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Walter Sullivan is a fictional character and antagonist of the video game Silent Hill 4: The Room. Although he is the main antagonist of the game, and the player character is a young man named Henry Townshend, many state that he is in a way the main character of the game as the story revolves almost entirely around him. This could be a reflection of Silent Hill 1 in that most of that story was about Alessa rather than Harry. Walter, along with Pyramid Head and The Nurse is one of the most iconic characters in the series.

Biography

Walter Sullivan was born in 1970 in the town of Ashfield in Room 302 of the South Ashfield Heights apartment building. Just after his birth, his biological parents fled the apartment and left the newborn child behind. The infant was later discovered by the building superintendent, Frank Sunderland, who turned the child over to the nearby St. Jerome's Hospital. After a stay in the hospital, he became a ward of the state and was turned over to the Wish House orphanage in Silent Hill. It was there that he began his tutelage in the ways of The Order, the cult that operated the orphanage.

In time, after learning of his tragic birth, the young Sullivan gradually started to believe that Room 302 itself was his mother, and the child started making weekly trips to Ashfield to visit "her," much to the dismay of the apartment's current residents. During his late adolescent years, he learned of the "21 Sacraments," an obscure ceremony in the Order's teachings that Walter could use to "awaken" his "mother."

Sometime later, he briefly encounters five-year old Eileen Galvin while homeless. Eileen, out of sympathy, gives the perplexed Walter one of her dolls then walks away conversing with her mother. The scene of Eileen happily walking with her mother, while he holds her doll in hand, inspires a profound sorrow within Walter to which he sobs uncontrollably.

When Sullivan was 24 (see below), he began his killing spree, murdering 10 people in as many days, removing their hearts and carving numbers into their bodies. The first corpse had 01121 carved into it, the second 02121, the third 03121, and so on up to 10121. He made no effort to cover his tracks, even going as far as to carve his own name into the flesh of his victims. He was captured, tried, and convicted, and was thought to have committed suicide by stabbing himself in the neck with a metal soup spoon and severing his own carotid artery while in prison. He was buried in an unmarked grave near the Wish House, however, three days later, a man fitting his description was seen exiting Room 302 of the South Ashfield Heights apartment building.

Three years later, another body was found, killed in a very similar manner to Sullivan's previous victims, and the numbers 12121 were carved into the body. The police suspected a copycat, though the heart was not removed, nor was a name carved into the body. However, Joseph Schreiber, an investigative journalist, developed his own theory at this time. He believed that the police had failed to capture the real Walter Sullivan, and began to investigate Walter's life in conjunction with an earlier investigation into the Silent Hill cult. Eventually finding Walter's grave, Schreiber discovered there was no body inside and that numbers, 11121, were carved into the coffin. Two more bodies surfaced over the next few weeks, carved with the numbers 13121 and 14121 respectively. Joseph Schreiber went missing from room 302 shortly thereafter. What the police failed to realize was that the numbers, 01121-14121, actually meant 01/21-14/21, meaning that Sullivan intended to kill 21 victims in all.

Through the Order's teachings, Sullivan believed that the deaths of these 21 victims would help free his "mother," Room 302, and wake her up again so that he could live within her "womb" once more, safe from the world that terrorized him. In the game, most of his victims appear as ghosts.

• The first reference to this character appears in Silent Hill 2, in a newspaper article found by that game's protagonist (James Sunderland) in a trash bin at the Blue Creek Apartments building. The article stated that Walter Sullivan was a killer from nearby Pleasant River who murdered two local children (Miriam and Billy Locane) with an axe. Four days after his arrest Sullivan committed suicide as described above. There are no references to the other murders he committed up to that point in time in the article. In addition the article contains a quote from a former schoolmate from Pleasant River. In it Sullivan claimed that a "Red Devil" (presumably Jimmy Stone, but considered by some to mean a "Pyramid Head") forced him to commit the murders. This information was later included within a "test" with which the protagonist was presented. Also, it is possible to see his tombstone in the same game inside the cemetery.

