A Hunter's Nightmare

by Muse Decends

Briar and Dylan are sent out by Bobby to take down a demon that's been killing people in their dreams. Will they be able to get the upper hand? Rated M.

1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, this is an idea that popped into my head after I watched the 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street. Briar and Dylan are original characters from my story The Beginning of the End, and their personalities are pretty much the same, as well as their relationships with the characters (some of which have yet to be established in BE). So, tell me what you think about it, and I'll think about making more of this, but for now, this is complete...

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Briar rubbed her eye and put her hand back on the steering wheel. She cranked up the stereo, Seether blasting through the speakers and Dylan sat up straight, blinking rapidly. "Whazahell?" Dylan mumbled, still half asleep.

"I need you awake. I'm falling asleep at the wheel, here," Briar said, her voice heavy with exhaustion.

"We can switch if you need to," Dylan suggested, more awake now. Briar shook her head and blinked.

"I can keep going, I just need loud, obnoxious noises, thus waking you up," Briar said. Dylan glared as a slow smirk slipped over her friend's face.

"I hate you, you know that?" Dylan asked. She sat back in her seat and watched the dark road ahead of them. "How far out are we?" she asked. Briar looked down at the GPS she had hooked up to the lighter outlet.

"Just about to hit Ohio," Briar answered. Dylan nodded and leaned her head against the window. Dylan's phone started to ring and she picked it up to answer.

"Hey Bobby. Uh, yeah, we're out that way now. Ohio? You're in luck, we're about to hit the border. Uh, yeah. We'll take it. Well, if you find any more, you know how to contact us. Yeah, thanks," Dylan spoke, obviously holding a conversation, albeit a short one, with Bobby.

"New case?" Briar asked, though she already knew the answer. Dylan nodded and stared down at her lap.

"A gruesome one. Three dead already, Bobby said to hurry," Dylan said. Briar nodded and passed the GPS over to Dylan.

"Tell me where I'm going," Briar said and pressed her foot down on the gas, pushing the car up to speed.

‡

Briar slung her bag up on the bed and zipped it open, moving aside a few articles of clothing to pull out her favorite gun and her laptop. She set both on the table and sat down in one of the chairs. "Shall we get to work?" Briar asked. Dylan nodded and sat down across from her and opened up her own PC. "What do we know?"

Dylan took in a large breath and began, "We know that the series of killings have all happened to people in the same town, on the same street. Bobby could only get the last victim's address, 256 Elm." At this Briar looked up, one eyebrow raised. Dylan continued anyway. "The description he gave me was that supposedly, they were being killed in their sleep," Dylan said. Briar closed her laptop and crossed her arms over it.

"We fighting Freddy Krueger here or what?" Briar asked. Dylan cocked a smirk at this.

"Freddy Krueger isn't real, Bri," Dylan said. Briar tilted her head then motioned for Dylan to continue. "So far, none of the victims have had any link, aside from knowing each other in high school. We need to find the link, find the baddy, and deal with it," Dylan finished. Briar sat back and pulled her laptop into her lap.

"I hope it's the Jackie Earle Haley Freddy," Briar said softly, earning an eye roll from her friend. "I'm just saying that this is all too similar to the movies to be sheer coincidence," Briar commented. She opened her laptop and began typing things in, more than likely hacking into police databases, Dylan thought. The room was silent for a good ten minutes, the only sound the breathing of the girls and the keyboards and mice.

"Found something," Briar said. She looked up and waited for Dylan to join her on her side of the table. "One of the victim's friends said that before she died, her friend was saying something about horrid nightmares that were keeping her awake. She also told police that she had been having the same nightmares and that it had to be connected to her friend's death," Briar explained. Dylan nodded and kneeled on the floor.

"Any idea who the girl is?" Dylan asked. Briar smirked and shut her laptop.

"I say we get some rest before we head out to talk to her. Not likely she's going to be up at this hour," Briar added, folding up a piece of paper and shoving it deep into her pocket. She headed over to her bed and moved her bag before she flopped down onto it. "It's not going to help her if we're all sleep deprived too." Dylan agreed and followed her friend into sleep.

‡

Briar found herself in a deserted room, no furniture, no Dylan. She tried to call out for the other girl and found her voice gone. She couldn't make a sound. She looked around her and the scene was changing before her eyes. The white, barren room to a dark, bloodstained hall. In the impossible distance she could see Dylan, her hands nailed to the wall above her head, stretching her arms up above her, tears falling down her face. 'Save me Bri, please, save me,' Dylan's non-moving mouth said. She heard the wails, the crys of pain and...children? Why did she hear children?

Briar shot up straight and heaved out a sigh. She looked over at Dylan's bed to find the girl missing. "Dylan?" she called out, glad to have her voice. The door handle jiggled and Briar reached for the gun under her pillow. With a click, it was aimed at the door and, as soon as it opened, Dylan. As soon as she saw who it was, she moved the weapon down and clicked on the safety.

"Dude, not cool! Why were you going to shoot me?" Dylan asked. "I brought you your caffeine, too," Dylan added, a twinge of hurt in her voice. Briar wiped a hand over her face and stood up.

"I'm just jumpy, I don't know why. Not to mention I think I just had a nightmare," Briar said, taking a steaming cup from her friend and wrapping an arm over her shoulders. She smiled down at Dylan. "All the talk of nightmares is getting to me, also probably the sleep deprivation from driving all night," Briar added. Dylan nodded and held her own cup up to her lips.

"We should go see that girl today. It's a weekend, she won't be at school," Dylan said, pushing her annoyance aside. She knew Briar would never really hurt her. Briar pulled the paper out of her pocket and tapped it to her forehead before handing it over to Dylan.

"You're driving today," Briar said and grabbed some clothes to change into before heading off to the bathroom. Dylan smirked and grabbed the car keys and her bag, and stood by the door waiting on Briar. "Ready to go," Briar said as she stepped out, her hair slightly wet.

"That was a quick shower," Dylan commented, but turned and walked out the door.

‡

"This is the house," Dylan said, pulling the mustang to a stop and shutting off the engine. Briar exited the car and began the trek up to the front door, Dylan behind her. "What's our excuse?" Dylan asked. "FBI?" she suggested. Briar nodded and rang the door bell. A girl, blonde with hazel eyes opened the door, her composure was timid. Briar looked over at Dylan and motioned for her to step forward and take lead. "Hi, um, my name is Jenna Parker, this is my friend Alice Lane," Dylan introduced. Briar shook hands with the girl after Dylan did, a sweet smile on her face. "We're here to question you about your friend's death," Dylan said, coming out more like a question.

"Brittney, yeah, come in," the girl said. The two followed her into a small living room and sat down opposite her on the couch. "What do you want to know?" she asked when they were all settled.

"Amanda, is it?" Briar asked. The girl nodded. " Can you tell us when you first met Brittney?" she continued. Amanda fidgeted a bit, but seemed to consider her answer.

"The first time I remember her was in high school, and we just, kinda clicked, you know?" Amanda said. Briar smiled at her.

"But?" she urged.

"But I've seen pictures of me and her as girls, playing together," Amanda added. Briar nodded and looked over at Dylan.

"I read on the police report, that you said that Brittney was having serious nightmares before she died, correct?" Dylan asked, Amanda nodded. "Did she tell you what they were about, or who was in them?" Amanda seemed close to tears, but she opened her mouth to answer.

"She saw...a man. Um, he kept repeating to her something like...come...come play with me," Amanda said, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat and tried again. "And she said she heard children playing, laughing...singing this song, I don't know what song it was," Amanda hummed the tune for them. Briar nodded and wrote on a mini pad of paper.

"You also mentioned that you were having the same nightmares?" Dylan pressed, her tone as gentle as it could be. Amanda took in a large breath and nodded her head. "Did you see anything more than Brittney?" Dylan asked. Amanda's eyes went wide and she shook her head, almost as if she were afraid of telling them the truth. Dylan smiled at her and extended her hand. "Thank you for your time, and you have our deepest condolences for your friend," Dylan said. Briar pulled a card out of her pocket, one with her alias and her cell and handed it over to Amanda.

"If you have anything else you would like to tell us, just call this number," Briar said and shook her hand. Amanda thanked them and showed them out. Briar sat in the passenger seat of the mustang and looked over at Dylan. "I wasn't willing to believe this before hand, but this is sounding more like Nightmare on Elm Street to me," Briar said. Dylan rolled her eyes and started the car. Briar was silent most of the drive back to the hotel. "We should go back at night," Briar said. Dylan pulled into a parking space, shut off the car and stared at Briar.

"What makes you so sure we should go back?" Dylan asked. Briar shifted and turned to face Dylan in the seat.

"Even if it's not Freddy Krueger, what ever it is is attacking and killing people while they're asleep, so we go there, watch her while she sleeps," Briar paused and looked out into the distance. "I sound like a creeper. Anyway, we make sure she survives the night, and we get some intel on what's going on in her head. Who knows, maybe she talks in her nightmares," Briar said, shrugging. Dylan sighed and shook her head.

"You're right," Dylan admitted. Briar smirked and got out of the car, pulling the key out of her pocket to unlock the hotel room door. The girls gathered up what they would need and packed up the car. They drove to a convenience store and bought some snacks and a few containers of salt before parking a short ways away to enjoy a lunch made of candy bars and energy drinks. They sat there, watching the house, being discrete about it, talking and joking. When darkness started to fall, Briar's phone rang, an unknown number. She answered anyway.

"Hello?" Briar asked. She smiled and pointed up at the house. "Yeah, I think we can pull that. See you in ten?" she asked when she got her answer, she shut the phone and smirked at Dylan.

"That Amanda?" Dylan asked. Briar nodded and reached into the back seat to pull her bag forward. "So, what? We wait here for ten minutes?" Dylan asked, earning another nod. Briar was quiet as she dug through her bag, a small smile on her face. After a few minutes she grabbed the keys from the ignition and got out of the car, leaving a confused Dylan behind. She popped the trunk and dug through the weaponry, adding a few containers of salt to her bag, along with a flask of holy water and a sawed off shotgun. Dylan finally emerged from the car. "Dude, you gonna tell me what's going through that twisted mind of yours?" she asked.

"Think it's a ghost of some sort. We get the past, we get our bad guy," Briar explained, tossing a few charms into her bag.

"Anything else you'd like to add to that? Like, say, what the hell you're planning?" Dylan asked. She leaned her hip against the car.

"Trap him," Briar said. She shut the trunk and slung the bag over her shoulders. "Amanda'll be expecting us now," Briar added and she headed up to the house. The girls rang the bell and two seconds later, Amanda opened the door and let them in.

"I'm sorry, I just, I didn't know who else to call. You two seemed like you actually believe me and I'm afraid to go to sleep, but I need the rest, so I thought I'd call to see if you two could wake me up should it seem like I'm having one of my nightmares," Amanda rambled. Briar smiled and put a hand on Amanda's shoulder.

