Vlad Masters paced back and forth, trying to think of a way to escape from his trap. Unfortunately, he could not come up with anything to stop the dream demons. From what little he knew of them, they were very deadly and not to be taken lightly. I wonder why they haven't simply killed us. Vlad wondered. Most likely, they intend to let Krueger do the job.
"Ha, I win again." Clockwork bragged. He and Nancy Thompson were currently playing a poker game. Vlad found it ridiculous, but there was little else to do in that place.
"So what are we going to do?" Vlad demanded. "I'm not about to sit on the sidelines; I'm going to help Daniel." He heard a noise and looked up. According to the scoreboard the demons set up, Krueger had claimed another victim. They just like to rub this in my face. Just wait until I get out of here, Krueger.
"For now, Vlad, we're stuck here." Nancy sighed. "I'm no happier than you about this. Let me know if you come up with another bright idea."
"Okay, so the last one didn't work; at least I'm trying." Vlad retorted. He had previously attempted to fight his way out. To put it lightly, that was a bad idea. He was still recovering from the injuries they gave him.
"I'm thinking, okay, since brute force is not going to work." Clockwork looked at him. "However, I'm sure you've already found that out."
"I still don't know what these things are." Nancy admitted.
"They're apparently the ones who granted Krueger his power." Vlad explained. "As long as they help him, he is immortal in the dream world." It doesn't explain why he came back the first time we fought him, but maybe we didn't destroy him in the real world after all. Hey, I just thought of something. If Krueger is killed, we can use the chance to escape while these demons are reviving him. Unfortunately, it will likely be up to Daniel.
"There is one thing you overlooked, Vlad." Clockwork pointed out. "Krueger is not the only one that they had granted this ability to. True, he is the most deadly and notorious, but he is not alone."
"I don't see why this matters right now." Vlad replied angrily. "Damn it, I hate being trapped in here." It had been only a few days, but it felt much longer than that. There was an energy field around Clockwork's tower, which meant that even the master of time was powerless. "Okay, I'll join in. There's nothing else to do; give me some chips." Right before he started dealing the cards, he could have sworn he saw Clockwork smile.
XXXXXX
"That's eight murders in three days." Sam groaned. "Can't the police catch whatever maniac is doing this?"
"This reminds me of a horror movie." Derek pointed out. "Mysterious murders happening, the police helpless, supernatural implication…the list goes on."
"What are you even doing here?" Danny demanded, glaring at Derek, who returned the favor.
"Can't you two get along for one day?" Jazz complained. "Besides, it's not like we can really do anything. We're used to fighting ghosts, not stopping serial killers."
"You know, I've heard something weird in school." Tucker informed. "A few students have been mentioning some kind of bogeyman. They don't say it much, since you can imagine the kind of mockery they would endure, but the stories are the same."
"A bogeyman?" Valerie asked skeptically. "We outgrew that when we graduated from Kindergarten."
"That's true, but we know that some ghosts can access dreams." Jazz replied, looking at Danny. "Or have you forgotten about Noctrune?
"No, although I've been trying to." Danny shook his head. "Sigh, I suppose it's a possibility."
"Well, in that case, you might want to be careful." Derek pointed out. "You know the rules: don't have sex, don't drink or do drugs, and never say 'I'll be right back'; standard horror movie doctrine."
"This is reality, not a movie." Valerie groaned. "The odds of some maniac killing people in dreams are about as likely as you being some stupid fanfiction character." Everyone had a good laugh at that. "We'd better get to school before we're late."
"You'd think they'd let us off after everything that's happened." Tucker complained. "I'm in no shape to study, not after hearing that one of my friends has been butchered." True, they were only members of a computer club, but it hurt all the same.
"You know Lancer." Danny stated. "Besides, if it was something real serious, wouldn't Clockwork warn me or something?" They heard footsteps coming towards them. It turned out to be Dash Baxter.
"What do you want?" Derek demanded, even more hostile than Danny was to him.
"Fenton, thanks for helping to save my life." He told Danny. "If you tell anyone I was nice to you, I'll rip your head off. Good-bye!"
