Continuing our article:
James hides in a closet as the creature starts moving towards him. When Pyramid Head passes by him, James shoots him with a pistol he obtained earlier in the stage. Although the shots don’t seem to do much damage, they push the monster back temporarily. At this moment, James finds a key that leads to the building’s courtyard, his next destination.
After entering the empty pool to obtain one of three required metal coins for a later puzzle, James enters a nearby apartment. The apartment contains two things: a corpse stuffed in a refrigerator, and a continuous sound of someone vomiting. James enters the bathroom to find the person vomiting, who tells him, “I didn’t do it.”
This bewilders James, and the person vomiting clarifies that the corpse in the fridge was already dead when he arrived. They exchange names, and we learn that the other person’s name is Eddie. James asks Eddie about the dead man in the kitchen, prompting Eddie to deny it again, then asks James if he knows anything about “that thing with the Red Pyramid.”
Of course, Eddie has no idea what James is talking about, and he tells him so, but he did see “weird-shaped monsters,” which is why he’s hiding in the bathroom. James reflects on the town being unsafe and Eddie tries to explain why he’s there but stops talking.
James replies, “You too, don’t you? Something brought you here, right?” Then he tells Eddie it’s best to get out of this place, adding that he’ll leave when he’s done, after Eddie asks about his plans. The two wish each other caution, Eddie goes back to vomiting, and James leaves the place.
With more exploration, James reaches the fire exit, which is no longer there. However, he manages to cross into the adjacent building through an open window.
There, James finally meets a familiar face: the young girl he encountered in the cemetery, lying in front of a wall-sized mirror, staring intently at a butcher knife in her hand.
Angela notices James looks exhausted, and they formally introduce themselves. Here we learn her name is Angela. James tries to persuade her to steer away from the obvious thought she’s having with the knife, telling her “there’s always another way.”
Angela sarcastically replies, “Really?” before indicating that James is “just like her,” and both deserve what’s coming to them. James vehemently denies any commonalities between him and Angela.
Angela mockingly asks if he’s scared, then immediately apologizes. James responds that it’s not a problem, and asks her if she found her mother. Angela sadly answers that she hasn’t.
James briefly ponders, then asks her if her mother lived in this building. Angela says she doesn’t know, to which James says, “So all you know is that she lived in this town?”
Angela is surprised by this conclusion, sits down, and asks how he knew that. James explains he deduced it because she’s looking for her here, and asks if his deduction is correct.
Angela doesn’t answer directly but says she’s tired. James asks her why she’s here, she avoids answering, and asks if he found the person he was looking for.
James tells her he hasn’t found him yet and shows her a picture of Mary, explaining she is his wife. Angela apologizes for not being able to help much, as James clarifies he also doesn’t know why he’s here, considering Mary, as he knows, is deceased. Angela is surprised by this, and James confirms he doesn’t think he’s insane like everyone who claims they’re not crazy.
Angela suddenly stands up, in a hurry to leave. James asks if she wants him to accompany her, due to the monsters, but she refuses, stating she would slow him down. James then asks about the knife in her hand.
Angela asks James to hold onto it for her because she’s “not sure what she might do” if she kept it. James agrees, then moves to take the knife from her.
Angela reacts to this by brandishing the knife in his face and screaming.
James recoils as Angela brandishes the knife, she apologizes again, saying she was “bad” before placing the knife on a nearby table and leaving.
After regaining control of James, the player can examine a family picture on the floor: mother, father, son, and daughter. The picture is torn in half, the mother and daughter on one side, and the father and son on the other.
James eventually finds a key used to open a door leading to a staircase. There, he encounters a familiar face once again. Or, rather, a familiar helmet. Yes, it’s our friend Pyramid Head, doing something… different with the monster.
James tries to open the door, but to his surprise, it’s locked. The creature starts moving towards him, and here begins the first battle against the leader. Well, sort of. In fact, the battle is time-based, requiring the player to avoid Pyramid Head until some alarms go off. At that moment, Pyramid Head retreats down the water-filled stairs, and the water is drained.
The stairs lead James to a door, which in turn leads to the alley behind the building. There, he encounters the little girl he met earlier, sitting on a wall covered in graffiti.