"I understand. We'll be here and we'll make sure that you'll stay alive until morning," Briar said. Dylan managed a smile despite her apparent confusion. Amanda led them up to her bedroom and stood awkwardly in the middle of it, watching them inspect the room, or rather, Briar inspect the room.

"Just relax, we can leave the room if that's more comfortable for you," Dylan said, trying to sooth the distraught girl. Amanda shook her head, a tear welling up in her eye. Dylan led her to her bed and pulled the covers up over her. "We'll be here to wake you up," Dylan said. Amanda nodded, looking every bit like a toddler. She curled up on her side and closed her eyes and within seconds, they heard snoring. Briar dug through her bag and handed the flask of holy water to Dylan.

"Wake her with this," Briar said and she left the room, no doubt to snoop for more information. Dylan sighed and sat down in the desk chair. She looked over the items on the desk, just glancing for anything with relevance to the case. She saw a newspaper article, trimmed out and stashed under a notebook. She lifted the cover and looked through the slim stack.

"Quintin Smith? Nancy Holbrook? Obituaries?" Dylan said to herself. She pulled out her phone and took pictures of each, making sure the writing was clear. She replaced them and turned when the door opened and Briar stepped in. "Find anything?" Dylan asked. Briar shook her head, a frown in place. "Look at this," Dylan said, showing Briar the clippings.

"These names sound familiar," Briar said. Amanda shifted on the bed behind them. Dylan looked over Briar's shoulder to check on her. Briar put the articles back after writing the names of each person down. Dylan nudged Briar's arm, getting her to turn and watch Amanda as well. Amanda was tossing and turning, surely nothing of major threat, then she stopped. Her back arched up and her mouth flew open into a silent scream. Briar launched forward and flung salt over the sleeping girl. She called to Dylan who took a few steps up next to the bed and splashed Amanda in the face with holy water. Briar's eyes narrowed when she heard a vague sound, like a man wailing in agony, and the smell of burnt flesh. She saw a thin stream of smoke poor up from the floor, probably where the invisible attacker once stood. Amanda sat up straight then when she realized that she was in her actual room and that Briar and Dylan were both there, she hunched over her drawn up knees and started crying. Dylan sat on the bed beside her and rubbed her back. Amanda looked up at Briar, her eyes puffy and red, little black bags outlining the bottom.

"Freddy, he told me, his name is Freddy," Amanda said and went back to silently sobbing. Dylan whispered something in her ear then stood and led Briar out of the room.

"Sounds too good to be true," Briar said, her tone near emotionless. Dylan knew the comment wasn't meant in fun, if anything it was sarcastic. Dylan narrowed her eyes in thought.

"How do we defeat him, how do we kill him?" Dylan asked, her eyes glued to the floor. She looked up to see Briar watching Amanda through the open doorway.

"We don't, we're not supposed to. He's damn near invincible, but we need to find a way to stop him," Briar said. Dylan could tell that this case was going to get under her friend's skin. She put a hand on Briar's arm to gain her attention back.

"I don't think we'll be able to sleep anymore," Dylan said. Briar looked down at the floor then back up at Dylan.

"We don't know for sure that he's after us yet," Briar said. "But we get through this night, then tomorrow, we have something fresh to look for," she said, trying to keep Dylan's hopes up. Dylan nodded and went back into the room. "I'm gonna get some energy drinks," Briar called before heading downstairs and out to the car. Briar shut the front door behind her and looked around the dark yard. The wind picked up and sent a chill down Briar's spine. Something was off about the night air on this street. She headed down the sidewalk to the parked mustang, holding her arms to herself to protect her from the cold. She heard a twig snap, the sharp sound echoing. She turned and looked, her hand on her gun. A faint sound of laughter swelled from nowhere, circling around her, sending goose bumps up her arms. Briar narrowed her eyes and growled into the dark. She finished her walk to the mustang and something made her sway, her eyes fluttering closed. When she opened them, she saw scratches in the side of the black paint, you're next. She shut her eyes again and opened them, the words gone. She shook her head and grabbed the cooler from the back of the mustang and headed back up to the house.

She set the cooler beside Amber's doorway in the dark hall and tiptoed into the room, Amanda asleep once more, tucked under the covers. Briar handed Dylan a can of caffeine and sat down in the chair, turning it to face the foot of the bed where Dylan was. "Anything while I was gone?" Briar asked. Dylan frowned and shook her head. She pointed down at the salt circle she had made on the floor that surrounded the whole bed. Briar noticed now that the headboard was about a foot away from the wall.

"I thought this would help, seeing as it made him flee earlier," Dylan said. Briar nodded, her face grim. "Anything with you? You look kinda startled," Dylan asked, searching Briar's eyes. Briar tilted her head back and looked up at the ceiling.

"No, I didn't see anything out there," she answered. "Or smell or hear," she added. Dylan gave her a weird look.

"I think the salt burned him. Left a faint trace of smoke and scent, not to mention the wailing I heard," Briar said. Dylan raised her eyebrows.

"You got all that?" she asked, almost bewildered. Briar nodded and turned to Amanda who seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

"I was kinda searching for it," Briar said. "Aside from all that, there was no sign of an intruder of any kind," she said. Dylan sighed and gulped down a large portion of her drink. "Getting hard to stay awake?" Briar asked. Dylan nodded and looked out the window. "When we get back to the hotel, you can sleep," Briar soothed. Dylan smiled and took another drink. Briar pulled a little bottle out of her jacket pocket and tossed it at Dylan. "That should help some," Briar said, smirk on her face.

"Five hour energy?" Dylan asked, but she took it anyway.

‡

Briar drove them back to the hotel and when Dylan laid down to sleep, and questioned why Briar was still up, Briar gave her the answer that she just couldn't sleep. Dylan accepted this, mostly because she was too tired to argue and let the dream world over take her. Briar sat up, perched on her bed, her laptop in front of her, her eyes glued to Dylan's sleeping frame. She was watching for any signs of distress on the other girl, hoping against all odds that it wasn't Dylan that Freddy wanted. Through most of the morning, Dylan stayed immobile, set in a deep sleep, and eight hours after she had closed her eyes, the opened. Briar diverted her eyes to her computer and what she had found.

"You didn't sleep at all?" Dylan asked, sitting up with a huge yawn. Briar shook her head, but looked up at Dylan with a tilted smile.

"Guess what I found though," Briar said, she seemed to have a kind of dimmed excitement to her. Dylan sat up and crossed to Briar's bed to look at the other girl's computer.

"Uh, you're on a movie site," Dylan said. She looked up at Briar and put a hand to her forehead. "I think you need to get some rest," she said. Briar shook her head and moved over to the table where she had set up the portable printer they kept with them. She put her laptop down and plugged it in, clicking the movie page open. Briar pulled a thin folder out of her bag and opened it, arranging the pages over her keyboard.

"These names, these people, they, all of them, correspond with characters in Freddy Krueger films. These two," she held up Quentin Smith and Nancy Holbrook, "2010 film with Jackie Earle Haley, these," she held up Glen Lantz, Rod Lane and Christina Gray, "1984 with Robert Englund," Briar concluded. Dylan looked down at the mess of papers.

"It's official, you've gone crazy," Dylan said, she gathered the papers up, stuck them back in the folder and shut Briar's laptop with them resting on the keyboard. "Now, you need to care for yourself and go to sleep," Dylan said, pulling Briar up from her seat and pushing her over to the bed. Briar sighed and pulled her gun out of the back of her jeans and stuck it under the pillows. She put her head down and watched Dylan bustle around the room for a bit.

"You heading out?" Briar asked. Dylan turned and looked at her.

"Someone's gotta get the food," she said, smile on her face. Dylan shut the door behind her, the lock clicking into place and Briar sighed, feeling the tension leave her body. She closed her eyes and was out.

When Briar opened her eyes again, she was in a factory, up on a cat walk surrounded by huge metal pipes. She hear laughter and turned to view behind her. With her back to the hand rails, she watched and waited for the inevitable to show up. 'Want to play a game?' a voice, deep, scratchy and masculine came from around her. Briar smirked.

'Oh, thank God it's the new version. I quite liked Jackie Earle Haley,' Briar said, glad that she could use her voice in this dream. She turned to look to her left and was face to face with Freddy, red and brown sweater and all. She smiled at him. 'Hey, dude' she greeted.

'You're not afraid of me?' he asked, taking a step closer. Briar took a step back, uncomfortable with the closeness.

'No, I'd have to be crazy not to, okay, I guess I'm crazy 'cause I'm not really afraid,' Briar said. Freddy made an unpleasant sound. 'I can tell you the reasons if you like,' Briar offered up. Freddy took another step closer, Briar another one back. 'One, you're a pedophile and I'm not a kid. Two, the only reason you're after me is because I stopped you from killing one of your targets. Three, I'm almost, if not as sadistic as you are, and about as violent too, so really, if I were afraid of you, I should be afraid of myself,' Briar said. Freddy took several more steps toward her, earning him more steps back. He smirked (as best he could) and swiped his claw at her. Briar jumped back and over to the railing, lodging her legs in so she wouldn't fall. 'You want to play a game? How about hide and seek,' Briar offered. She grabbed Freddy's arms and pushed her face right up next to his, staring into his melted eyes. 'I hide, you seek,' Briar said, and with that, dropped onto a lower catwalk crossing below her. She ran off and didn't bother to look behind her, knowing Freddy could show up anywhere he pleased.

'Come out, come out where ever you are,' Freddy's gruff voice cooed. Briar shoved the slight panic down, trying to keep herself calm. She was here, therefore she should get whatever information she could. Work, this was work, and she needed to stay focused, never mind the fact that she hated not knowing where all the dangerous elements were. He laughed, the sound echoing, seemingly inside her head. 'I am in you head, I can hear everything you think,' Freddy said. Briar turned left at a fork in the catwalk and stopped short. Freddy stood in front of her, claw raised. She back pedaled and headed right, and a thought rose in her mind. He's herding me, Briar's breaths came in even pants.

'You want to corner me, is that it?' Briar called. She stopped running and turned in a circle, completely one-eighty degrees. 'Fine, you pussy, come and get me,' Briar said quieter. Freddy laughed again.

'This is too easy. I was hoping to find a weak link in your armor,' Freddy said, his voice closer and coming from over her left shoulder. Briar turned and glared at him.

'I'm not a moron. I know I can't escape and I know I'm not in my own head. I risked this just to learn a little more about you,' Briar said. She caught her breath and leaned against the railing. Freddy stepped up in front of her and raised his right hand, the claws shimmering in the light. He whipped it down and cut through the railing on that side of her. He stepped closer until Briar could feel him pressed against her. 'Ever hear of personal space, dude?' Briar asked, arching an eyebrow. She leaned back against the railing.

'You wanted story time,' Freddy said, he pressed closer. Briar leaned back and the railing broke. She let out a short scream as she fell, only to be caught by Freddy and held in place by her right hand. She looked down and saw nothing close enough to her to safely break her fall, a sure death. Dylan flew into her mind, and the second it did, Briar wiped it away, but that was enough. 'Oh, so there it is,' Freddy said, his face twisted impossibly into a smirk. He flung Briar out, letting her fall.

