I don't own anything associated with Kingdom Hearts or Silent Hill. They belong to Square Enix/Disney and Konami respectively.

Chapter 31

They watched silently as the disguised Xion dashed out of the store, and down the road in the opposite direction from the one she had told them to go. Hardly a minute passed before the first howls rose. Terra launched himself at his friends, throwing them behind a counter as the hounds thundered by. They stayed for ten, twenty seconds before Terra let them up again. The silence mournful, they stared off into the distance where Xion had long disappeared.

"Let's go," Terra said.

Aqua listened to him, but Ven was hesitating. "Xion . . ."

"There's nothing we can do for her," Terra grunted, aware of how cold that sounded.

Aqua took over for him, and gently hugged the younger apprentice. "She made her choice, Ven. Don't let her down now."

Ven gulped and nodded.

"If you two are done," Terra said, "we need to get a move on."

Aqua scowled, berating him for his insensitivity. However, in light of their current predicament, Terra found that he didn't really care. She could despise him for all it mattered, so long as he got them out of here.

Terra went outside first, creeping alongside the store's window. At his signal, Aqua and Ven followed him, their backs pressing against the glass. Together, the three of them broke away from the wall and ran to the next building, catching their breath underneath an awning. He and Ven stiffened, spying something shambling through the fog, but there was a whispered command from Aqua, and then they were casting Blizzard and Aero respectively. The wind spell whipped the snow around them, adding to the shelter offered by the fog, and thickened it to the extent that the figure passed without seeing them.

Releasing a deep breath, Terra continued to lead them to safety.

At some point in their journey, there was a scream. At once, Ven tried to rush to its aid and even Aqua, helpless as she was, took a step in that direction. But Terra grabbed them by the shoulders and held them back. "It's a trick," he told them. "I fell for it a few times."

"But what if it isn't?" Ven asked.

Ven and Aqua stared at him, waiting for Terra to say something wise that would ease their worrying.

Instead, he remained silent.

They continued to creep through the shadows. Terra felt like a rabbit scourging for food, hoping that the wolf didn't spot it. He only prayed that the monsters did not search with their noses, because after all those fights, Terra was sure that he – if not all of them – stunk. Indeed, he could pick up the scent of burnt metal and wood from the other two.

He suddenly threw out an arm to block his friends. "Wait," he murmured.

Out of the mouth of the alley in front of them, stumbled a huge monster. It was about the size of a Bogeyman, though it lacked the weaponry or the general sense of fear that the latter inspired. It had no hands, but thick arms with curved ends, as if they had been severed at the wrist. The creature, bellowing, swung its squat head towards them, and that's when Terra saw that it had no eyes or nose. It must use sound to find its prey, then. He moved quickly, before Ven summoned his keyblade or Aqua retreated, and made a gesture for them to be quiet.

They watched in terrified awe as the creature shambled past them into the street. Each step it took made the ground quiver, and Terra could only think of how glad he was that they didn't have to fight it. They waited long after it disappeared from sight, until the ground stopped shaking, and then continued on their journey.

They were walking along the sidewalk when Ven suddenly stopped with a strangled cry. Terra whipped around, blinking in confusion when didn't find an enemy. He looked questioningly at Ven, who shook his head as he stared at the shell of a building.

"It happened here," he said, "Master Xehanort . . ."

Terra took a closer look at the building. What he had taken for the destruction caused by the town's transformation he now saw to be signs of a great battle. Not a place had been left untouched, and there were massive holes left behind from that ancient fight. Darkness rose from the ruin, like smoke.

"How long ago do you think that was?" Aqua whispered.

"I don't know," Terra said. "Ven, how did you know it happened here?"

Ven said, "I was briefly one with Vanitas in that church. I've inherited some of his memories."

Terra shuddered as he imagined what kind of horrors Ven had borne witness to.

They ducked again as birds flew overhead. When he was sure they were gone, Terra waved his friends to stand up again. Aqua did so, but Ven remained on the ground, clutching his head between his hands.