"Dash Baxter being civil?" Sam asked. "This may very well be a sign of the apocalypse."
"He hasn't been nearly as much of a bully, especially after what happened to Kwan." Valerie added. Danny bowed his head. He had to put Kwan out of his misery when he was infected with a Xenomorph. It had to be done, but he still felt guilty about it.
"Point taken," Danny nodded. "By the way, Umbra looks forward to seeing you, Valerie." They left after Jazz gave her boyfriend a quick kiss. Once they went to school, they noticed that it was unusually quiet. Even the football players were subdued.
"What's going on here?" Tucker wondered. "I'm used to weird circumstances, but this is beyond even me."
They separated into their class. However, even Lancer was having difficulty teaching, which amazed Danny. "Class, I have some bad news. Star Galtier was found dead last night." The whole class looked at one another, uncertain how to react.
"Jeez, I never liked her much, but she didn't deserve this." Sam whispered to Danny. That was an understatement. If anything, she hated Star even more than Paulina. She looked to the right and saw Paulina crying, while almost every guy in class tried to comfort her. "I'll bet she's faking it."
"This isn't the time for accusations." Danny replied. Privately, he felt the guys were taking advantage of the tragedy, but he decided to keep that to himself. "I've got to stop him. He's done enough damage already. Course, I don't know who 'he' is, but that's not important." Normally, Sam would have made a comment that it could have been a "she" as well. The fact that she hadn't told him how seriously she was taking everything.
Mr. Lancer finished talking, and then tried to teach the class. Unfortunately, no one was paying even the slightest attention. Everyone was talking about Star's death, and to Sam's lack of surprise, rumors started flying around. Most of them were ridiculous, but one of them stuck out in Danny's mind. "I highly doubt that she was killed by a crazy boyfriend." Danny shook his head. "Forget it, I'm out of here." He marched out of the classroom. Mr. Lancer looked as if he was going to stop him, but thought better of it. He transformed into Phantom and flew out, lost in his own thoughts.
"Where are you?" he asked himself. "When I find you, you're going to pay for all of this."
"Phantom, halt!" Someone exclaimed over a loudspeaker. There were several police cruisers and every officer had guns pointing in his direction. They wouldn't have done any good, but it still irritated Danny.
I told you: society never accepts what it considers different.
Who are you? Danny demanded.
I'm what you rejected, what you turned down. All I wanted was your friendship, and you spat in my face. It doesn't matter now, though; I found someone that will accept me.
Whoever it is, leave him alone! You're not about to manipulate him.
Try using your brain for once; I'm not manipulating anybody. He doesn't even know we're talking. So long; have fun with your adoring fans. Laughing, the voice disappeared. Danny landed, giving the officers a furious look. "What do you want?" He demanded. "This better be important."
"It is." The officer replied. "Where were you at 1 AM last night?"
"That's none of your business." Since his mother's death, Danny had been much less tolerant of people who distrusted him than before. "Why do you want to know?"
"We've found traces of ectoplasm at the scene of each of the murders, Phantom. We'd like a sample of your ecto-signature."
"So you think I'm responsible for this? Go to hell; when I find whoever's behind this, you'll be begging for forgiveness." He flew off before they could say anything else.
Once he got back to school, life settled down into its usual pace. The staff eventually let everyone go, since they were having no luck trying to teach anything. "It looks like everyone's taking this hard." Jazz remarked. "Danny, I saw the police talking to you earlier. What was all that about?"
"They think I'm responsible for all this." Danny replied angrily. "I'm trying to stop whatever it is out there."
"Hey, Jasmine." Derek arrived, kissing her. He smirked at Danny, knowing how much he hated his presence. "So what are you guys doing here?"
"They let us out early." Tucker explained. "Even Mr. Lancer had no luck teaching anything."
"Danny, don't forget where we're going this afternoon." Sam reminded. "You promised me you'd go to the protest." It took everything Danny had not to groan. He said he'd go with her to protect the opening of a new mall in Amity Park. Danny had no idea what it was even about, but he didn't want to support her.
