The moment the double-steak burger with a patty in the middle was placed in front of Dean, he set his beer aside and dug in with genuine enthusiasm.

Watching Dean enjoy the “meat within meat,” the girls couldn’t help but think about their figures, fully aware that with a diet like this, extra pounds were inevitable.

Even Enid, despite her werewolf nature and love for meat, had no intention of eating in such quantities. Soft, light music played in the background, and Alex, swaying slightly as he danced by the grill, turned the meat, fish, and vegetables, fully immersed in the process.

When the cooking was finished, Alex joined everyone at the table, took some food for himself, and opened a can of beer.

“Now this is life,” Dean said with a satisfied look, taking a sip and already halfway through his burger. “An RV and good food. What more could you want?”

“I don’t know,” Alex snorted, opening another can. “For example, proper sleep and less work.”

“Not a bad option either,” Sam agreed, nodding as he took a drink of his beer. “Sleeping five hours a day is pretty questionable pleasure.”

“The main thing is to get enough rest before tomorrow,” Lucina remarked calmly, running a finger along the rim of her glass. “There’s no telling how long this job will take.”

Alex looked at her with an empty, thoughtful gaze. In response, Lucina gave him a small wink and blew him a kiss. He just shook his head and went back to eating.

When dinner was over and the dishes were cleared away, the whole group stayed outside, watching the sun slowly sink below the horizon. No one wanted to bring up tomorrow’s work, so everyone simply enjoyed the rare moment of peace after a hearty meal.

Enid and Alice were playing Monopoly with GIR, Mimi, and Stitch. Samantha and Lucina were reading books on their tablets, while Wednesday sat next to Alex, her fingers interlaced with his. On his other side sat Sam and Dean, sipping beer and silently watching the sunset. When it began to get dark, Alex turned on the exterior lights of the RV so they wouldn’t be sitting in complete darkness.

He listened with a smile as Enid argued with GIR, accusing him of cheating and insisting that there was no rule in Monopoly that allowed robbing the bank. GIR, in turn, very seriously argued that this was their Monopoly and their rules. Alex chuckled quietly, watching Enid tug at GIR’s face while he poked back at her with the rulebook.

Wednesday merely turned her head calmly toward the noise, shook it slightly, and went back to reading. Even though she was holding Alex’s hand with one of hers, Thing helped her by turning the pages with his living hand.

When the clock hands neared nine in the evening, Alex released Wednesday’s hand and went inside the RV. When he returned, he was carrying three folders — materials on Silent Hill, Shepherd’s Glen, and Ashfield, with detailed notes on what was happening and what needed to be done.

Seeing the folders, everyone immediately understood that their time to relax was coming to an end. GIR, Mimi, and Stitch quickly wrapped up the game and set it aside. When everyone gathered around the table, Alex laid the folders out in front of him.

“I’ll start with the main thing. I’m taking Silent Hill,” he said, pulling the folder with that name closer to himself. “That leaves Shepherd’s Glen and Ashfield to you.”

“Then Sam and I will deal with the psycho who decided to turn his apartment into something straight out of hell,” Dean declared, sliding the folder marked Ashfield toward himself.

“Which means Shepherd’s Glen is ours,” Lucina said calmly, taking the last folder.

“So you’re going to Silent Hill alone?” Sam asked, watching Alex closely.

“Looks like it,” Alex replied, tapping his fingers against the folder. “Silent Hill is the epicenter of all the crap around Lake Toluca. I’ll have more work than you.”

“For example?” Wednesday raised an eyebrow.

“Kill everything alive there,” Alex said calmly, lighting a cigarette. “Literally commit genocide. And at the same time, save a child.”

Wednesday nodded at Alex’s words, allowing herself a barely noticeable smile. Dean and Sam also looked at him, fully understanding why he had phrased it that way, and didn’t argue. Lucina lingered on Alex with a longer look — she knew which child he was talking about and exactly what he intended to do, and she fully supported his decision.

As for Alex himself, his thoughts were already in Silent Hill, calculating where to start. In the worst-case scenario, he was prepared to let Zhang Ya consume the city entirely, making it part of the Red City. And, just as importantly, he was genuinely interested in the local monsters — each of them could become a worthy and useful addition to what already dwelled behind the red walls.

“All right, we’ve settled on directions,” Dean said, folding his arms across his chest. “Sam dug through a ton of Order books, but we still didn’t find a way to interrupt the ritual that this maniac has planned.”