• "The Assumption Ceremony" requires the scripture, white chrism, obsidian goblet, and ten hearts. This is the same ritual in the "rebirth" ending of Silent Hill 2; the items being the Book of Lost Memories, The White Chrism, the Obsidian Chalice, and the Book of Crimson Ceremony.

• • The foldout timeline provided with the Silent Hill 4 official strategy guide states that "34 Years Ago: Newborn Walter Sullivan abandoned in South Ashfield Heights apartment." and "10 Years Ago: The Walter Sullivan murder spree." Thus, Walter was 24.

• When Henry Townshend encounters the child version of Walter in the forest world, he asks if he is Walter Sullivan and Walter responds saying that everyone calls him that, but he did not really have a name. (Surprisingly Walter's child form uses very good English throughout the game.)

Victims

Each person listed below is someone Walter murders (or intends to kill) either prior to the game's beginning or during the game itself. For an unexplained reason (possibly due to the occult ritual of which their deaths are a part) nearly all of Walter's victims return as ghosts, who are hostile to Henry (the protagonist) and attack him at every opportunity. There were 16 male victims (including Walter Sullivan, but not Henry Townshend) and 4 female victims (including Eileen Galvin).

Round 1 Victims (The Ten Hearts)

01121 - Jimmy Stone: First of the Ten Hearts

Jimmy Stone was a priest in the Valtiel Sect, a division of The Order. He was nicknamed "The Red Devil" by members of the Order in reference to the triangular red hood he wore during ritualistic executions, much like Pyramid Head of Silent Hill 2 fame. Sullivan shot him in the back of the head inside the Wish House orphanage and removed his heart. Jimmy Stone is known as Victim 1 in the game.

02121 - Bobby Randolph: Second of the Ten Hearts

Randolph was a college student who attended the same school as Sullivan. He and two of his friends, Sein Martin and Jasper Gein, were fascinated by the lore of The Order and tried to learn all about it. Sullivan strangled him to death, removed his heart and dumped his body on the college campus in Pleasant River alongside the third victim. Bobby Randolph is known as Victim 2 in the game.

03121 - Sein Martin: Third of the Ten Hearts

Like his friend Randolph, Martin was also interested in the legends surrounding the Order and his curiosity likely led to his death. Sullivan strangled him to death, removed his heart and dumped his body on the college campus in Pleasant River alongside Bobby Randolph. Sein Martin is known as Victim 3 in the game.

04121 - Steve Garland: Fourth of the Ten Hearts

Steve Garland operated a pet store in Ashfield. His murder was particularly gruesome; after Sullivan riddled his body with bullets from a submachine gun (leaving his chest undamaged so the heart could be removed), he proceeded to brutally kill all the animals in the store. Given his name, Garland could be related to Lisa Garland from Silent Hill 1, but this is neither confirmed nor denied. Steve Garland is known as Victim 4 in the game.

05121 - Rick Albert: Fifth of the Ten Hearts

Rick Albert was the manager of a sporting good store in Ashfield. Sullivan (possibly a part-time employee at the store) bludgeoned him to death with a golf club and removed his heart. He was murdered on the same day as Steve Garland. Rick Albert is known as Victim 5 in the game.

06121 - George Rosten: Sixth of the Ten Hearts

George Rosten was the head of the Holy Mother sect and the right-hand man of Jimmy Stone. He personally instructed Sullivan on the 21 Sacraments, then ironically fell victim to his own teaching when Sullivan beat him to death with an iron pipe and removed his heart. George Rosten is known as Victim 6 in the game. He was probably one of the more important characters to the fourth game's connection to Silent Hill as the Book of Lost Memories indicates. The Book stated that he let Valtiel into the young Walter to permit the "21 Sacraments."