Briar shot up, and gasped for breath. Her eyes were wide as she searched the room. Dylan sat at the table, her laptop in front of her, her worried eyes focused on Briar. "What happened?" Dylan asked, standing and moving over to Briar. She sat on the edge of the bed and waited for Briar to tell her what was wrong. Briar rubbed her neck, trying to disperse the cold sweat.

"I'm sorry, Dylan," Briar said, her voice cracking. Dylan leaned into Briar and held her as the girl caught her breath.

"What are you sorry for?" Dylan asked, rubbing circles on her friend's back.

"I brought you into this. I pissed him off, then let him see you, and now," Briar trailed off. A tear slid down her cheek and she gripped the bedsheets. "We have no choice now. We sleep in shifts until it gets to it's worse, then we go without as long as possible," Briar said. Dylan sat back and her eyes shifted away.

"About that, when we hit that line, we only have little over seventy hours to stay awake," Dylan said. Briar pushed her fingers to her temples, relishing in the pressure that relieved her developing headache.

"I know, I'm kind of an expert on the Nightmare on Elm Street stuff, remember?" Briar asked. She looked up at Dylan through her eyelashes.

"Should we call the boys?" Dylan asked. Briar shook her head and stood from the bed.

"We leave them out of this for as long as possible. They wouldn't believe us anyway," Briar said. She gathered some clothes and headed for the bathroom. She turned to Dylan as she stood in the doorway. "I never wanted you involved in this either," Briar said. "I'm supposed to protect you," her voice went quieter. She turned and closed the door, leaving Dylan staring at it.

‡

Briar sat down at the public library and flipped open the book she had pulled. The history of the town was a sure-fire place to start when going back and looking at Freddy. From her experience of the movies, that's where all the information should be. She flipped through the book, looking for any reference to anything she knew about Freddy Krueger. Her eyes narrowed as she went through the book without a mention. She frowned and replaced it, opting to ask a desk clerk for past news papers.

‡

Briar dropped her bag by the door and headed straight for her bed, falling down on it and curling up in a ball. "That hard of a day? Find anything good?" Dylan asked as she came out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a fluffy white towel. Briar sighed and shook her head, burying it further into her pillow. "You've been awake for nearly twenty-four hours, get some sleep," Dylan said. Briar nodded, not bothering to raise her head and curled more into herself. Within seconds, Briar was asleep again.

'Here you are again,' Freddy said, his voice echoing even though he appeared right in front of her this time. Briar lifted the corner of her mouth up in a smirk, expecting to fall into this nightmare. 'I thought I had made things clear,' Freddy said, stepping closer. His eyes washed over her and Briar had to shutter at the thoughts that swept into her brain, all the possibilities of what he was thinking. He laughed, once again, the sound echoing.

'I didn't come here to be oggled at,' Briar said. Something in the change in his posture reflected the statement, of course not. 'I'm curious, you didn't attack Dylan while she was asleep. You and I both know that you will, eventually,' Briar said, giving up on trying to hide Dylan, Freddy knew of her anyway. When Dylan had slept, Briar watched over her, waiting, near biting her nails to the quick for Freddy to attack her.

'I like to take my time,' Freddy said. Briar squinted and turned to look around her for the first time. The setting wasn't the same as her last nightmare, in fact, she was in the hotel room, and she watched Dylan typing away on her laptop, ignorant to what was currently going on. Freddy walked over to Dylan and ran one claw over her cheek. Briar, took a sudden step forward which made him laugh.

'I swear to God, if you hurt her, I will find a way to murder you,' Briar seethed, the words slipping between her clenched teeth. Freddy stepped away from Dylan and turned back to Briar.

'You can't do anything, this is my world,' Freddy said, and vanished. Briar was left staring around the dream room.

'Well, what the hell am I supposed to do now? I was kinda counting on you to keep me company while I slept,' Briar called out. Dylan looked up and over to the bed Briar had fallen asleep on. Briar followed her gaze and saw herself still sleeping there. 'Well, that isn't creepy,' Briar said. She watched herself shift in her sleep and mumble something. She tilted her head. The light in the room darkened, causing Briar to shift her gaze to the windows. 'Oh, so you're still playing with me, are you?' Briar asked. She moved to the door and opened it out into a snowy preschool play yard. Briar sighed and turned to the sign. 'I guess you aren't very original,' she said.

'Do you like it?' Freddy asked. Briar turned to face him, as he had appeared behind her where the door to the hotel room had once been. Briar couldn't help but roll her eyes.

'It's getting increasingly harder to be afraid of you dude. You keep going on this path, and I'll have to kill myself from boredom,' Briar said, earning a growl from Freddy. He stormed up to her and turned her quickly around his heavy breath sweeping past her ear.

'Look at it, look at what I've done,' he said. Against the far fence, Briar could see what he was talking about. Several bodies were pinned up, some upside down, their stomachs and intestines spilling out staining the snow a murky, rusty red. 'That could be you,' he said, his grip getting tighter. Briar was close to panic now, but she choked it down.

'I understand that you're dangerous, I already knew that,' Briar said. Freddy let go of her arms and wrapped his around her chest, bringing is right one up to the left side of her face. He traced one claw down the side and laughed.

'If you're not afraid of me yet, you will be soon enough,' Freddy said.

Briar sat up quickly, eyes landing on Dylan. The chair scraped on the floor as she stood. "What happened, Bri?" Dylan asked, concerned. She grabbed the towel she had used to dry her hair and quickly closed the distance between her and her friend. She put the towel to Briar's face and it was then that she realized Freddy had cut her. He left his mark on her, a promise of pain to come. Briar took the towel from Dylan and held it in place as she stared down at the pattern on the hotel covers.

"He's just starting to play his games," Briar finally admitted. Dylan let out a breath and peeled Briar's hand and the towel away.

"It doesn't look that bad. Did you run?" Dylan asked. Briar shook her head and allowed Dylan to take the towel away. "Jesus, why didn't you run?" she asked. Briar sighed and stood, walking to the bathroom.

"Because I wasn't afraid of him," Briar said. Dylan stood, her face fixed in a glare.

"You should be! You of all people know what he can do!" Dylan threw the towel at Briar. "Bri, you need to protect yourself. Without you, I wouldn't be able to do this!" Dylan screamed, tears coming to her eyes. Briar paused in the doorway, her head down.

"The only reason I'm still alive, is probably because I didn't run away on my first encounter, or any for that matter," Briar said. She looked up into Dylan's eyes and gave a weak smile. "I'm different, therefore I've made him curious about me. The mind of a killer, Dyl, is a strange thing, one you can't understand unless you, yourself, are a killer. I know, that by not running from him," Briar turned to face Dylan head on, her eyes stronger now, filled with her wholehearted belief, "I've earned myself more time. This way, the longer that he wants to screw with me, to play with my head," she pointed to her own skull, "the longer I have to figure this out and come up with the best way to get rid of him forever." Briar stood there, breathing in evenly. Dylan looked down at the floor now, the guilt obvious from her posture. "Dyl, I'm asking you to trust me in this. I'm buying myself as much time as I can, but to do that, I have to surrender some of myself to him, I have to let him toy with my mind," Briar added. Dylan reluctantly nodded. She sniffed and looked back up at Briar.

"I understand," she said, her voice quiet. She cleared her throat and turned to sit back down in her chair. "While we're both up, we should go see Amanda," Dylan added, her eyes glued to her computer screen. Briar nodded and went to bandage her scar and to change.

‡

Amanda's eyes widened when she saw Briar and Dylan on the other side of the door. The girls smiled at her, her appearance better than the last time they had seen her. The bags under her eyes had faded a touch and she looked more presentable, not to mention, less timid. "Hi, Jenna, Alice, how are the two of you?" Amanda asked, her smile wide on her face. She let the two of them in and they sat in the living room as Amanda went off to fix them some tea.

"She seems better," Briar commented, earning a smack on the shoulder from Dylan. Ignoring the glare her friend was giving her, Briar turned back to Amanda, smile on her face. "You're looking quite well," Briar said aloud to their hostess. Amanda beamed.

"Thank you, really, it's all thanks to you. The past two nights I've slept like a baby," Amanda said. Dylan heaved out a sigh, and Briar's face darkened a fraction.

"I wouldn't thank us yet. This isn't over, we just took the heat off you for the time being," Briar said. Amanda's smile faltered.

"What do you mean?" Amanda asked, looking between the two. Dylan shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"The bandage on Alice's face, that means that she's been having nightmares," Dylan said. At Amanda's still confused stare, she opted to continue. "We aren't really FBI agents," Dylan started, uneasy about telling the truth after several carefully woven lies. "We're here to make sure you don't die from whatever supernatural being is haunting you and your friends," Dylan said. Amanda was shocked.

"So, you lied to me?" Amanda asked. She was more baffled than angered. Dylan hung her head in shame.

"We only did it so that we could learn more information and find a way to protect you," Briar said. Amanda was angry now.

"You could have told me the truth!" she yelled, standing. "Maybe you would've gotten more information, maybe I would have felt safer!" Briar stood too, her demeanor cold, her eyes frosty.

"You don't think we can keep you safe, if only for a little while?" Briar asked. She pulled the gauze pad that was covering the thin scar on her cheek away. "I'm dealing with your nightmares so you don't have to," Briar said, her tone deadened. Dylan put a hand on Briar's arm and pulled so that she would sit back down. Briar left the bandage off and stared down at the steaming mug that was left untouched in front of her. When she looked back up at Amanda, she found the other girl's anger had subsided.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say the names you gave me aren't real, either," Amanda said quietly. Was anything real?" she asked. Dylan nodded.

"Our concern for your safety and our belief that you weren't lying about the dreams, all of that, it was true," Dylan said. "I'm Dylan, and this is my best friend and hunting partner, Briar," Dylan said. Briar smirked.

"My cell number was correct," she added, making a flash of anger rise, not only in Amanda, but Dylan as well.

"So you haven't been having any nightmares, any flashes of Freddy while you sleep?" Dylan asked. Amanda thought for a second before shaking her head no.

"No children, no dead bodies, no Freddy," Amanda said. Briar leaned forward.

"You didn't mention dead bodies before hand," Briar said, catching her slip up. Amanda took in a large breath and she looked like she was on the brink of tears at the memory.

"There were, in my nightmares, I saw my friends, hung up on display, all of them were dead," Amanda said, she wiped away a tear that escaped and looked up at Briar and Dylan. "Seeing that every night, that's what was making it so hard to move on, to mourn Brittney's death properly," she added. Dylan nodded and leaned forward, putting a comforting hand on Amanda's knee.

"It's okay," Dylan said. Briar stood up and turned her back on them. She walked to the windows until she had a clear view of the mustang parked outside.

"I hate to ask this, but where did you see them?" Briar asked. She could feel Amanda's gaze on her back and she heard her sniffling.

"It was in a factory like place. The colors where washed out, the most vibrant was reds, oranges and yellows. It smelled like smoke and burning rust," Amanda described. Briar nodded and turned back to her and Dylan.