“We need to kill the deity that has begun to awaken,” Alex replied calmly and pointed downward. “And to do that, we’ll have to go all the way down.”

“What kind of ‘down’ are we talking about?” Dean raised an eyebrow, leaning on the table. “Like, a basement or something?”

“You misunderstood,” Sam cut in. “Down doesn’t just mean a lower level — it means the very depths of the distorted world. From what we’ve found out, Walter Sullivan is directly connected to the awakening deity. To stop him, we’ll have to kill that entity itself. And we have a weapon capable of doing that.”

Sam silently nodded and gestured with his eyes toward the Cain blade strapped to Dean’s belt.

“That’s what you should’ve started with,” Dean snorted. “All this ‘down’ and ‘down’ stuff.”

“And one more important rule,” Alex added with a stone-cold expression. “Under no circumstances do you stick your hands into holes. Ever. Unless you want to lose them.”

“What are we, children?” Lucina asked skeptically, sweeping her gaze over everyone present.

“I’m just warning you,” Alex shrugged. “Curiosity is a dangerous thing. Especially when there’s a hole in the wall, something is leaking out of it, and it looks like there might be something interesting inside. All right… next, monsters.”

“I remember that part,” Dean said thoughtfully. “You said they’re reflections of that psycho’s subconscious. His fears, complexes, all that crap.”

“Exactly,” Alex confirmed. “Living emotions and traumas. When Castiel and I explored those places, we managed to see a few of them. And one of them was… particularly strange.”

“How strange?” Alice asked, tilting her head.

Alex thought for a moment, then took out a notebook and tore out a sheet of paper. A second later, the pencil slid across the page, and before everyone’s eyes the silhouette of a creature began to appear. A massive figure, a bare torso, and instead of a head — a heavy metal pyramid, like a crudely welded structure.

The lower half of its body was covered by a leather apron, and in its hands it dragged an enormous, unnaturally long sword. When he finished, Alex turned the drawing so everyone could see it. For several seconds, silence hung over the group — now it was clear why he had called this monster strange.

“Castiel and I came to the conclusion that it’s an executioner,” Alex said, lighting a cigarette. “It kills other monsters. Apparently, it’s both a guardian and an enforcer of judgment.”

“Whose guardian?” Sam asked, not taking his eyes off the drawing. “And who is it supposed to execute?”

“Alessa’s,” Alex replied calmly. “And before you ask — no, I’m not going to kill her. I’m going to save her.”

“We weren’t planning to object,” Dean shrugged. “After everything those bastards did to her, I’d burn that city to hell myself. The real question is — what do we do about this Pyramid Head? Kill it, or just run?”

“If you can, kill it,” Alex answered evenly. “If you can’t, run. Even if you destroy it, it will come back. It’s the embodiment of punishment. The very principle of retribution.”

“And until the sin is atoned for…” Lucina said quietly, understanding where he was going.

“…it will keep killing,” Alex finished.

Alex nodded, confirming his own words. In truth, he knew exactly what he wanted — to add the Pyramid Heads to his collection and use them as guardians. What still surprised him most, however, was that the Pyramid Head existed even in Walter Sullivan’s twisted world and was already hunting Walter himself.

The reasons for this weren’t entirely clear to Alex, but he didn’t consider it important. In any case, Walter Sullivan was doomed. Alex decided to hand out Poké Balls to the girls so each could catch a specimen of the monster and add it to their collection. He deliberately didn’t give anything like that to Dean and Sam — too many unnecessary questions, and he had neither the time nor the desire to answer them.

After spending another hour discussing details and finalizing their plans, the group agreed it was time to rest. Tomorrow promised to be long and grueling, so it was worth conserving their energy. Alex drifted off to sleep, feeling Wednesday holding his hand, and with a faint smile thought about how much fun he would definitely have in Silent Hill.

Almost fully asleep, he remembered that he hadn’t told the others about the puzzles they would surely encounter along the way, but he immediately relaxed — they weren’t meant to be a serious problem for him or anyone else. Pushing aside extraneous thoughts, Alex finally sank into sleep.

He woke the next morning to the smell of fresh coffee, feeling the warmth of Enid pressed against his hand. Carefully freeing his hand from under her head, Alex rubbed his face and went to wash up. Opening the bathroom door in the RV, he found Samantha busy with her morning facial routine.

She silently moved aside, giving him room, and Alex began brushing his teeth while Samantha gently massaged his face, helping him shake off the usual morning grumpiness. Once he was ready, Alex stepped out of the bathroom and immediately bumped into Enid, who had buried her nose in his chest, muttered something sleepily, and headed to the bathroom. Pouring himself some coffee and sitting at the table, Alex stretched, extending his legs.