"I feel sorry for you, man." Tucker shook his head.
"Excuse me for a minute." Derek asked. He walked for a few seconds and started laughing hysterically. This continued for about 30 seconds until Danny and Sam were red in the face. "Okay, continue."
"Danny, can I talk to you for a minute?" Jazz asked her brother. "Alone." He nodded and they walked off until she was sure that they wouldn't be overheard.
"Now what is it, Jazz?" Danny asked in a concerned tone. She lifted her shirt a few inches, which showed an ugly cut on her stomach. There was dried blood all around it, and a few signs of an infection. "I'm going to kill him!"
"Danny, wait!" she protested. "It wasn't him. Just let me explain!"
"I don't want you making excuses for him; he's a dead man!" Jazz grabbed him by the shoulder. He anrgily ripped it off, intending to tear her boyfriend limb from limb. He refused to listen to her; the fact that she might have another explanation never entered his mind. The instant he saw Derek, he punched him across the face, sending him to the ground.
"Danny, what are you doing?" Sam wondered. "I know he makes fun of us, but he doesn't deserve this."
"The hell he doesn't!" Danny screamed, jumping on top of him. To his surprise, though, Derek was able to throw him off quite easily. He groaned in pain as Derek grabbed his wrists, squeezing tightly.
"What are you doing this for?" Derek snarled. "Why am I not surprised? You've never wanted me around, have you? You can't stand the fact that I do like your sister, in spite of what your pathetic mind believes. I don't have much happiness in my life, boy, and if you interfere, you will regret it." His voice was darker than Danny had ever remembered it.
"Jeez, just calm down!" Tucker protested. Derek let go, still glaring furiously. "Now what exactly is going on here?"
"This son of a bitch has been beating my sister!" He screamed. Sam and Tucker looked shocked, not knowing what to make of anything.
"Danny, just shut up and listen!" Jazz demanded, harsher than she normally was. "I got that in my dream. Some maniac was chasing after me. It's hard to describe him."
"Does he have knives for fingers?" Derek asked, and she nodded. "I've seen him too."
"Bullshit!" Danny yelled. "Listen to me, boy: come near my sister again, and I'll kill you. I'm not joking around; I mean it." Derek glared hatefully at him and left. He turned to Sam. "Did you bring your cell phone? I'm calling the police!"
"Okay, what is going on here?" Valerie asked them. "I just saw Derek leave in a huff, and… what are you doing?"
"I'm kind of confused, but apparently Jazz has some nasty cut on her stomach and…"
"I can guess what Danny's thinking, all right." Valerie nodded. "Jazz, did this guy have knives for fingers?" She nodded. "I've seen him in my dreams, too." She rolled up her sleeve, where there was a blister. "He burned me in some kind of boiler room.
"Well, it looks like I've been a complete idiot." Danny scratched.
"Gee, you don't say." Derek replied angrily. "Don't bother apologizing; you don't mean a word of it. You've been begging for an excuse, and you believed what you wanted to. Piss off!" He stomped away.
"Derek, wait!" Jazz exclaimed. "Danny's a good person; just give him a chance." Derek didn't even acknowledge her.
"That's cold, dude." Tucker sighed. "Jazz likes him, even if you don't." Danny walked off, not wanting to listen. Privately, he felt he was right, but he wasn't about to admit as much.
He continued walking around, not knowing what to do about Derek or this dream killer. I'll deal with the killer first; that's probably going to be easier. These are times where I wish I was an ordinary teenager. Still, I wonder if there's any information about this guy.
Eventually, he wandered home, where he found Jack sitting on the couch. "Son, I need to talk to you." He declared. "This is something I should have done a long time ago."
"If it's The Talk, don't worry about it." Danny replied. "I don't want to hear that from you; the last time traumatized me for a week."
"Danny, I'm being serious." Jack said quietly. "It's about everything that's been going on. I know who's responsible for this."
Whatever Danny expected, it wasn't that. It was several seconds before he was able to say anything. "Who… what is it?"