07121 - Billy Locane: Seventh of the Ten Hearts

Billy Locane was a child living in Silent Hill. Sullivan killed him with a single blow from an axe and removed his heart.

08121 - Miriam Locane: Eighth of the Ten Hearts

Miriam was Billy's twin sister and killed just after her brother. Unlike Billy, who was killed with a single blow from an axe, Sullivan brutally dismembered Miriam's body before removing her heart, most likely due to his violent misogyny. Unlike Sullivan's other victims, Billy and Miriam do not appear as ghosts but rather fused together as a monster which is known as Victim 07+08, or "Seveneight".

09121 - William Gregory: Ninth of the Ten Hearts

William Gregory owned the Watch & Clock store in Ashfield. Sullivan stabbed him with a screwdriver and removed his heart. William Gregory is known as Victim 9 in the game.

10121 - Eric Walsh: Tenth/Last of the Ten Hearts

The final victim of Sullivan's initial rampage. Walsh worked as a bartender at Bar Ashfield. On his birthday, a middle-aged customer told him that the pet store owner was murdered and the murderer was still at large, causing the bar's owner to close the bar early. Walsh then went home, only to find Sullivan waiting for him. Sullivan shot him in the face and removed his heart. Eric Walsh is known as Victim 10 in the game.

Suicide (Victim 11121)

11121 - Walter Sullivan: Assumption

After his capture, Sullivan committed suicide in his jail cell by stabbing himself in the neck with a spoon that severed his carotid artery. His body was buried in an unmarked grave near the Wish House, but after the first copycat murder, his grave was exhumed and was discovered to be empty. Although the game is never fully clear on this matter, it is debated that either his body was taken from its grave by his own ghost to the hidden room in Room 302 to await the last of the 21 Sacraments, or that it was never him in the first place (Joseph Schreiber mentions this possibility in a memo in the game). Walter, for the first half of the game, is docile toward Henry, though his behavior (such as standing in front of Henry's apartment door and simply staring at him through the peephole while smiling) is bizarre and unnerving. However, though restricted to certain boundaries, the latter half of the game presents a malignant Walter who will maniacally attack Henry and Eileen. He is also the end boss of the game.

Round 2 Victims

12121 - Peter Walls: Void

The first of Sullivan's postmortem victims. Walls was a notorious drug addict known for his crazed ranting. His body was found in a room in the South Ashfield Hotel some six months after his death. He had apparently been beaten to death after he claimed he could see God. Peter Walls is known as Victim 12 in the game.

13121 - Sharon Blake: Darkness

Sharon Blake had been a target of the Order for some time. Her family had all been taken in by the Order, but she refused their requests (and later demands) to join. When she went looking for her family in the woods near Silent Hill, she discovered her family's gravestones, at which point then Sullivan caught her and drowned her in the lake. Sharon Blake is known as Victim 13 in the game.

14121 - Toby Archbolt: Gloom

Toby Archbolt was a priest of the Holy Mother Sect of the Order, which operated the Wish House. After the deaths of Jimmy Stone and George Rostin and the subsequent weakening of the Valtiel Sect, Archbolt tried to increase the influence of his own sect within the Order. During a trip to Mexico, Sullivan pushed Toby off of a cliff, making him the only victim in the series to be killed outside of the United States. Toby Archbolt is known as Victim 14 in the game.

15121 - Joseph Schreiber: Despair (Giver of Wisdom)

Joseph Schreiber was an investigative reporter who lived in Room 302 before Henry Townshend (see below). He was investigating the Order, which led to an exposé on the Wish House. While investigating ties between the Order and the Walter Sullivan murders, he suddenly found himself sealed inside his apartment with the only means of escape being a mysterious hole in his bathroom wall. Schreiber apparently never made it out of his apartment and he eventually became Sullivan's 15th victim. The means of his murder and the location of his body are unknown. Joseph Schreiber is known as Victim 15 in the game. Schreiber is the only victim that is not completely hostile to the protagonist.