"Ven?" Aqua gently touched his shoulder.

"How many more places like this are there?" Ven choked out. He gasped for breath, eyes bulging as he began to hyperventilate. "How many more did he kill?"

Terra swore. While it was something he wondered too, this was the worst possible time to try and figure that out. He grabbed Ven's arm, but the younger boy ripped away, shaking violently.

"I can see them," he moaned. "I can see their faces as they died."

Terra bit his lip, and made a quick decision. They weren't about to leave Ven behind, even if he wasn't about to recover on his own anytime soon. He grabbed Ven and slung him over his back. Thankfully, Ven had enough sense left to latch on for a piggyback.

Terra nodded at Aqua, and they went back on the move.

Xion gasped for breath, her hand uselessly pressed against her left shoulder as she tried to stop the bleeding. In her other hand, she held the jagged shard of Rainfell, which was shiny with her blood and black ichor. She dove underneath a car, her eyes tightly closed as the hounds ran past her. They used scent to track their prey, but Xion wasn't actually Ven; she was made of darkness and thus, invisible to them. Still, if they heard her, it wouldn't make a difference.

She wished she could stay under this car, stay safe, but that wasn't an option. If the dogs thought they had lost her, they would separate, scour the town, and eventually come across Ven and his friends. No, she had to keep the monsters chasing her.

She rolled out from under the car, leaving a small red stain on the ground. Returning pressure to the wound, she staggered away from the car, hunching as she walked.

A growl.

She whipped around just in time to see the hound's paws leave the ground. She swung her piece of Rainfell, but it was too soon, too fast, and she missed by an inch. In the wake of her attack, she was left wide open, and the full weight of the hound crashed into her.

Paws pinned her to the ground. Claws dug into her chest as the monster growled, its muzzle hovering dangerously close to her face. Whimpering, she twisted, trying to bring her weapon to a place where she could use it. The stench of rotting meat greeted her as the hound's jaws opened, and it lunged, sinking its teeth into her upper arm.

She screamed, dropping the shard, beating at the hound's head with her fist as it started to shake. To her terror, she could hear more baying in the distance, celebrating as they closed in on their quarry. The force of the dog's shakes shifted her position on the ground, and she felt one of Rainfell's points touch her side.

Her fingers groped for it, found the shard, and it cut into her palm as she gripped it with all her might. She swung it up and over in an arc, and straight into the side of the hound's head.

It did not drop dead as she had hoped. Instead, it screamed, and a tuff of fur landed on her nose as the hound tore its head away from the shard. She stabbed at the air, trying to drive the monster back, but it stared at her impassively, canines bore in a snarl. It leapt again, this time aiming for her neck. She automatically held her hands up, as if to push it away, and brought up Rainfell with her.

The hound's neck slammed into Rainfell, which emerged on the other side. With a strangled yelp, it went deathly still, and the legs fell limp. The hound slumped to the ground, with Rainfell imbedded in its neck.

Quickly, she pulled the shard out and forced herself to stand. The others were on their way, and she had to run now.

She ran into the fog with no destination in mind. The pain from all of her injuries was making it hard to think straight, and the ground underneath seemed felt like it was swaying. Still, she had enough wits about her for this task; she could keep them running for at least a little while longer.

In the corner of her vision, she saw a figure . . .

Void Gear slashed through her side.

It took all of her strength not to scream. Instead, she crumpled to the ground silently. It was still her own voice she used, not Ven's, and if she dared speak, then it was over. Curled up on the ground, she sobbed silently, the tears making her vision blurry.

Vanitas loomed above her, watching.

She gritted her teeth, and then swung desperately, hoping to hurt the one who had made her life hell.

He didn't even blink before he caught her wrist.

Holding her wrist so hard that it hurt, he leaned down, peering into her face. "You're not Ventus," he said softly.

Xion froze.

Vanitas continued, "Let's see who's really behind this guise."