"His name is Freddy Krueger. When he was alive, he was responsible for over 20 children murdered in Springwood, Ohio. He was known as the Springfield Slasher."
"So why is he killing people in dreams?"
"I'm getting to that. When he was finally caught, he was let go because of some technicality. I think the search warrant was signed incorrectly, but it doesn't really matter. Afterwards, all the parents went to his house and burned him alive inside the boiler room where he took his kids."
"So now he wants revenge on them, and killing their children is the perfect way to do it. Wait… how do you know all this?"
"When Me, your mother, and Vlad were about 18, it started happening again. A teenage girl was butchered after sleeping with her boyfriend. Horror movie cliché, I know, but that's how it went. At first, V-man was blamed for it, but then… Vlad was attacked and would have been killed if we had not gotten there in time.
"A girl named Nancy Thompson came up with an idea. She and Vlad went into their dreams in order to draw him out. When he showed up, I suppose that they managed to drag him into the real world. We fought as best we could, but Rod was killed and the rest of us were almost finished.
"Vlad stood alone until Nancy set him on fire. He was weakened, but still managed to kill Nancy's mother. I don't remember anything after that, but Vlad and Nancy found a way to beat him… or so we thought. It's why we started this supernatural research in the first place."
"Wow, that certainly explains a lot, but why didn't you tell me this before?"
"Because about 6 years later, he came back and stronger than before; me and Maddie weren't involved, but Vlad apparently was. He killed several more children before they finally managed to defeat him again, at the cost of Nancy's life. All these years, and it stills weighs on me. Most likely, the only reason Vladdie survived was because of his abilities, though I can't be sure. It was the only time between college and the reunion that he willingly talked to me."
"Dad, this is all the more reason to stop him. We can't let him get away with all this."
"There's a reason I'm mentioning this to you now. I haven't heard from V-man for over a month. He said he wouldn't come around often, due to something he had to take care of, but I think something's happened to him.; One more thing."
"What is it, Dad?"
"I want you to promise me not to go after him. You don't understand just how dangerous this thing is. I can't lose you too." Jack started crying, which Danny had almost never seem him do.
"You're going to need my help, Dad, if he's even half as dangerous as you say he is."
"Promise me!" He grabbed Danny by the shoulders. "I know I'm not the best parent, I haven't always been there for you, but promise me that you won't go after him? Promise me!"
"Okay, I promise."
"I'll hold you to that. If anyone's going to fight him, it should be me. He killed my friends, and I know him better than anyone, so I will confront him. Danny, would you mind helping me improve the defenses?"
Numbly, Danny followed. He still had a hard time believing what his dad had just said. He, Vlad, and Mom had fought him as kids? He had faced plenty of dangerous ghosts, sure, but he had ghost powers so he could fight them on equal terms. No wonder Dad's so frightened. Even so, I might have to break my promise if this keeps up.
For the next few hours, Jack, Danny, and Umbra improved and recharged every defense in Fenton Works. Jazz came home, and wondered what they were doing. Danny just promised to explain later; she decided to help as best she could, even though she didn't know what was going on. Jack grabbed the Fenton Peeler, Specter Deflector, and Ghost Gauntlets.
Time passed quickly. Jack took sleeping pills, and fell on the couch, still clutching the weapons. Danny stayed in the chair, watching him for any signs. He made a quick check to make sure all the weapons were working and watched his Dad.
Unfortunately, his self-discipline had limits and he began to doze off. He gasped as he realized what he had almost done. Danny looked around, and realized that his dad had disappeared. Danny transformed into Phantom and charged ecto-blasts, ready to fight whatever came his way.
"What is going on here?" Umbra asked at Danny's worried face. "I fell asleep and the next thing I know…" Before he could finish, a portal opened up, sucking them inside it. They landed on one of the main streets, but everything was quiet.
"I've never seen this place before." Danny stated, looking around. "Come on, we better find out what's going on… and DON'T wander off."
So how was that for a first chapter? Remember, the review button is there waiting to be clicked. Let me know how it was.