"Do you think I could have a set of pictures, one of each friend that you saw," Briar asked. Amanda's eyebrows knitted together.

"What for?" she asked. Briar wiped her hand down her face, wincing as she passed the cut.

"I'd like to be able to put names to faces should I see them," Briar said, she let the conclusion of, 'in my nightmares' drop off the end, knowing Amanda would get the point. After a short while, she nodded and left the room.

"Do you think this is all a good idea?" Dylan asked. At Briar's blank stare, she sighed. "Provoking him, when he can do," Dylan's voice dropped off, instead, she pointed up at Briar's face where the cut lay, still fresh and red. Briar turned back to the window and leaned her forehead against the cold pane.

"If it keeps him away from those who can't handle him, I'm up for it," Briar said. Dylan was silent until Amanda came back and handed her the pictures.

"I wrote their names on the backs," Amanda explained. Briar saw Amanda turn to her through in her reflection in the glass. "Thank you for putting yourself in danger for me, for us," Amanda said, and Briar could tell that it meant everything to her. Briar nodded and left the room heading for the front door. She waited out in the car for Dylan who didn't take very long in saying goodbye.

"Here, you wanted these," Dylan said and put the car into gear after turning it on and buckling in. Briar didn't say a word as they drove back to the hotel, but once they reached their room, she stopped Dylan in the doorway.

"I'm going to go back to sleep," Briar said, her voice distracted, as if her mind was on other things. Dylan turned, her eyes sparking.

"Hell no!" she said, her hands clenching into fists. "Briar, you are not going suicidal on me, again!" Briar felt guilty now, her focus on her friend.

"That's not my intention," Briar said calmly. She let Dylan work herself out of her anger.

"Hell if it's not. Briar, I know you. The only reason you agreed to this is more than likely for your own selfish, masochistic reasons," Dylan said, her voice going ice cold. Anger swelled in Briar, putting a violent flash in her eyes, but she still stayed quiet. "I'm not going to let you go through this again," Dylan finished, her shoulders slumping. After Briar refused to speak, she turned and walked away, slamming the door to the bathroom behind her. Briar sighed and rubbed her eyes. She sat on the foot of her bed and flopped back, her eyes locked on the ceiling.

"Dylan, you haven't slept in a while, it's your turn. Come out here so I can keep an eye on you," Briar said. She waited for the sound of the door opening and Dylan sinking onto her own bed before she moved to sit in front of her laptop. "Good luck," Briar said. She heard Dylan mumble something and then listened for her breath evening out.

Dylan opened her eyes to see her bedroom in the house she had lived in with Briar for the longest time. It was just the same as she had remembered it, if not just a bit gloomier, grayer. She sat up from her bed, and remembered that it was in this house that she first met Dean, the man she loved, even if he didn't quite love her back yet. She smiled and got to her feet, opening the door out into the hall. It was all the same. She made her way to Briar's room, wondering if her friend was there. When she reached the door, she heard music thumping from the door, vibrating the floor beneath her feet. It was just like Briar to play her music so loud. Dylan knocked on the door, giving four or five loud raps and waited. The music didn't change in volume, nor did she hear any other response from her friend. 'Briar? Are you in there?' Dylan called out. She pushed against the door and it swung open. Dylan switched off the stereo by the door and rounded the rest of the way into the room. Her eyes swept over the scene and she screamed, tears springing from her eyes. Briar hung limply from the ceiling, her head dangling down, her face blue.

Dylan darted forward and grabbed one of the decorative swords off Briar's wall. She stood on the bed and looped an arm around Briar's stomach, hoisting her back onto the higher surface and began hacking at the rope. Briar's body slumped down, nearly taking Dylan with it as soon as the rope gave. Dylan crouched down and held Briar's body in her lap, her tears splashing onto her friend's face. 'Briar, no, you can't do this to me,' Dylan said, sweeping the hair out of Briar's eyes. She moved to lay out the body on the bed and began trying to pump air into the other girls lungs. After rigorous minutes of failed CPR, Dylan wiped her nose on her sleeve and kneeled by the head of the bed. 'Briar,' Dylan cried pathetically.

'She only did this world a favor,' a familiar voice said from the corner. Dylan rounded on it, but her glare faultered when she saw Dean standing there. Looking back at Briar's body, her anger rose again.

'How dare you! She was my friend!' Dylan screamed. She stalked up to Dean and slapped him hard across the face. Dean turned his face back to her, his eyes cold, emotionless, blue? A dangerous smirk crossed his face.

'She was nothing, meant nothing, could do nothing. She was a pain to deal with,' Dean said. Dylan raised her hand to slap him again, but he caught it in his. He pulled her closer to him, his face close to hers. There was still something so wrong with his eyes. 'You should follow her,' Dean said, his voice now very different. Out of the corner of her eye, Dylan saw him raise his right hand, the fingers topped with very sharp blades on his four prominent fingers. She turned astonished eyes to the contraption then back to Dean's face. It was no longer Dean, but a man she didn't recognize. His face was burnt, melted, his eyes tilted into the mess of scars. 'Tell her I said, hello,' he said, his voice gruff now and so much different than Dean's.

This wasn't Dean any more, it never was. This was, 'Freddy,' Dylan spoke aloud before she screamed.

Dylan was shook awake, and when she opened her eyes, she found she was still screaming. She heard the echo of a laugh in her head before her eyes focused on Briar. Dylan pushed herself forward and wrapped her arms around Briar's neck and burried her face in the crook of her neck. She cried, the nightmare she had just had rattling her nerves. Briar wrapped hesitant arms around her friend and let her cry. Briar raised her hand and rubbed circles into the other girl's back, trying to calm her down.

"What did you see, Dyl?" Briar asked, her voice quite, so as to not upset Dylan any further. Dylan sniffled and pulled away, her eyes were red and puffy, but Briar could see a deep rooted sadness.

"I saw you, and you were dead," Dylan started. Briar's eyes widened, but she stayed silent. "Um, Freddy, he was in the corner only, he looked and sounded like Dean. He was telling me that the way I found you, hung up on the ceiling by your throat, was best for the world, then he said that I needed to join you, and," Dylan cut off, her voice catching in her throat. Briar wiped a tear from Dylan's face. "He say's hello, by the way," Dylan finished, an odd humor in her voice. Briar frowned and stood, helping Dylan from her bed.

"This is why I would prefer to be the only one to sleep, should we sleep," Briar said. Dylan nodded.

"You're just trying to protect me, like you always do, but I guess my biggest fear is loosing you like," Dylan dropped off. Briar knew that she was hiding something, even from her, and had been since the two met. "I don't think I'll be going back to sleep any time soon," Dylan added, her eyes happier. She went to the bathroom and ran cold water to wash her face, leaving the door open. Briar sat back down in front of her computer and looked at the blank screen.

"Wanna go to the store?" Briar asked when Dylan came back into the main room. Dylan arched an eyebrow.

"Why?" Dylan asked. Briar pointed to the empty cooler by the door. "Oh, planning on staying up now are we?" Dylan asked. Briar was quiet. "You're not going to stay up, I am," Dylan clarified, reading Briar's mind.

"I want my opportunities to learn about him and how he functions," Briar said. At Dylan's face, Briar sighed and stood, turning to appease her. "I promise, that if it starts getting too dangerous, like I wake up with wounds he meant to kill me with and didn't, I will stop going to sleep." Dylan looked over at the cooler.

"You'll try to stay out of danger?" Dylan asked, not looking up at her.

"I won't go looking for it," Briar answered. Dylan frowned, not entirely pleased with the answer, but she let it slide.

"What do we need?" Dylan asked. Briar smiled and grabbed her jacket and the keys.

"I'm hungry, we need food first," Briar said, and both girls left the room.

‡

"Alright, Dylan, it's not like you to be this quiet for this long. What's up?" Briar asked, stopping in the middle of the aisle. Dylan turned to face Briar, her eyes carrying a bit of guilt.

"I'm not going to run from him either," Dylan said. Briar arched an eyebrow.

"Okay," she said. Dylan dropped her gaze to the floor.

"And don't tell me that I can't, because I'm tired of feeling weak and giving in and," Dylan finally realized that Briar wasn't fighting her on this. Briar smiled at her.

"As long as you follow the same rules you're holding over me," Briar said. Dylan smiled now, feeling more like Briar's equal, as strong as her friend had always been. "So, energy drinks?" Briar asked. Dylan let out a laugh and skipped to the back of the convenience store to stock up on caffeine.

‡

"You woke up not long ago, so next sleep is mine. Maybe I'll get a few punches in," Briar smirked over her screen. Dylan clicked on a couple of links and shook her head, smile in place.

"Dude, not gonna happen. As bad-ass as you think you are, I doubt that you could win in hand to hand combat with a ghost that controls your dreams," Dylan said. Briar rolled her eyes.

"I never said I would win, just that I could hit him a couple times, hell, maybe even I could get his glove off and become the new Freddy," Briar joked. Dylan laughed at this.

"Yes, because all his power comes from the glove," Dylan did a mock worship of nothing, "All hail the almighty glove of nightmare control and it's new master, Fredina," Dylan said, her tone belaying her heavy sarcasm. Briar snorted and covered her mouth, trying to swallow the gulp of Monster she had just taken.

"Right, like Freddy has worshipers," Briar said once she had swallowed down the drink, coughing a little at the end. Dylan's face turned serious.

"You of all people should know," Dylan said before she turned her computer around to show Briar what she had found.

"Wow, really? An internet shrine for Freddy Krueger?" Briar asked. She scrolled through the site and checked the various posts. "Wow, these people are deranged."

"You're telling me. Might want to mention all this to your boyfriend the next time you see him," Dylan said, a hint of frost in her voice. Briar rolled her eyes and sat back.

"One, he's not my boyfriend, not to mention anywhere near my type. I don't do child molesters. Two, the only reason I had any kind of fascination with Freddy is because I have an odd appreciation for what he does," Briar explained. Dylan just quirked an eyebrow at that.

"An odd appreciation?" Dylan questioned. Briar smiled and nodded. Dylan rolled her eyes. "Whatever dude, your turn to sleep, tell your boyfriend I said to fuck off." She stood and grabbed a book from her bag and sat in the big plush chair stationed in the corner. Briar sighed and dropped down on to her bed and she was out the instant her eyes closed.

Briar opened her eyes to reveal a white room, the walls padded, the furnishings that occupied it were few and meager. 'Son of a bitch,' Briar said, looking around. She examined herself and groaned in protest. 'I'm really beginning to hate you, you know that?' Briar asked the empty room. She tried to move her arms into a more comfortable place, but couldn't make them budge in the restricted strait jacket. The door to her cell opened and the familiar face washed into view. He smiled at her.

'Hi child, so good to see you,' his voice, the British accent slight, but noticeable. Briar's shoulders slouched.

'Hi Crowley, how are you?' Briar asked, her tone bored, as if she had gone through this several times before.

'You seem calmer today, but I wish you would stop calling me Crowley. That's not my name, you know,' the man said. Briar arched an eyebrow.