“I brought breakfast,” Dean’s voice announced as he entered the RV.

“And what do we have today?” Alice asked, helping Wednesday braid her hair.

“Pancakes. Hot and smelling absolutely amazing,” Dean replied, setting the bags on the table.

Alex raised an eyebrow and opened one of the bags. The smell of fresh sweet pancakes immediately hit his nose, and even Enid peeked out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in her mouth, instantly catching the scent. Alex couldn’t help but nod — sweet pancakes with coffee were a perfect way to start the day.

Judging by the reactions of the others, he wasn’t the only one who thought so. The only exception was Wednesday, who, as always, preferred a morning espresso with four shots.

After a quick breakfast, Alex took the wheel, and soon the RV left the parking lot. The next point on their route was the nearest town near Silent Hill, still untouched by his fog.

By around two in the afternoon, they entered a small, quiet town. Consulting the GPS, Alex headed for a parking lot, turned off the engine, and, stretching slightly, got out of the driver’s seat.

“You three stay here, just in case,” he said, looking at G.I.R., MIMI, and Stitch.

They nodded in unison, understanding what was required of them — to be ready for sudden support.

Alex scanned the others, checking their readiness, and received equally confident nods in response. With a faint smile, he stepped out of the RV last, grabbing his Impala, Dean’s Impala, and finally — Fenrir, the motorcycle. He didn’t need a car — he was heading into Silent Hill alone.

“Before we split up, stay in touch,” Alex said, leaning on the motorcycle. “Just in case. Dean, Sam — you need to talk to Agent Gray about the situation in South Ashfield Heights and figure out what’s happening in the apartments. Girls, you should contact Edwards — he’s in charge of Shepherds Glen.”

“What else, Mom?” Dean smirked.

“Take plenty of ammo and, just in case, some explosives,” Alex replied calmly, stroking his chin. “That’s about it. The rest we already went over yesterday.”

Everyone nodded and headed to their vehicles. When Lucina got behind the wheel, her eyes fell on the bag lying in the driver’s seat. She frowned, opened it, and immediately saw the Poké Balls. No explanation was needed — the purpose of the find was obvious. Lucina slowly looked up at Alex, and in that cold, empty gaze, it was clear: she had absolutely no intention of catching monsters, as if they were just some animals.

In response, Alex put on a pleading expression, almost childlike and deliberately pitiful. Lucina stared at him silently for a few seconds, then let out a heavy sigh, nodded, pulled out the Poké Balls, and handed them to Alice. She instantly lit up with joy, as if she’d received the best gift in the world, and Lucina fully understood which monster Alex had really wanted to capture.

Once everyone had departed, Alex lit a cigarette, mounted Fenrir, and started the engine. He headed toward Silent Hill alone. The road to the nearest town took just over an hour — Alex didn’t slow down even on the turns, letting the motorcycle grip the asphalt confidently.

It was only when entering the town that he began to ease off, calmly riding through the streets. Alex remembered well that the Bureau of Control agents had blocked the only road leading into Silent Hill right at the area where the influence of the foggy town hadn’t yet reached. After riding through the town, he emerged onto the highway leading directly to his destination.

After another half hour, Alex stopped at a fork in the road. He cut the engine, leaned on the motorcycle, and pulled his phone from his pocket.

“Never thought I’d end up in this town,” he smirked. “Heh… consider this the first stop before the foggy hell.”

Alex approached a road sign and took a selfie with it — the arrow confidently pointed toward Silent Hill and the neighboring town. Putting his phone away, he returned to the motorcycle, started the engine again, and turned left.

A few minutes later, Alex saw the Bureau of Control checkpoint. Pulling closer, he showed his badge to the two agents. They exchanged glances, nodded, and lifted the barrier, letting him pass.

Alex rode past the checkpoint and headed toward the van-base parked slightly to the side. He cut the engine, dismounted, lit a cigarette, and looked toward Silent Hill. Behind the special fencing, a thin fog swirled, through which a sign could be seen: “Welcome to Silent Hill.”

“Alex?” a voice called from behind him.

He turned around and saw Saga Anderson. Recognizing him, she immediately smiled. Alex was surprised to see her here, but he returned the smile — he knew Saga had become a field agent for the Bureau of Control, yet he hadn’t expected to run into her on this assignment. They approached each other and hugged, genuinely happy to meet.