He reached down, laid his hand flat against her face, and it felt like he was ripping the skin from her body. She screamed in agony, no longer having the will to hold back. Vanitas watched coldly, the beginning of a smirk on his face.

Then, it was over, and Xion lay there, crying. Disgust written across his face, Vanitas kicked in her crippled side and growled, "You?"

She swallowed down her sobs and opened her eyes in a last, brave attempt to look at him.

He held a hand out, and the earth rumbled with his words. "You won't be interfering anymore."

His hand closed, and the darkness rose in answer. Giving into fear, she fought blindly, struggling to hold onto the pieces of her existence.

But it was in vain, and her body disintegrated as she was dragged back into the void that created her.

He heard it as a buzz, like a distant swarm of angry bees. Terra glanced behind him, his pace quickening to match his heartbeat. Aqua and Ven stirred as well in response to the noise, but they were no more successful than him in locating its source.

The sound didn't die, only got louder until finally, he was able to identify it as static. It was an annoying sound that nevertheless, sent chills down his spine. A memory danced on the fringe of his mind, defying his efforts to grab it. There was else to this sound, he knew; he just couldn't figure out what.

"It's coming from there," Ven whispered, pointing at a bench. Keyblade drawn and his hands sparking with magic, Terra crept up to the back of the bench. Swiftly, he pounced, grabbing the wood and peering over it at the seat. All he saw was a small black box from which the static stemmed. He picked it up, bouncing it up and down against his palm. No matter how hard he shook or poked it, the static did not go away.

He flipped it over so that he could see the other side, and spotted the dial.

Then, he remembered.

A dark apartment. Static from a dead man's radio. Monsters.

"No!" He threw the radio to the ground as if it had bit him. The intensity of the static coming from the radio was so great that it seemed to vibrate. That could only mean that the monsters were near, and there were a lot of them.

"Terra?"

He grabbed Aqua and Ven by their hands, and pulled them after him.

"Run!" he shouted.

They almost made it down the entire block. It wasn't too bad at first, just a couple of lying figures lurking on the edge of the fog. A quick toss of Ven's keyblade took care of them before they were anything other than shadowy outlines. But then, as the second of the monsters fell, a roar split the air, rattling their bones in their sockets. Terra slowed, not willing to stop rushing for the exit, but frightened of running into a monster as well.

But so busy was he with scanning the fog, he never thought to look up.

There was no warning. One moment, he was leading Aqua and Ven to what hopefully was safety, the next, he was screaming in pain as claws dug into his face. The neoshadow was perched upon his shoulders, its claws tearing through the skin dangerously close to his eyes. Ven was yelling at him to stay still, but how could he? Blind instinct overcame him, and he fell backwards against a wall, clutching at his face. It was in that second where he was sliding down the wall, that Ven dove forwards and impaled the heartless right through the chest. Before the dark cloud had even vanished, Ven was casting a Curaga on Terra's face.

"It's okay, Terra, I got it off."

Terra swore, rubbing the side of his face. His sensitive fingertips ran over the raised grooves that had formed from Ven's botched spell. Terra winced; it was uncertain whether he would be able to get rid of them later. But at least he and Master Eraqus would have matching scars.

"Where did that come from?" Terra asked.

Aqua answered him. "The rooftops. They've found us."

He could hear despair in her voice and lunged forwards, terrified that she was going to do something stupid like run out and try to draw them off. He held her close to his chest, and she let him lead her without a struggle.

There was hardly any fight left in her.

"Come on guys, we got to keep running," Terra said. "Just keep an eye on the skies this time."

No longer did they try to hide. They ran down the center of the road, making as much noise as they wanted. He could hear the monsters behind and beside them, though thankfully, they still weren't in front. But it was only matter of time. He could hear them thundering closer, and every second it seemed, the fog grew fuller with shadows.

The hounds were first. Most of them came from the back, tongues lolling as they chased down their prey. A couple leapt from the sides, and Terra responded by reaching out with hands of darkness, grabbing them, and then tossing them bodily. He would have preferred to kill them, if only to ensure they didn't get up and pursue them again, but there wasn't enough time for that.

The ones from the back were getting too close now, only a couple of feet away. Aqua gasped something, too quiet for Terra to hear, but Ven gave her a nod. He stuck his keyblade out and cast a Blizzard spell on the ground, coating it with slick ice. Some of the hounds were unaffected, but others slipped and fell, with others tumbling over their fallen bodies.

They had staved off the attack on land, but now there were still the skies. It wasn't just ravens that harassed them now, but large raptors with leathery wings and long beaks lined with teeth. For the most part, the cumbersome wings meant that they could hear them before they attacked, but honestly, it didn't make them any easier to dodge. Or hurt any less. It was always hit-and-run attacks, and always accompanied with sharp pains as they bit or a missed step as they dive-bombed their backs.

They began to slow down as the frequency of the attacks grew and the slower they got, the more monsters arrived. Still, they never did stop moving entirely. They were always inching towards the way out, even if they had to fight through a crowd.

Aqua suddenly screamed Terra's name, and he turned around to see what had her so scared . . .

. . . Only for his eyes to spy the giant crevice in the ground.

It filled up the entire width of the street, much too wide to jump. Looking into its depths, there was only darkness. There would be no crossing this obstacle.

Terra looked back at the approaching monsters, Ven at his side, and Aqua behind the two of them. But, surprisingly, the monsters did not attack. Instead, they took up positions nearby and waited, forming a semicircle and blocking off any avenue of escape.

Terra swallowed. They were cornered.

The standoff was brief. Steps echoed through the air, slow and measured. The dark form of Vanitas strolled into view, his mask now gone and a smirking face in its stead. Unlike the peacefulness Terra had seen on his face in the church, there was nothing there now except predatory glee and rage. Clearly, he was not impressed by their escape.

"You fought well," Vanitas said softly. "But the truth is, you never had a chance. Now, I'm tired of playing with you. Will you come peacefully?"

"Never!" Ven snarled.

Vanitas cocked his head to one side. "Have it your way. I'll drag you back half-alive instead!"

The monsters began to advance, moving in synch like an army. Vanitas stood at the forefront, and summoned his keyblade with a flourish. Together, the apprentices answered and summoned their armour – even Aqua did, although there was no way she could fight. Ven's Wayfinder, attached to Wayward Wind, shone like a green star, and Terra took his own Wayfinder out of his pocket and clipped it to Earthshaker.

"So," Ven said, sounding calm even in the face of these impossible odds, "this is our final stand."

Aqua said nothing, but bowed her head. And Terra, upon seeing his friends ready to accept defeat, did the opposite.

"No, this isn't the end," he said. "Not when we're so close."

Terra stared over his shoulder at the crevice as he tried to think of a way out. Obviously, standing their ground and fighting would result in them losing; no, they had to flee. But this hole in the ground was too deep to cross by foot.

Please, someone help me . . . I don't know what to do anymore . . .

While Terra mulled over their options, Ven stared at him intensely, watching the despair sweeping over his face. No one noticed, but the younger's boy face seemed to glaze over, and he stepped backwards, grabbing Aqua firmly.

"Ven?" she stuttered. Hearing her, Terra turned to look at Ven, too.

"This isn't the end . . ." Ven whispered, voice distant.

Without another word, Ven backed up, pulling Aqua with him. Within a second, they both stood on the edge of the crevice, with Terra waiting to see what Ven would do next. Vanitas watched them do this, confusion evident in his eyes.

Ven held Vanitas' gaze.

"You will never have us," he said.

And with that, still holding tight onto Aqua, he stepped backwards off the edge.

For a moment, Terra was too stunned to move. Then everything caught up to him and with a roar, he leapt into the crevice, arm outstretched towards his friends as the three of them descended into the dark.

Ven looked up at him and barked, "Gliders!"

Obeying on instinct, Terra copied Ven as he spun upright with his keyblade transforming underneath him. With one arm, Ven kept a hold on Aqua, and brought her to rest on his glider. Ven's glider barely had enough room for the two of them though, and Terra quickly snatched her away to share his.

"Now," Ven cried as they began to ascend back towards the surface, "follow me!"

Ven shouted a light spell and to their surprise, it was not just the glider that burned white. His armour changed colours with a brilliant radiance as well, and rays of light shot out in all directions. Tears welled up in Terra's eyes, but then Aqua gripped his hand. His yellow eyes softened, fading to blue, and then he could see perfectly through the light.

Vanitas and the monsters reeled back, shielding their eyes. Thus, they burst out from the crevice unchallenged. They heard Vanitas order the raptors after them, but they hesitated, fearing the light. Terra knew, without looking, that Vanitas himself had taken off after them, but he was not scared. Their head-start was too great, and with Ven's light surrounding them, it was unlikely that Vanitas would catch up.

The light drove away the fog. They couldn't totally see as it was – they still had no idea whether it was night or day – but they could see farther than they could ever see in Silent Hill before. And it was that which drove them onwards as they flew deeper into the fog.

The three men stood on the mountainous road, staring at the green sign that welcomed travellers to Silent Hill. It was deathly quiet as each one read those four words, those four words that seemed so harmless, yet had nearly destroyed them all. Like a ghost's whisper, the town's name echoed in their minds, low and sinister.

"So, this is it," Ansem wheezed.

"The way out," Lexaeus said. "Just beyond this place, and then the fog shall lift. I cannot believe we made it this far."

"As I said, your God is too occupied with other things."

Zexion turned his head and peered at Ansem through his bangs. "Will they escape?"

Ansem did not answer that question directly, but said, "They are much stronger than anyone realizes."

Lexaeus nodded. "Good. Now, let us leave this place, once and for all.

Lexaeus walked down the path, Zexion at his heels. Their steps echoed, steady, sharp, like the ticking of a clock. The fog meant that there was little to see, but Zexion stared straight ahead as if he were beholding paradise. Because really, after this, anywhere would be paradise.

The sign had nearly disappeared into the fog again by the time they realized Ansem was not following. They could see him in the distance, leaning against one of the sign's posts.

Zexion ran back, his stomach flipping as he saw the unhealthy pallor of Ansem's skin. "What are you doing?" he asked sharply. "The exit is this way."

"Ienzo . . ."

Zexion's whole body seemed to constrict at that word. It was not so much the word itself as the way it was expressed: weak, frail, the murmured prayer of a dying man. His hand clamped down on his father's shoulder, gripped it hard as words died in his throat.

"The exit is so near," Ansem whispered. "Go. Don't falter now. Don't wait for this old body."

"You are being ridiculous," Zexion said coldly. "Stop this nonsense and come with us."

Ansem stared at him, sweat running down his temples. "I don't think I can."

He sagged forwards then and Zexion, unprepared, nearly crumbled under the weight. At first he simply held his father, and then upon seeing that Ansem had little intention of standing up again, began shouting Lexaeus' name. Lexaeus, who had lingered nearby this entire while, appeared at once.

"Go," Ansem said again. "Get Ienzo out of here."

Lexaeus did not move. "Ansem . . ."

"Go, there is nothing you can do for me now." With each millisecond that Lexaeus stood there, Ansem's voice grew a little more unhinged. "You promised!"

"I know," Lexaeus said, "and I intend to fulfill it. But I will not let you die here."

"No one's dying!" Zexion hissed. "Stop talking like that!"

They obeyed, Lexaeus scooping up their fallen companion and carrying him in a bridal position. Ansem gave no protest and went limp, his eyes distant and glassy.

They walked into the fog with only the road to guide them.

Time passed, measured only by Ansem's wheezes and Lexaeus' whispers of encouragement as he told Ansem to hold on just a little longer. Zexion himself said nothing; the lump in his throat was too big, too hard to force sound past. He walked with his head bowed, too ashamed to look his adoptive father in the eye.