Round 3 Victims

16121 - Cynthia Velasquez: Temptation

Cynthia Velasquez was a woman living in Ashfield. She is the first victim killed to be witnessed by Henry Townshend. He met her in the South Ashfield Station where she believed herself to be dreaming, and Townshend just a figment of her imagination (though that does not prevent her from making advances). While Henry tried to find a way out of the station, Sullivan killed her by multiple stab wounds, along with carving "16121" into her chest. Cynthia Velasquez is known as Victim 16 in the game. Her ghost haunts the subway world in the game.

17121 - Jasper Gein: Source

Jasper Gein was a somewhat mentally unbalanced youth who, along with his friends Bobby Randolph and Sein Martin, was fascinated by the mythology of the Order. While exploring the ruins of the Wish House, Sullivan immolated Gein, who seemed almost appreciative of the act. Henry Townshend meets Gein while walking on a path through a forest outside of Wish House. After giving him Chocolate Milk, Gein gives Townshend a shovel. He finds the key to Wish House with the help of the shovel and Gein enters and disappears into one of the rooms. Not too long after, Townshend hears a blood-curdling scream and investigates the room that Gein entered. Upon opening the door, Jasper Gein is seen writhing in agony. After Henry witnesses this act, Gein calls out that he had seen the red devil he had been searching for. While screaming through the flames, Jasper carves the number "17121" into his own chest with an altar candle. His character is named for American killer and film inspiration Ed Gein. His ghost (still on fire) haunts the forest world in the game.

18121 - Andrew DeSalvo: Watchfulness

Andrew DeSalvo was an abusive guard at the Water Prison where children at the Wish House were sent for punishment. Somehow, he became locked in one of his own cells and, after being released by Townshend, was captured by Sullivan and drowned. Before this incident occurred, he sees Little Walter, a childlike apparition of Walter's that split with his "spirit" after his assumption. Townshend also sees Little Walter multiple times throughout the game, the first time being just outside of Wish House. The number "18121" is carved onto DeSalvo's stomach. His character is named for American serial killer Albert DeSalvo, the "Boston Strangler". His ghost (singing) haunts the water prison world in the game.

19121 - Richard Braintree: Chaos

Richard Braintree lived in Room 207 of South Ashfield Heights. He was an eccentric, somewhat violent (and possibly sadistic) man. Remembering what happened to Joseph Schreiber, he becomes concerned when he notices the same thing happening again in Room 302. He tries to find a way to help Townshend, but Sullivan captured Braintree, carved the number "19121" into his forehead and electrocuted him in his own apartment, despite Henry's attempts to stop him. Later on in the game, it is revealed that many of Ashfield Heights' tenants were wary of Braintree due to an incident in which he assaulted another resident and stripped him of his clothes--"skinning" him. His ghost haunts the building world in the game.

Victims or Survivors

20121 - Eileen Galvin: Mother (Reborn)

Eileen Galvin is Henry's next-door neighbor. She first encountered Sullivan at the Subway when she was five, and she gave him her favorite doll to cheer him up. Towards the middle of the game, Walter breaks into her apartment and assaults her, breaking her arm and carving "20121" into her back. However, little Walter's interference stopped her from being killed. Walter summons Eileen toward the end of the game in an attempt to finish the job once and for all. Whether Eileen lives or dies effects which game ending the player receives.

21121 - Henry Townshend: Wisdom (Receiver of Wisdom)

Sullivan felt that his final intended victim, the current resident of Room 302, had to die in order to "purify" his "mother" so "she" could finally be "reborn" and he could be "reunited with her". Depending on the actions of the player, Townshend either defeats Sullivan or dies at his hands.

See also

• List of Silent Hill characters
• List of Silent Hill monsters

• Silent Hill characters
• Fictional serial killers
• Fictional undead
• Video game bosses