“Saga, didn’t expect to see you here. How’s the Bureau treating you?” Alex asked, stepping back a bit.

“Pretty much the same as the FBI,” she replied, hands in the pockets of her jacket. “Only instead of serial killers, I’m tracking people who use anomalous objects for crimes.”

Alex nodded, exhaling smoke.

“Glad to hear that. No surprises so far, I hope? You know, Silent Hill’s going to be worse than Bright Falls.”

“I know that all too well,” Saga said seriously. “Agent Fernandez sent two teams to check the area around the town. They haven’t reported in or returned. That was two days ago. If you’re heading inside, try to find at least some trace of them.”

Alex’s expression grew focused.

“I’ll see what I can do. With their training, they should have lasted a few days, even there,” he said, nodding.

“Well, look who we have here…” a rough male voice called from behind them.

Alex heard another familiar voice, turned his head, and saw Casey leading a young girl in handcuffs. Recognizing him, Alex smiled again — Casey’s signature scowl was unmistakable. Then his gaze shifted to the girl: lightly dyed hair with dark roots, a white vest, an orange turtleneck, and a green denim skirt. Alex recognized her almost immediately — Heather, or Sherril Mason.

The girl was struggling desperately, trying to break free, but she clearly didn’t have the strength. Casey held her calmly with one hand, applying minimal effort and preventing any escape.

“Good to see you, Casey. Looks like we’re colleagues now,” Alex said with a smile, raising his hand in greeting.

“Yeah, but the rumors about me don’t exactly travel across the Bureau,” Casey smirked. “The walking encyclopedia? That’s you.”

“Casey, who’s this girl?” Saga asked, frowning slightly.

“Trying to get into Silent Hill,” he replied grimly. “She kept saying all the way here that she had to get there to save her father and ‘end all this.'”

Alex studied Heather closely, then calmly said,

“Casey, take her somewhere safe and give her some water. I need to talk to her.”

“I’m not her babysitter,” Casey snapped immediately.

“Just do it,” Alex replied evenly. “I’ll explain everything later. First, I need to talk to Fernandez.”

Casey frowned in annoyance but nodded and led the struggling Heather inside, to a place from which she couldn’t escape. Alex and Saga exchanged a glance, and then Saga led him to Fernandez.

The so-called headquarters was a large van — a miniature mobile base. Upon entering, Alex immediately saw Fernandez receiving a report from an operative in full combat gear, holding an automatic rifle. Alex waited until the briefing was over. When the operative left, Fernandez looked up.

“Agent Voldigoad. We were expecting you a bit later,” he said, extending his hand. “Since you’re already here, you should know what’s going on.”

“I was just in a hurry,” Alex replied, shaking his hand. “What happened over the past couple of days, aside from the missing teams?”

“I see you’re already aware,” Fernandez nodded. “Then I’ll move on to the rest. The past week around Silent Hill has been… strange. My people encountered several entities trying to leave the town. And those damned cultists… We let one group through by your order, but the others also tried to get in, and then…” He fell silent, choosing his words carefully.

“What happened?” Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s hard to explain. It’s as if the town itself didn’t want to let them leave and forced them back. Smith, play the footage from Franklin’s helmet cam,” Fernandez said, turning to the operative.

The footage appeared on the screen. Alex saw three people in protective suits attempting to climb over a barrier. He immediately recognized the Order’s iconic cultist garb. The moment one of them stepped past the boundary, the fog behind them thickened sharply.

Franklin, watching from cover, saw a twisted, skin-covered creature emerge from the fog. It splashed something onto one of the cultists, who screamed in pain. Before the others could even process what was happening, more of these beings emerged from the mist. Panicked, the cultists ran back, disappearing into the gray haze. Once they were gone, the fog slowly receded.

Alex watched the footage silently, stroking his chin. He understood: Alessa had no intention of letting any of the Order go. The first team sent to search for Harry and Sherril had probably just been lucky to make it out of Silent Hill. Alex continued reviewing camera recordings, already suspecting that inside the town things would be far more interesting — and far more dangerous.

To be continued…

(I couldn’t decide for a long time whether Alex should end up in Silent Hill in this chapter or not. Anyway, Silent Hill is next, and I’ll try to explain the main plot of Silent Hill, so you, my dear readers, understand what’s going on. But basically, it’ll be a foggy town, monsters, cultists, and more monsters, including a reverse town. And all that jazz. And I’m off to make some pizza, good luck.)

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep