Author: K. Haggerty / Tigrin
Title: The Open Door (working title)
Game: Kingdom Hearts II
Date Started: 6/6/07
Rated: PG-13 (For violence and horror)
Genre: Horror/Drama
Summary: On the edges of light and dark, Sora and company crash-land on a bizarre new world. Sora catches a glimpse of a figure, and the search for Riku begins in the nightmare realm of Silent Hill. Guided by a mysterious dark figure speaking in riddles, Sora, Donald, and Goofy must battle their way through a horde of horrific creatures. The farther they move through Silent Hill, the further they move from reality. Will they find Riku? Or will the madness of Silent Hill overpower them all?
Disclaimer: All material based off of properties owned by Disney, Square Enix, and Konami. I'm making no profit off this and intend this work only as a tribute to the original works.

Darkness billowed outside the colorful interior of the Gummi ship Highwind. It towered beside the ship like a frozen wave, undulating with deep purples and greens – a massive bruise on the surface of space. Bits of stardust sparkled off the port wing, while black shards smoked along the starboard.

From the captain's seat, Sora gazed out the window, oblivious to the random whirs and beeps of the control panel. Staring into the wall of darkness brought back memories of recent events. He saw an army of Heartless surrounding him… a figure in a black cloak kneeling, dark mist engulfing his dying form… a photograph of a strange boy and three friends. He saw himself cornered by Heartless as a man with an X-shaped scar encouraged him to keep using the Keyblade, keep releasing hearts.

What am I supposed to do? He brooded. How can I keep using the Keyblade if it helps the Organization? All those Heartless… was it for nothing?

A chipmunk with a round, red nose hauled itself up onto the control panel, clumsily dodging the assortment of buttons and knobs and levers. He stood and stared at Sora's far-away expression. "Uh, Sora? Sora? Yoo-hoo!"

Sora blinked and looked down at the small animal. "Oh, hey Dale. What's up?"

A second chipmunk, Chip, scampered over by Sora's feet. "We're getting some weird readings in the navigational system!" he exclaimed, pointing back towards a large monitor.

We have a navigational system? Sora thought idly. "What is it?"

"I dunno! We're wonderin' if you could see it out the winda'!" Dale replied, gesturing.

Sora peered out the window. Nothing looked different. Except… he squinted and leaned forward.

In the distance he could see something gray floating out of the darkness. "Yeah, I see something… do you think it's Heartless?"

Meanwhile, Chip had joined Dale, pressing buttons and pushing levers with his small hands. "No, bigger than that!"

Sora wrinkled his nose. "The Organization?" He reached for the controls but the chipmunk slapped his fingers away.

The gray something was getting closer. It flowed and dissipated, a thick mist. Through the fog, Sora thought he could see the small, dark outlines of buildings. Another world?

Dale turned a knob and the cockpit was filled with the hissing roar of static. Everyone's hands flew to their ears.

"Turn it down!" Chip bellowed as loud as he could with his tiny lungs. Dale frantically pawed at the knob, reducing the sound to a more comfortable volume. He grinned sheepishly.

Goofy and Donald wandered into the cockpit, gathering around Sora. "What was that?" Donald snapped, irritated.

"I don't know… I think it's coming from that," Sora replied, pointing out the window at the mist.

Metallic clangs and scrapes were permeating the static, growing louder as they drew closer to the world. Growls and whispers were tangled up amidst the noise.

Goofy stared at the radio nervously. "Sora, I think we should –"

The control panel erupted in flashing lights and shrill beeps. An alarm roared as the cabin shook, tossing over the two chipmunks and knocking Goofy and Donald off their feet. Sora lunged for the controls but the ship was already spinning out of control. The cabin filled with the screams of its passengers as the ship plunged down through the fog. Sora clenched his eyes shut just before they hit the ground.

His eyes blinked open. An image of dark gravel faded in and out of his vision. He lifted his head, blinking, trying to adjust. That is when the pain set in.

"Ack!" Sora hissed as a wave of pain assaulted his entire body. He pushed himself up off the ground, the rough surface biting at his fingertips. As he stumbled to his feet, he felt something drip down the side of his face. Instinctively he wiped it off. A dark red liquid was smeared across his glove. "Blood…?" he whispered in disbelief. He glanced around.

He was standing on an asphalt road. Trees surrounded the road on either side, but the fog made it difficult to see far beyond them. Behind him was the Highwind. The port wing had completely broken off, and the windows were all smashed. Smoke billowed from the engines. His eyes strayed to Donald and Goofy, who were sitting on the road not far away, looking dazed. "Guys? Guys, are you okay?"

"I'm okay!" Donald answered, lifting himself to his feet.

"Me too!" Goofy added, following Donald. The two of them hurried over to Sora. Donald's expression of relief faded to concern when he saw Sora's face.

"Sora, you're bleeding!" Donald gasped.

"I know…" Sora brushed shards of asphalt off his cheek, flinching.

"But we aren't supposed ta… not with Yen Sid's magic…" Goofy muttered. "Can ya heal him, Donald?"

Donald looked around, patting his jacket. "Wak! My staff! It's gone!"

"Never mind that, guys," Sora cut in. He walked towards the wreckage of the Gummi ship. He approached the ship cautiously, peering in through the window. "Chip? Dale?"

The two chipmunks hopped up out of the cabin. "Sora! Thank goodness!" Chip exclaimed.

"Are you guys okay?" Sora asked.

"Oh, we're alright, Sora!" Dale said. Chip brushed dust off his apron.

Donald and Goofy came up beside Sora. "Do you know what happened?" Donald asked.

"I dunno! All of a sudden all the controls went all funny-like!" Dale gestured.

"We can't get any energy readings out of the power Gummis!" Chip added. "We can fix the damage, but…"

"—It's like the whole ship went capoot!" Dale interrupted.

Sora rubbed his head. "You mean, we're stuck here?" he moaned.

"Is there anything we can do?" Goofy ventured.

"See if you can find another power source!" Chip responded. "We'll stay here and see what we can do! Let us know what you find with this!" Chip and Dale ducked inside the ship. A moment later they were back, hauling a small round object. Sora reached in and took it, turning it over in his hand. Its face was covered in speaker holes, and a few buttons lined the side. "It's a radio transmitter!" Chip explained. "It's connected to the ship's radio! Just turn it on and press that little round button to talk!"

Sora fumbled with the little device, pressing the buttons at random. A small light came on. Sora beamed with pride. Chip rolled his eyes.

"We're countin' on you!" Dale said.

"Leave it to us!" Donald said. He turned and gestured to Sora. "Come on, Sora, let's go!" Sora hastily clipped the radio to his belt and followed Donald and Goofy as they set off down the road.

Sora looked down at his clothes. They were torn and dirty from smoke and asphalt. He had never seen his outfit in such bad shape; usually the magic in the cloth kept it from ripping or tearing. He glanced over at Donald and Goofy. Their colors looked dull and their clothes a little dusty, but otherwise were unscathed.

Confused, he tried to take his mind off the subject. "Do you guys know where we are?"

"I'm not sure…" Donald began.

"Silent Hill."

They both stopped. Sora stared at Goofy. "What?"

"Silent Hill!" Goofy repeated. He pointed off towards the side of the road.

Sora squinted through the fog. As it thinned, he saw the decaying form of a large sign. Emblazoned on its surface were the words: "Welcome to Silent Hill". The population below it had worn off.

"Never heard of it…" Donald said, folding his arms.

"It kinda reminds me of that Port Royal place!" Goofy suggested.

"Nah, there isn't anything like this there!" Donald jumped up and down to emphasize the asphalt road.

"But it was kind of foggy there, too…"

Sora tuned out the banter between Goofy and Donald, staring out into the fog. A faint light was glowing in the distance. He squinted and could just make out a form.

"Riku!" Sora shouted, lunging forward. He started to run down the road towards the light figure.

Startled, Donald and Goofy broke off their conversation and began to run after him. As they ran, the shapes of buildings began to appear out of the fog.

Sora finally jogged to a halt, panting. Donald and Goofy stopped beside him.

"What… did you see… Sora?" Donald wheezed, leaning on his knees.

Sora breathed deeply, looking around. The street was empty, except for a thick layer of mist. The buildings to the left were decayed and falling apart, shells and fragments of what they might have been. Dead ivy clung to chipping paint on the side of a chapel. Next to it, the broken windows of a fire station gaped down at the street, the bricks of the structure crumbling and stained. Pockmarks littered the asphalt and sidewalk; signs were bent; and trash was scattered along the gutters. There was no sign of the light figure, or any life at all. "I thought… I thought I saw Riku."

"Riku? Here?" Donald peered hard into the fog.

"Gee, I don't see anybody, Sora," Goofy said, glancing around with hesitation. "Sure is spooky…"

Sora stepped forward. "He's here, he's gotta be… something about this place… I just know he's here."

Donald and Goofy exchanged glances. "Are you sure…?" Donald began. "Something about this place just doesn't feel right to me…"

Sora whirled around, glaring. "He's here! I know it! I saw him!" Sora snapped. "Don't tell me you're…"

Static suddenly filled the air, jolting Sora out of his speech. He looked down at his belt. The radio?