'Then what is your name?' Briar asked, going along with this charade. The man laughed.

'It's Jonathan,' he said. Briar's eyebrow stayed up. She nodded and made a sound like she didn't believe him.

'Sure it is. By the way, where am I?' Briar asked, even though she was almost sure she already knew the answer.

'Saint David's Pavilion,' Jonathan answered her. He went around her to undo the buckles on her jacket and Briar sighed when the blood started pumping normally through her arms again.

'Thanks. Can you remind me why I'm in here?' Briar asked. Jonathan smiled at her and flipped a file folder open on his clipboard.

'You're in here for extensive schizophrenia. You solidly believed that you had been transported into another dimension with your friend,' he paused to read the name, 'Dylan, who doesn't exist by the way, we looked her up, and met up with two guys by the names of Sam and Dean Winchester. We had to take away your DVDs because of it,' Jonathan explained. He smiled at her. Briar followed his movements with her eyes, careful not to make any sudden moves.

'Anything else?' Briar asked, sensing that he hadn't relayed everything yet. Jonathan frowned then.

'Recently, you've been refusing to sleep. You kept saying that there was a man with a burnt face after you, and you kept calling him Freddy,' he explained. Briar sighed and crossed her arms over her chest and winced when the movement sent tingles through the nerves.

'Let me guess, you had to take away my Nightmare on Elm Street movies too,' Briar said, her voice so quiet that Jonathan had to take a step closer to hear it. He nodded solemnly. Briar rolled her eyes and turned to sit on the cotton mattress placed on the floor. Her weight made it sag down rather low. Jonathan stepped up next to her and crouched down to be on eye level.

'Luv, you really have to stop doing this to yourself. I want you to get better, I want you to be able to leave here and lead a normal life with your family,' Jonathan said. Briar looked up at him, her eyes flashing wickedly.

'What family?' she asked, her voice emotionless. Jonathan pressed his hands to either side of her face.

'Our family. The kids miss you, luv,' Jonathan said. Briar's eyes widened. Jonathan looked incredibly sad. 'You've forgotten all about them again, haven't you?' Jonathan asked. Briar was stunned into silence, but she shook her head. Tears started to spring to her eyes and Jonathan wiped them away. 'So long as you pretend to remember them to their face, I think you'll do okay,' Jonathan said. Briar took in a large breath and nodded. 'Dr. Lawlace has allowed the kids and Eric to visit you. He thought it might help you remember you're life here, in reality,' Jonathan continued.

'Eric?' Briar asked. Jonathan smiled at her.

'The babysitter. Jessica and Ron are too young to be left alone,' he explained. Briar nodded and stood with the help of her apparent husband. She let him lead her out of the padded room and into a secluded visitor area. Briar arched an eyebrow when she saw Castiel sitting at the table with two children, a boy and a girl, both no older than ten. Jon kissed Briar on the cheek and left her with the small group.

When the children saw her they both called out to her in a chorus of excited 'Mommy!'s. Briar smiled at each and bent to give each of them a kiss on the tops of their heads before they ran off to play with some of the toys in the corner. Briar walked up to the table tentatively, her eyes glued to Castiel/Eric.

'Hi,' Briar said, for lack of better words. Eric gave her a brilliant smile which swept her off her feet. Briar had to blink for a few seconds before her brain could comprehend the image. 'Um,' Briar mumbled and dropped into the seat across from him. Eric stood and moved to the seat sitting directly next to her and took her hand.

'You don't have to be off handed with me, the children have know about us for a while,' Eric whispered in her ear.

'Uh, what?' Briar asked. Her brain was clearly not supplying her with the right information. Instead of getting a verbal response, Eric moved her face and pressed his lips to hers, sweeping her into a passionate kiss. Briar was floored. Eric moved back just as the door to the secluded visitation room opened. Briar turned, expecting to see Jonathan, but instead got a man, shorter in stature, his thinning hair brown and his eyes clear, glass blue.

'Sorry Mrs. Cayden, I just wanted to come by and check on you,' he said. He held out his hand to Eric. 'My name is Dr. Freddy Lawlace, I'm Briar's doctor,' he introduced himself. Briar's eyes narrowed. THAT BASTARD. She turned and glared at Freddy. She recognized the similarities now, between this man and the man Freddy used to be before he was burned so badly.

'YOU SON OF A BITCH!' Briar yelled at him. Freddy's eyes looked saddened as he cast a glance over to the children.

'Now Mrs Cayden, I think you should calm down,' Freddy said. Briar continued to glare at him. She watched him pull a syringe out of his coat pocket and uncap it. 'If you can't calm your temper, I'm going to have to give you something to sedate you. I don't want to have to put up a scene in front of your children,' Freddy said, his voice soft. Briar's eyes narrowed and she stepped up closer to him.

'You touch me and I'll cut off something you think is quite important,' Briar seethed, so quiet that only he could hear her. She felt a slight sting before she realized that he had pushed the needle into her arm. Her eyes fluttered closed and she uttered a feral growl before she was unconscious.

When Briar came to again, she was back in the padded room, laying on the soft mattress. She was vaguely aware of the warm body beside her. She turned her head and saw that head of thinning brown hair turned away from her, his upper body exposed. When she shifted, she realized that she was devoid of clothing and she nearly retched. She clutched the sheet to her chest and rolled off the bed to land on the floor and she scooted away from it, her eyes locked on Freddy. When she hit the opposite wall, she let her eyes fall closed again and she tilted her head back. 'You are one huge son of a bitch,' Briar said aloud. When she opened them again, Freddy was awake and his own self, striped sweater, burned flesh, the hat and the glove.

'I quite enjoyed this little run in. You're not my normal cup of tea, but it's getting increasingly harder to find children that dream about anything besides ponies and trains,' Freddy said, running a claw up Briar's bare leg, pushing the sheet up higher.

'Dylan, you can wake me up now!' Briar nearly screamed. She felt her shoulder start to shake on it's own. 'By the way, you're disgusting,' Briar said. A sadistic smirk stretched across his face and that was the last thing she saw.

Briar's eyes flew open and she darted off the bed to the bathroom. Dylan winched when she heard Briar vomiting up her dinner into the toilet. The faucet ran for a short while, no doubt Briar brushing her teeth, then she came out of the room and sat heavily on her bed.

"Wanna tell me what happened?" Dylan asked. Briar shook her head, the thought of it making her sick. Briar rubbed a hand across her mouth and swallowed. She took a deep breath and launched into her dream, telling it with every detail she knew.

"So, that was the strangest dream you've ever told me about," Dylan commented when Briar was done. Briar let out a weak laugh.

"That was a nightmare, and I'm not going to want to go to sleep anytime soon," Briar said. Dylan arched an eyebrow.

"Giving up that easily?" Dylan asked. Briar shook her head.

"I said I'm not going to want to go to sleep, not that I wasn't," Briar explained. Dylan sighed and put her head into her hands.

"I figured you wouldn't," Dylan murmured to herself. Briar smiled and stood, grabbing clothes to change.

"Well, I've got several layers of skin to scrub off, I'll be out in a while," Briar said, closing and locking the door behind her. Dylan heard the water start and she too stood, moving to the door.

"When are we going to call Dean?" Dylan shouted through the door. Briar took her time answering.

"When things get serious and I feel like we can't handle this on our own," Briar called back. Dylan slumped against the wood and thought.

‡

Dylan stared blankly at her screen, her eyes unfocused, making everything blurry. "Hey, Dyl. I think it's time you should sleep," Briar said, putting a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. Dylan sighed and looked down at her lap. She had skipped her turn in the rotation, opting to stay up, using the excuse that the extra hours were dire in finding a solution to this problem. Dylan shook her head and fought back a yawn.

"No, I'm still looking," she said. She looked up at Briar's disapproving frown. "I've got this covered," Dylan pleaded. Briar sighed and left her, sitting back on her bed. Dylan placed her elbow back on the table and used it to prop up her head as she stared back at her screen. Her eyes stung, so she closed them for a second to rest them.

Dylan stood and looked around her, unsettled by her sudden change of atmosphere. 'Sweet nibblets,' Dylan said quietly. She knew she was asleep now. She turned to stare down the hallway, her eyes landing on the door to Briar's room. Here again, she thought. 'What am I going to see now? Dean hanging up there next to Briar and Sam saying they both deserved to die?' Dylan called out. She turned around in a circle, trying to find Freddy, and failing. She sighed and started the trek down the hall. Expecting to hear Briar's music playing, she was startled when she heard yelling, one male, one female.

'I don't care, George! You have your family to think of first, and making this decision without me?' the female screamed. Dylan took an involuntary step backwards, her eyes windows to her fear. She remembered this fight.

'Denise, I wouldn't have made this choice if I didn't have the family's best wishes in my head. This will be better for us, a new start. Dylan won't be known as that one freak's friend,' her dad said back, his tone level. Dylan grew angry now. She remembered him refusing to let her go see Briar, having to sneak out and beg the security and doctors to let her see her best friend outside of scheduled visits. The only reason they had allowed it, was because they said it seemed to help ground Briar in reality.

This move was one of the worst moments of her life. Dylan stormed forward and burst through the door, entering her old living room.

'Dylan, what are you doing here?' her mother asked, baffled by her sudden appearance.

'I'm not moving, I can't move!' Dylan screeched at her parental figures. Her father's face changed, morphed into furry.

'You have no say in the matter. I, as your father, know whats best for you and this family,' he said, his tone finally rising.

'You have no idea what's best for me!' Dylan yelled back. Her hands clenched into fists at her side, her shoulders tense. She watched him stalk closer, watched his eyes spark, watched him raise his fist. She was scared, so scared, and it all seemed to last for hours, the seconds ticking by ever so slowly. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the hit that was sure to come, but instead of being flung aside by her father's meaty fist, the first of many, she felt claws rip her cheek open, the blood dripping onto her shirt.

Dylan gasped and her eyes flashed open. She was sitting in the hotel, Briar standing from her bed. "Dyl? What happened?" she asked. Dylan looked down at the table, her eyes widening when she saw the small puddle of blood. She felt her cheek and winced, pulling away her hand to stare at the thick red liquid that was her own blood. "Dylan, we need to get you to a doctor, these need stitches," Briar said, her tone bordering on panicked.

"No, I'm fine, we've got the stuff, don't we?" Dylan asked, calmer than she should have been. Briar shook her head, a deep frown on her face.

"The guys took it with them on their last hunt. They said they were out and I forgot to get more," Briar said. She jumped up and grabbed a towel from the floor and tossed it at Dylan before grabbing her bag and the keys to the mustang.

"We're going to the hospital to get you stitched up, and while you're there, I'm buying us a new first aid kit. If he's going to become more violent, then we'll need it," Briar said. She grabbed Dylan by the upper arm and dragged her out of the hotel. After the first few steps down, Dylan followed on her own. Through the car ride, both girls stayed silent, opting to listen to the songs Briar's ipod felt like playing.