And there was light.

It burst through the fog, shards of sunlight that sliced and hacked away at the dense fog surrounding them. It was blinding, harsh, warm, so far from the blizzards that plagued Silent Hill. The light fell around them, almost in a dome, expanding outwards and pushing the fog back until finally, it simply gave up. The white clouds rolled back towards the town, tumbling over each other before disappearing completely. And it was no longer a fog-covered road they stood on, but one warmed by the sun, with flora all around them and the songs of birds in the air.

"We . . . we did it," Zexion said in awe. He turned to the other two, expecting to see similar expressions on their faces; he did get it from Lexaeus, but Ansem, well . . .

"Ansem!"

Ansem's head weakly rolled to the side. His mouth was open, muscles no longer containing the strength to keep it closed. His eyes, too, were open, but only halfway, and their lids fluttered when Lexaeus gently laid him on the ground.

"No, no, look at me," Zexion muttered. "We're so close, you just need to fight a little longer . . . Father, please!"

The eyes did not open any further, but some semblance of consciousness snuck into them. Ansem raised a hand, stroked his son's cheek.

"Ienzo," he said, "promise me that you will not waste this second chance."

"Don't talk like that," Zexion said. "You're going to be fine."

"Promise me, please."

"You are fine, now stop bothering me with these silly demands."

"Ienzo . . ."

"I said you're-"

Lexaeus slapped his hand down on Zexion's back, stopping him before he could finish. The pair locked eyes, with Lexaeus whispering, "Do it."

Zexion turned back to his father, who was watching him intensely. "I . . . I promise."

Ansem's expression was a hybrid of a smirk, and a smile. It lasted for about a second before giving way to pain. His chest heaved, before suddenly, his breathing decreased to about half its regular speed.

"I'm sorry," Zexion whispered.

Ansem's hand found his cheek again. "Don't be," his father said. "You are safe now. That's all that ever mattered."

And there, his self-given purpose at long last fulfilled, Ansem finally breathed his last.

How long had they been flying?

The air was thin up here, and Ven felt frozen to his glider. He rubbed his upper arms, trying to warm the skin through the armour. A little ahead of him, Aqua and Terra clung to the same glider, completely still. Maybe they were shivering under their armour too, but he couldn't tell.

The sky around them never changed. It was white, thick with fog, as it had always been. If it wasn't for the air rushing past him, Ven would have sworn that they weren't even moving, that this was just another illusion set up by the town.

It wasn't, was it?

"Guys," Ven asked, "how much longer are we going to keep this up?"

"Until we get out of here," Terra answered.

Ven chewed his bottom lip, unwilling to spill his doubts. But what if his doubts were right? What if this was just a trap, a way for Vanitas to stall for time?

They continued to fly through the fog. Ven's spell still shrouded them, protected them and there was still no sign of Vanitas. Ven didn't know if he just couldn't catch up to them, or they had finally lost him.

"What do we tell Master?" Aqua asked suddenly.

"However much you guys are prepared to," Terra said. "Don't let him force you to tell."

Ven heard the loathing and anger in Terra's voice and not for the first time, he wondered what the town had done to his friends.

"And then what?" Ven asked. "Vanitas is still out there, he might come after us again."

"Then we'll outsmart him, again." Terra slowed down his glider, so that he and Ven flew side by side. "I will never let him take you guys away from me."

Terra reached out towards him. Ven reached out too, and their fingers locked together, shifting to make room for Aqua's hand as it was added. In that simple gesture was a lifetime of promises and for the first time since this had all began, Ven felt the stirrings of peace.

He blinked, sensing a difference in the air around them. Breaking away from the other two, he shot high into the emptiness of space, laughing joyously. When he looked down at the world he just departed, there were no signs of the fog, or the town. Silent Hill had faded back into the shadows.

"Guys, we did it!"

Ven grinned, racing down towards his friends.

Finally, for them, it was over.

Not the end quite yet. There's still a couple of more chapters to go.