"Sora!" Goofy yelped. Sora looked up to see Goofy pointing across the street. Something was rising out of the grass in front of the church. It pushed itself out of the ground in agony; its dark skin writhed, its mouth torn open in a wide, silent scream. It crawled onto the edges of the sidewalk, long antennae separating from its head. Round red eyes glowed inside its skull. Its skin was webbed with glowing red veins, like embers in hardening lava. A dark liquid foamed and oozed from its gaping jaws. It splashed onto the ground, hissing and steaming. The creature watched them, crouching.

The three sprang into defensive poses. "W-what is that?" Goofy stuttered.

"A Heartless?" Donald suggested. "Looks like that Neo something-or-other."

"I've never seen one like that… but if it's a Heartless, it doesn't matter," Sora said. He held out his hand, attempting to summon the Keyblade. Nothing happened. Sora pulled his arm back, staring at his palm.

"What's wrong, Sora?" Goofy asked, stepping back. The creature was inching towards them, eyeing Sora hungrily.

"The Keyblade… it's gone! I can't summon it!" Sora wailed back at Goofy.

"Watch out!" Donald screamed.

In one swift movement, the creature sprang towards Sora. He turned around just as the creature spat, the dark substance landing on Sora's right arm. Sora cried out in pain, trying to wipe it off. It boiled and steamed on top of his skin.

"Come on, Sora!" Goofy yelled, and grabbed Sora's other arm. They began to run down the street. The creature's head turned slowly, and it began to follow, loping on all fours.

Sora's eyes searched wildly for a place to hide. "Guys, over here!" he cried, ducking into an alley. Squawking in surprise, Donald followed, Goofy close behind.

The alleyway was narrow and littered with debris. Pipes snaked up the brick walls, and trash overflowed out of the cans and dumpsters. The static faded to a low hum. Goofy leapt forward and grabbed the lid off one of the trashcans.

"What are you doing?" Sora called.

"Well, we gotta have somethin' to defend ourselves, don't we?" Goofy answered, clutching the lid.

Encouraged, Donald began digging through the dumpster. Sora watched in awe as he came out with a bent golf club clutched in his feathered hands.

Sora was jolted back to life by a sudden burst of static. He spun around as the creature leapt into view. It paused, sniffing at the air. The dark substance on Sora's arm flashed white-hot. Sora cried out in pain and the creature's head whipped around.

"Let me try!" Donald cried. He held the golf club in front of him. The creature wiggled its antennae, bemused. "Blizzaga!" Donald yelled, waving the golf club. Nothing happened. Donald looked from the creature to the club and back. "Blizzaga! Firaga! Thundaga! Graviga!" Donald backed up, staring down at the club in despair. "My magic isn't working!" he moaned.

Sora grimaced in pain as the creature turned towards him. Filled with horror, Sora grabbed one of the rusty pipes and began to pull. It held fast to the brick. The creature inched closer, and Sora tugged frantically at the pipe, trying to wrench it from the wall. "Come on, come on!" he said between clenched teeth. Whatever was on his arm was starting to spread, burning along his skin as the frustration built.

"Sora!" Goofy cried.

The creature tensed, and sprang. Seized with terror and rage, he ripped the pipe off the wall, swinging it around. It connected with the side of the creature's face, sending it flying against the opposite wall. The pipe shattered its skull, dark blood exploding against the brick and spraying on Sora's hands. He let his arms drop, the creature's body slumping against the wall. The static pulsed. Seized with one last surge of fury, Sora leapt forward and kicked the creature hard in the chest. The creature gave a shuttering heave, and laid still. The static faded.

They stood in silence, broken by Sora's heavy breathing. The fear and rage were flowing out of him, replaced with a cold shock. The black ooze on his arm burnt away. His wide, blue eyes stared at the blood seeping into the newspapers and garbage surrounding the corpse, lapping at his feet. The pipe was still clutched in his left hand, shaking.

Donald looked from the body to Sora's trembling back. He reached forward, grazing Sora's arm. "Sora…?"

Startled, he spun around, swinging the pipe. Donald hit the ground, the pipe whooshing above his head. Donald and Goofy stared at Sora. He gazed down at Donald, horrified. "Donald… Donald, I'm so sorry…" The pipe slipped from his hands and he sank to his knees in front of them, staring at the blood splattered on his fingertips. "It's just… it was just a Heartless… right?"

Donald and Goofy looked at one another, both at a loss for words. Goofy kneeled down next to Sora, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Of course it was, Sora! This place is just makin' you all confused! We gotta find Riku, remember?"

"Yeah, Sora!" Donald chimed in. "Let's go!"

Sora looked up at his friends, taking in their wavering smiles. He rose to his feet. "Yeah…" he whispered. He turned and stepped back towards the road, carefully avoiding the sight of the body. Donald and Goofy followed apprehensively, clutching their weapons.