Briar watched as they stitched up Dylan's face, waited patently as they prescribed mild pain medication and put a bandage over it, then she signed Dylan out, under their fake name and drove to the convenience store. Dylan sat in the car while Briar went in to get what they needed. She sighed and let her head fall back against the head rest, her eyes falling closed. The stress was getting to her, she could feel it. She reached her hand up to tentatively touch the bandage on her cheek. If it scared, her and Briar would have matching stories to tell.

"Like it?" a gruff voice asked. Dylan's eyes shot open and she whipped around to view the backseat. Nothing.

"Son of a bitch," Dylan said as Briar got into the car, tossing the bag into the back.

"What was that?" Briar asked, concerned eyes looking for any further harm. Dylan shook her head, her gaze on her lap.

"Just had a little mini dream I think," Dylan explained. Briar was silent as she turned to look out the front windshield.

"I was hoping it wouldn't have to come down to this," Briar said. She leaned over and pulled her bag out of the back floorboard and started digging through it. She pulled out a couple of boxes and showed them to Dylan. "These are for last use only," she said. Dylan arched an eyebrow. "Adrenaline." Briar dropped them back into her bag and just stared down at it.

"So what, we pump ourselves full of drugs?" Dylan asked. Briar shook her head, deep frown lines appearing in her face.

"Last resort, I said. We're obviously not getting enough sleep, or, you aren't. With this, I should be able to bring you back if you were to slip into a coma," Briar explained. She turned to Dylan to see a sly smile on her face.

"You and your fuckin' movies," Dylan said. Briar let out a laugh and turned back to the wheel. She started the car and they went back to the hotel.

Dylan sighed when she lay back down on her bed, her eyes fluttering closed again. She felt something cold land against her leg and she turned to look. "You could use the energy," Briar said as she sat down in front of Dylan's laptop. "You know, I've been thinking," Briar said after a short silence.

"Well that's always dangerous," Dylan commented, causing Briar to laugh.

"About Freddy," Briar clarified.

"Again, dangerous," Dylan added. Briar sighed and Dylan went quiet.

"We aren't really exploring the traditional methods to this. Is he a dream walker? Is he a ghost?" Briar asked.

"Well," Dylan said, sitting up and popping the top to her energy drink. "He sure acted like a ghost or demon with the salt," Dylan said, remembering that night in Amanda's room.

"So, he could be a demon with special powers, but how do we kill it?" Briar asked, clicking a browser open on Dylan's laptop. She ran a search on nightmares, and another one on controlling dreams. It was the best she could do. "Or a ghost on a vengeful streak," Briar concluded. "Damn, this isn't going to be easy. Only thing I can think is burn the bones," Briar said, looking up at Dylan who was nursing her drink. Briar sat back and stared blankly at Dylan's computer.

"What are you thinking, Bri?" Dylan asked. Briar shook her head slowly, obviously distracted. Briar leaned forward and began typing in things and clicking open tabs on the browser, spurred on by an idea. After a short while she leaned back and smiled at Dylan.

"Do you remember what dream root is?" Briar asked. She stood and went for her phone on the bedside table. She checked her messages before scrolling through her contact book.

"Yeah, that's the stuff Dean and Sam drank to get into Bobby's dream. What about it?" Dylan asked. Briar ignored her and called a number, pacing as it rang on speaker.

"Hello?" Bobby's gruff voice came out of the speaker.

"Hey Bobby, I have a few questions for you," Briar said.

"Shoot," Bobby answered. Briar thought for a second.

"Where are Sam and Dean at this moment? If you don't know, I'll just call them," Briar asked.

"They're right here, why?" Bobby asked. Briar tilted her head down, her eyes focused on the floor.

"Do you have any dream root?" Briar asked. Bobby was silent now, probably sending one of the boys to see if there was any left. Briar heard faintly on the other end Sam answering, and it sent a smile to her face.

"Yeah, Sam found some in the kitchen. What were you going to do with it?" Bobby asked. Briar laughed.

"Gonna give this fucker a run for his money," Briar answered. "Send them to Springwood, Ohio, will you please?" Briar asked.

"Sure, you need the help?" Bobby asked.

"Not really, not just yet," Briar said, not failing to miss Dean beginning to bitch about the long drive. "But, hey Bobby, how are you doing?" Briar asked. Dylan smiled.

"WE LOVE YOU BOBBY!" Dylan shouted from her bed. Bobby chuckled, obviously pleased by the attention.

"Good, Dean's not too pleased though," he answered. Briar snorted, then took in a breath.

"Well tell him he can untwist his panties, or, you know, leave them twisted for all I care. I'm in no mood to deal with children, so if he's going to bitch, he needs to get it all out before hand, and I'm sorry for Sammy and you," Briar said. "But I'm more likely to literally bite his head off." Dylan smacked Briar in the leg as she passed. Bobby chuckled again.

"I'm sorry to hear you're having a tough time, any idea on what's been happening?" Bobby asked. Briar started to chew on her thumbnail.

"No," she said cryptically, her tone elevating at the end, forming it like a question. "Well, we're going between ghost, demon, or some form of dream walker," Briar said. Dylan could tell she didn't want to give out certain details.

"We know that he was alive at one point," Dylan said, raising her voice to be heard. Bobby thought for a few seconds.

"Not much I can tell you girls, if it's a ghost, burn the bones," Bobby said. Briar nodded despite Bobby not being able to see her.

"Yeah, we know. Tell Dean and Sam to get on the road now, we don't know how much longer we can stay awake," Briar said. Bobby mumbled something to them then came back on the line.

"Has it gotten to you?" Bobby asked. Briar bit her lip.

"We sorta pissed him off, yeah," Briar admitted. She heard Bobby scoff, no doubt rolling his eyes at them.

"Well, take care of yourselves," Bobby said. Briar smiled now.

"You too, Bobby," Briar said and shut her phone, ending the call. Dylan smiled widely at Briar. "What?" Briar asked, taking a step away from her.

"Dean's coming!" Dylan said and bounced in place on her bed. Briar rolled her eyes but smiled as well. The girl's enthusiasm was contagious. Briar sat down in front of Dylan's laptop again, her mood sobering.

"What do we know about demons?" Briar asked, causing Dylan to stop and deadpan.

"What?" Dylan asked, confused by the whiplash of Briar's mood.

"Demons, their like, really bad souls, and theory tells me that evil or not, the way to get rid of a soul is to burn whats left of the body," Briar said. Dylan nodded, the information sinking in.

"So, what? We find his body, dig him up and burn what's left of him?" Dylan asked, standing from the bed. Briar leaned her head back and stared up at the ceiling.

"Essentially," Briar said.

"What's to say there's anything left of his body?" Dylan asked. Briar sighed.

"Because he probably wouldn't exist in people's nightmares if there wasn't," Briar said, finally turning to stare at Dylan. "Finding him won't be easy," she said, looking back at the screen. Dylan stepped up next to her and looked at what Briar had pulled up.

"Controlling nightmares?" Dylan asked. Briar nodded and stood, grabbing an energy drink for herself.

"I wanna try something," Briar said, turning back to Dylan and leaning against the dresser.

"Which is what?" Dylan asked. She scrolled through the site, trying to find anything that could be leading Briar's thoughts.

"I want to see if we can take weapons into our dreams, try to defend ourselves. If we can, then we know he doesn't have complete control," Briar explained. Dylan nodded and wiped her hand across her face.

"Your going to go back in there, shoot him, and piss him off further," Dylan sighed, knowing already she wouldn't be able to talk Briar out of it.

"No, I'm going to go in there with a piece of paper in my pocket with a short message on it. If it's there when I open my eyes, I know that I can take things with me," Briar explained. Dylan sighed, grateful for Briar's self-saving plan for once. She put a hand on Dylan's shoulder, causing the other girl to look up at her. "Wake me if I start to struggle, any way possible," Briar said. Dylan smiled at her then took her can. Briar grabbed the hotel pad and wrote something on it. She folded it up and pressed it to her lips, her eyes closed. She stood there for a good few minutes before sticking it in her left pocket, her eyes still closed, and making her way to her bed.

"Be careful," Dylan said. Briar hummed and her breathing evened out.

Briar's eyes snapped open, putting her back in the mental hospital. She heaved out a heavy sigh. 'God I hate this place,' Briar said, her tone bored. She looked around her, at all the patients bustling about in the room. Briar didn't see Freddy anywhere, but that didn't mean he was watching. Briar stuck her hand in her pocket, hoping to feel the smooth texture of paper pressing against her fingertips, but there was nothing there. Briar's shoulders slouched and she leaned back against the pillar, her mood dropped. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Mr. Ley, her old orderly, approaching. He smiled at her and she tilted her head.

'I have a message for you dear, from Dylan,' Mr. Ley said. Briar smiled. At least Dylan existed in this world. He handed her a slip of paper, folded haphazardly in half. Briar opened it and her eyes widened. On the top was the symbol for the hotel, the words in her writing, clear as day.

'Kick it in the ass,' Briar read aloud. She smiled and thanked Mr. Ley, leaving him to tend to other patients, her new goal to search for Freddy.

'Looking for me?' Freddy asked. Briar stared at the man leaning against the wall in patient's clothes, his face the way it would have looked before he had been burned, his voice still the same though. Briar sighed.

'Obsessed with that look of yours? Not very original doing in two mental dreams,' Briar said, walking passed him.

'That last one shook you up though, didn't it,' Freddy said, keeping in step with her. 'I think I can still hear the sound of you retching up your dinner.' He placed a hand to his ear, as if listening.

'Yeah, you're a creep, I gathered that,' Briar said, still making her way through the halls she knew so well. 'And any emotion I had towards you, sympathy, approval, appreciation, it's all gone now,' Briar said matter-of-factly. Briar stopped and turned to face him. 'What I never knew though,' Briar said, her eyes searching his face. Freddy frowned. 'Why?' Briar asked, her voice barely a whisper.

'Why what? Why kill? Why molest little children? Why continue to go on even though I'm dead and none of it makes sense?' Freddy asked, taking a menacing step forward. Briar didn't move, she continued to stare into his eyes, proving her lack of fear.

'Yes, because after all these years of enamor, one tends to wonder about the in-depth thoughts of the character,' Briar said. Freddy was puzzled.

'Character?' he asked. Briar smiled at him.

'Well, obviously, you aren't just a character,' she said. 'But people like to make movies of legends that may or may not be true, throwing it further into the dark so people stop believing,' Briar said. Now Freddy was beginning to show something he shouldn't.

'So to you I'm just a myth?' Freddy roared, his face and entire appearance changing back to normal. He was angry now. Briar let out a screech and turned to run. Before she could get far, Freddy caught her, his claws raking across her stomach. Briar let out a startled yelp, the pain making her head go foggy. Briar sank to her knees and held her hands to her stomach, feeling the wound. Not too deep, just a flesh wound, Briar thought before the darkened edges of her vision took over.

Briar screamed when she woke then she coughed out the water that had been thrown in her face. She gasped, arching her back off the bed, the pain creating tears in her eyes. "Briar, what the hell happened?" Dylan asked, fussing over the cuts. Her eyes were wide as she pressed the already bloody towel to Briar's stomach. Briar gasped again, the pain surreal to her, her mind was trying to catch up to her body. Briar pulled a shaking hand from the wound and reached into her pocket for the note, pulling it out. She smiled weakly as she handed the now stained paper to Dylan. Dylan, concerned, took it from her and read it, let out a short laugh. Her eyes started to tear up as well as she looked back at Briar. "Bri, you're going to be okay. I'll stitch you up," Dylan said, patting Briar on the arm before running out to the car to get the first aid kit they had left out there. Briar coughed and wiped the water away from her mouth, smearing her blood across her already scaring cheek.

"You just love carving people up, don't you?" Briar asked the empty room. In the back of her head, she could hear the faint laughter. Briar breathed out a laugh as well, her eyes glazing. "Oh, I don't want to go back there, not yet," Briar groaned. Dylan came back in with the kit and rushed to Briar's side. She lifted the towel and smiled up at Briar.

"The bleeding's stopped for now," Dylan said, her tone reassuring. It seemed she had gathered her nerves while she was outside. Briar was silent as Dylan threaded the curved needle and started in on the first gash, the deepest of the four.

"I tried to run," Briar said, her voice distant. Dylan looked up at her, pausing in her work. "I made him mad," she continued. Dylan sighed and went back to stitching.

"I knew you couldn't leave well enough alone," Dylan said, shaking her head.

"No, I didn't mean to, if that's any consolation," Briar said. Dylan sighed again and didn't look back at Briar.

"No, no it's not. You tend to piss people off whether you mean to or not. Sometimes I wonder why I'm friends with you," Dylan said. Her face was grim, her eyes sunken and edged with red and black, both signs of the horror they were facing.

"I hope they get here soon," Briar said. Dylan looked up now. Briar coughed out a laugh. "I want to kick his ass as soon as I can," Briar explained.

"But did it even work? Your stupid experiment?" Dylan asked. Briar smiled and nodded. She took in a deep breath and groaned.

"Can you hurry that up please?" Briar asked, pointing down at her stomach. Dylan rolled her eyes and went back to work. When Dylan was done, Briar lay in the bathtub and poured peroxide over the fresh stitches. She winched as they bubbled and pulled any possible infection out. "Oh God, how I hate this stuff," Briar said. Dylan rolled her eyes and handed Briar another bottle of peroxide from the toilet seat.

"At least you aren't dying," Dylan said, "That's always a plus." Briar groaned again and leaned her head back against the cold tile.

"I hate that man," Briar said. Dylan laughed and pulled Briar up. Briar made every pained noise known to man as she bent to stand. Briar held her tank top up as Dylan mopped away the bubbles with a damp towel and set to winding bandages around her middle.

"I can tell, you just keep going in to those dreams to piss him off more," Dylan said. Briar rolled her eyes, but stayed silent. Dylan finished the bandage and handed Briar her clean pants to change into before leaving her alone. Briar struggled out of her blood and peroxide soaked jeans before pulling on a fresh pair of sleeping pants. She laughed a little at the irony.

"I won't be sleeping tonight, that's for damn sure," Briar said. She sighed and bent her head, debating on going out there. Dylan was miffed at something and she couldn't exactly tell what. "I'm slipping."

Dylan dropped into her chair and put her head on the table. The lack of sleep was beginning to grate on her nerves. She picked her head up at the sound of Your Man by Josh Turner playing on her phone, a smile lighting her lips. "Hey Dean," she said when she opened her phone.

"Hey, babe. How's it going over there?" Dean asked. Dylan could hear his favorite song playing in the background and Sam's soft snores.

"Um, I wish I could tell you it's going great, but I'm not so sure," Dylan said.

"What happened?" Dean asked. Dylan scratched at a spot on the table.

"Briar's hurt. Well, both of us have gotten hurt, but Briar's is the worst," Dylan said. Dean was silent.

"What is it, babe, what's happening," Dean asked. She could hear the concern in his voice. Dylan smiled, and leaned against her arms perched on the tabletop.

"It's uh, I think it's something that Briar wants to say in person," Dylan answered. "But, I'm trying to stay awake, talk to me for a bit?" Dylan asked. She heard Dean let out a low laugh.

"Sure. What do you want to talk about?" he asked. Dylan looked at her computer screen.

"Dreams, what kind of dreams have you been having?" Dylan asked, saying the first thing that popped into her head.

"Well, aside from the usual, nothing real exciting happens in my dreams that I remember," Dean said. Dylan frowned.

"Well, that's very exciting," Dylan commented, rolling her eyes.

"What about you then, what kind of dreams have you been having?" Dean asked. Dylan dropped her eyes to the carpet under her feet.

"Nothing I want to talk about. Ever," Dylan said. She heard Dean sigh and shift the phone to his other hand.

"That bad, huh?" Dean asked. Dylan's eyes started to water.

"Yeah, that bad," she answered, cursing silently when her voice broke. Dean was silent, which meant he had heard it.

"It's going to be okay, babe, I promise. When I get there, everything will get better," Dean said. Dylan knew that this was simply something he always said when he had nothing else to say.

"I know, and I'm holding on til then, I promise," Dylan said.

"Well, babe, I don't know what else to tell you. We're on the road right now," Dean answered back. Dylan smiled.

"How far out are you?" she asked, hoping they were close.

"Almost out of Iowa," Dean said. Dylan chuckled, remembering Briar's earlier comment.

"I'm not the only one that wants you to hurry Dean. I think Briar's beginning to think she's in over her head," Dylan said.

"Wow, I never thought there would be a case that she couldn't take on alone," Dean said, his amazement clear in his voice.

"As much as she seems like it, she's not Wonder Woman, Dean. She's still human as far as I know," Dylan said, earning a short laugh from Dean.

"I know, she's just so strong. But I guess that's why you're so soft around the edges. There has to be someone in the world to balance that girl out," Dean said.

"Wow, all this insight so late at night Dean. Did someone take his smart pills or something?" Dylan accused jokingly, taking the conversation into a lighter mood, something she needed.

"Yeah, Sammy shoved them down my throat," Dean said. Dylan rolled her eyes as she laughed at the image she got.

"I bet that was fun. So how are you two doing anyway?" Dylan asked.

"Good. We've been without a hunt in a couple of weeks, so it's been kind of boring," Dean said. Dylan smiled. "Hey, babe, I should start concentrating on the road here soon," Dean said. Dylan smiled.

"Okay. Tell Sam I said hi when he wakes up. Have a safe drive, Dean," Dylan said. Dean said goodbye and both hung up. Dylan continued to stare at her phone for a while before Briar finally came out of the bathroom.

"Hey, was that Dean?" Briar asked, sitting on the bed with a book.

"How'd you know?" Dylan asked. Briar smirked at her.

"The shit eating grin gave it away," Briar said, and her eyes diverted to her book. "How far out are they?" Briar asked. Dylan sighed and sat down on her own bed, best to use it, even if it weren't for sleeping.

"Just leaving Iowa," Dylan relayed.

"What, were they speeding or something?" Briar asked, looking up at Dylan. Dylan smiled and flopped back.

"Probably, knowing Dean," Dylan said.

"I need metal," Briar said out of the blue. Dylan turned to look at her, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Why do you need metal?" Dylan asked. Briar smirked deviously at her book.

"I have a project in mind. It'll distract me for the couple of days it'll take them to get here. Time best used for preparing for the last stand," Briar said.

"Alright Wolverine. What's this project of yours?" Dylan asked, her eyes back on the ceiling. Briar just let out a short, but wicked laugh, causing Dylan to sit up. "Please tell me you aren't going to do what I think you are," Dylan said.

"Can't promise that," Briar answered. She leaned over, groaning as she did so, and grabbed a sketchpad from her bag, settling it in her lap in front of the book. Dylan went quiet as Briar began drawing up her plans, the only sound in the room the scratches of the pencil on paper.

"So, any specifications on it?" Dylan asked, only half curious. Briar frowned, her hand still moving.

"I guess I need to talk to Crowley in order to get the right metal blend," Briar said. Dylan rolled her eyes and laid back down.

"As long as I don't have to talk to him or see him, I'm good," Dylan said. Briar huffed out a sigh and rolled her eyes to Dylan.

"I'll make it a quick and painless exchange," she said, trying to appease her already agitated friend.

"Good," Dylan said. She sighed and stared up at the ceiling. "What do we do now, Bri? Sit here and twirl our thumbs?" she asked. Briar stopped sketching and stared over at her friend. "I don't know about you, but after that little fiasco, I really don't feel like going back into la la land," Dylan added.

"I know what you mean," Briar said, shifting in her place and grunting. "This shit hurts." Dylan rolled her eyes.

"You are such a baby," she said. Briar sighed and went back to sketching. Dylan got bored of staring at the ceiling and stood, opting to surf the web for anything relevant. "So, why don't we just look for his grave site online?" Dylan asked. Briar stopped sketching for a second.

"Because I've already tried that," Briar said, going back to her work. Dylan went quiet again, thinking.

"So you think salting and burning the corpse, demon or ghost, he'll kill over and stop tormenting people?" Dylan asked.

"Yup," Briar said. She stopped sketching again and stood, pad and cell in hand. "I'm gonna go call Crowley," she added. Dylan nodded, her attention back on her computer.

Dylan turned when Briar walked back in, not two seconds after she left. Her form was bloody and beaten, more claw marks covering her body. "Jesus, what happened?" Dylan asked, standing up. Briar looked up, her blood coated hair hanging in clumps, a devious smirk on her lips. She opened her mouth to laugh, and the sound that came out wasn't hers.

"Sweet dear, you're so close to the edge," the voice said. Briar lifted her hand and pointed behind Dylan. She turned to look at what Briar was pointing at, to find herself on the edge of a cliff. Dylan screamed, her eyes shut tightly. She winced when someone touched her, but calmed when she heard Briar's voice, her real voice.

"Dylan, what's wrong?" Briar asked. Dylan turned and hugged Briar, crying into her shirt.

"I, you were all bloody," Dylan said, pushing Briar away to look over her. Briar was still the way she had left, white tank top and black sleeping pants, no blood to be seen. Dylan turned to look behind her, the hotel room swimming into view. "What's happening to me?" Dylan asked, still crying. Briar checked the time on her phone.

"When was the last time you slept?" Briar asked. Dylan continued to stare at the opposite wall, her mind trying to comprehend what she just saw.

"Uh, it's been a while," Dylan said. Briar stepped in front of Dylan.

"After seventy hours, your brain starts to shut down. Jesus, Dylan, you're bordering the edge of going into a coma," Briar said. She grabbed Dylan's shoulders and shook her, trying to get her attention back. "This isn't good, Dyl. You need to try to stay awake," Briar said. Dylan nodded meekly, her eyes focusing on Briar's face. She blinked and it was bloody, again and it was clear. Dylan sniffled.

"I don't want to be at his mercy, Bri, I don't," Dylan said, panic raising in her. Briar searched her eyes and nodded.

"I know you don't, and I'm going to try my hardest to make sure you don't get there," Briar said. She pushed a piece of hair out of Dylan's eyes and led her to the bed to sit her on the edge. "Just read or something, I'll be right here. Do you think you can stand being in the same room as Crowley so I can get this done?" Briar asked. Dylan nodded again and pushed herself further onto the bed.

"Get my journal, I'll record what we know about Freddy," Dylan said, her voice still distant. Briar dug through Dylan's bag and pulled out the blue book, handing it and a pen off to her before turning and dialing a number, no doubt Crowley's, to continue her conversation. A few minutes later, Dylan was peering up at Crowley over the top of her journal, watching him.

"So, let me get this straight, you want me, to give you, blessed silver so you can make yet another weapon capable of killing me, am I right?" Crowley asked Briar. Briar nodded and looked down at her sketch.

"Whether or not he's a demon, if he's affected by this, it'll let me know," Briar said. Crowley crossed his arms and leaned on them, pushing himself closer to the table.

"Why can't you take one of the knives I've supplied you with?" Crowley asked. Briar sighed and bent her head, placing it on a folded arm.

"Because he might be expecting that," Briar said. Crowley leaned back in his chair and thought for a second.

"Alright, I'll get it for you, in fact, I'll have it made for you, so you can use your precious time learning more about this demon or whatever you think it is," Crowley said. Briar let out her breath and began thanking him. "I'll have it here by tomorrow at the latest," Crowley said before disappearing.

"You're a liar, you know that?" Dylan asked. Briar arched an eyebrow and turned to her.

"How so?" Briar asked. Dylan scoffed and set her journal aside.

"Freddy wouldn't be expecting anything. His power has gone to his head and he thinks he's the only one that can control what goes on," Dylan said. Briar rolled her eyes and stood, laying down on the bed beside Dylan.

"You're right, I think it's just more poetic to take him down with his own weapon," Briar said. "And more bad ass." Dylan let it go and handed her journal to Briar.

"Sound right?" she asked, changing the subject. Briar took the book and read through what Dylan had written and handed it back.

"Yep, just about," Briar said. She stood and grabbed her own journal, folding and sticking the printed obituaries into it, as well as transferring her sketch of the claw to the pages. She started writing her own description and information in it.

"So, what are we going to do?" Dylan asked. Briar sighed and dropped her pencil.

"I really don't know this time," Briar said. She looked over at Dylan, her eyes saddened. "Dyl, I think that he actually might be too powerful for us," she added.

"Don't say that. We can't give up," Dylan said, standing from her bed. Briar sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"We're working on very thin ice, Dylan. I don't see how we're going to get through this," Briar said. Dylan nodded and sat down at the edge of her mattress.

"You're really counting on Dean being here, aren't you?" Dylan asked. Briar sighed.

"Yeah, just a little," Briar answered.

"Just because you want the dream root to get this over with, or something else?" Dylan asked.

"I'd like your backup when I go in there to face him. In order to wake us up though, we'd need Dean and Sam," Briar admitted. Dylan sat there quietly.

"How are we going to make it to tomorrow?" Dylan asked. Briar turned to face her friend, a defeated glaze to her eyes.

"I don't know, Dyl," Briar said. She stood and turned to the door. "I need some fresh air. If you need me, I'll be right outside," Briar said. Dylan nodded and watched her leave before taking her seat in front of her laptop.

Briar leaned against the wall, staring over the banister out into the parking lot of the cheap hotel they were at. She breathed in the cool night air and her muscles began to release their tension.

"Scared, aren't you?" Freddy asked. Briar didn't jump, she knew he would show up eventually. Despite sleeping, her and Dylan weren't getting very restful slumbers, pushing them to the brink sooner than they realized. It wouldn't be long until Freddy would have them in his clutches, permanently. She just hoped that Dean and Sam got here before that happened.

"No, just exhausted," Briar answered. Freddy laughed, the sound coming from all directions. "I really hate when you do that," Briar said. She turned to face the voice and found nothing. "I think you're the one that's scared," Briar added, now talking to herself. Freddy didn't answer, which meant he wasn't there anymore. Briar's phone rang and she opened it, showing the caller ID as Sam.

"Hey, Sammy," Briar greeted.

"Briar, hey, what's up?" he asked. Briar sighed and stared down at her bare feet.

"Just trying to stay awake, you?" she countered. She heard Dean snoring. No doubt they had stopped, whether in a meadow or a hotel, but Dean was out for the night.

"I slept most of the drive over, Dean's out now. I thought I'd call and see how you two are doing," Sam said. Briar smiled.

"That's sweet Sam, thanks. We're as good as we can be. I got a slice taken out of me, but it wasn't too horrible," Briar said. She heard Sam pause, thinking over what he wanted to say.

"Look Briar, it's okay to ask for help every once in a while," Sam started. Briar sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I know, Sammy, I really do. It's just that I was practically raised by myself, and I wasn't given anything without having to work for it, so I try to do the best I can with what I have," Briar said.

"I know Briar, trust me I do. It's just, call us sooner, you know? We'll be happy to help if we can," Sam said. Briar felt bad now. Sam was worried about her and Dylan, and she didn't like making the people she had grown to care about concerned.

"That's why I called when I did. I was originally going to wait for a few more days, but its," Briar cut off when she saw Freddy standing out in the parking lot. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her free hand.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked. Briar shook her head, trying to get herself to focus.

"Nothing, I'm just hallucinating," she dismissed it.

"That's not normal Bri," Sam said, his voice so open, the concern flooding out of it.

"Well, it is when you haven't slept very well in nearly seventy hours," Briar countered.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Sam asked. Briar slid down the wall to sit on the cold concrete.

"It's this damned dream thing," Briar said, glaring up at Freddy who had appeared in front of her. He vanished as soon as she blinked. "He's tormenting me because I kept him from a kill," Briar said.

"How'd you do that?" Sam asked. Briar could imagine him pacing outside the impala or in the hotel room. Judging by his voice, he wasn't close enough to Dean to wake him.

"I, uh, attacked him with salt, and he kinda sizzled," Briar said. Sam was quiet for a second.

"Sounds like a ghost to me," Sam said. Briar nodded and turned to stare in the opposite direction when Freddy appeared in front of her.

"Or a demon," Briar added. She heard the brush of his hair across the mic and assumed he was nodding his head. "Dylan and I were going to try and find where he's buried, because we know he used to be alive," Briar said. Freddy hissed at her. He was spying, trying to figure out what her plan was.

"And how did you find this out?" Sam asked. Briar smirked.

"I have a question for you," Briar said, avoiding his. Sam coughed and waited. "Have you ever seen A Nightmare on Elm Street?" Briar asked. Sam was quiet, debating.

"Yeah, the new one," Sam said. "Went with Dean to go see it," he added.

"Good, then you'll be kinda prepared for this case," Briar said.

"What does that mean?" Sam asked, becoming more concerned for Briar's sanity.

"Nothing. How far out are you?" Briar asked. She heard Sam chuckle.
"We're in the middle of Illinois," Sam said. Briar rolled her eyes.

"Oh Jesus, Dean speeds like there are hell hounds on his tail," Briar said. Sam laughed at her. "So, I guess we should expect you in the next day or so," Briar added.

"Yeah, with the way Dean drives, this isn't going to be a long trip," Sam agreed. Briar smiled into the phone, glad that Sam was always so passive.

"Well, Sammy, thanks for the call, but I should go check on Dylan," Briar said. Sam hummed.

"Yeah. Bye Briar, it was nice talking to you," Sam said and hung up. Briar clicked her phone shut and looked up at Freddy.

"Happy with what you heard?" She asked. He cackled and disappeared.

"It's you that's dreaming about me," his disembodied voice called. Briar rolled her eyes and stood to go back to her room.

"You okay there Dylan?" Briar asked as she shut the door. Dylan smiled over at her before turning back to her computer.

"Yeah, just watching a movie," Dylan said. Briar came to stand behind her hand watched over her shoulder.

"Really? You know, I've got the cables to hook your computer up to the TV," Briar said. Dylan rolled her eyes and paused the movie, looking to Briar expectantly. "Alright," Briar said, and began digging through her bag, pulling out them out and handing them off to Dylan.

"Should I start it over?" Dylan asked, turning the screen on. Briar smirked and nodded. Dylan dragged the slider back to the beginning and both sat on the edge of Briar's bed, their eyes locked on the screen showing My Bloody Valentine.

‡

It was hours later when Briar got a call from Dean telling her that they were near the Ohio border. Briar told them what hotel they were staying at and hung up. Dylan looked over at Briar, a small smirk on her face.

"I thought of something you didn't," Dylan said. Briar turned to look at her, confused. "We'll need some of his DNA for the dream root," Dylan said. Briar laid back and stared up at the ceiling.

"We go and get it, or, one of us does," Briar said. Dylan stood from the bed and looked down at Briar.

"Then it's settled, I'm going in," Dylan said. Briar glared up at her.

"No, you're going to stay here and make sure I come out unscathed," Briar countered. Dylan shook her head.

"Not gonna happen, dude. You're still injured, and I'm not going to risk you," she argued. Briar sat up and fought a wince.

"But I know how to argue with him," Briar said. "You're more vulnerable to him than I am. You've done nothing but run from him." Dylan growled at Briar.

"I can handle myself, Briar," Dylan said. "Not to mention, I'm less injured than you are, I can run if things get tough," Dylan said. Briar stood to her full height and looked down at Dylan.

"It's not about running with him. That never works, he'll always be able to find you. It's about getting close enough to get what I need and then get out. I'm not going to die from this, if I need to, I can still run," Briar argued back. Dylan glared at Briar.

"Well," Dylan said, her argument failing. Briar smiled at her.

"Dylan, in the end, it all comes down to whether or not you can reason with him, and I can do that," Briar said. Dylan hung her head.

"I wish you didn't" she said. Briar wrapped her arms around her friend.

"It's okay Dyl, I can protect myself," Briar said. Dylan nodded and Briar lay back down. She stretched out and closed her eyes, drifting off more easily than she should have.

Briar found herself back in the factory, the color red blurring in front of her. 'So you've returned on your own,' Freddy said, stepping out from behind a corner. Briar rolled her eyes and leaned against the railing, waiting for him to approach her. 'I thought you had gotten the message,' Freddy continued.

'What? The message that you were done playing with me?' Briar asked. She shook her head slowly. 'No, I don't think I did,' she said. Freddy growled at her.

'I'll never be done with you,' Freddy countered, moving in closer. 'I want you to hit that wall. I want you to stay here forever,' Freddy said. He leaned his face in close to Briar's pressing his mouth against her ear. 'I want you as my eternal entertainment,' he said, and licked a line up to her hair. Briar held back her gag and focused on what she came here for. She reached up and caressed the side of his face, the one that was most open. Before he knew it, Briar had tucked her fingers under a loose piece of flesh and pulled it off. She pushed him and started running away, screaming at the top of her lungs. Briar hit a wall and...

She sat up, still screaming. Dylan looked concerned. "Did he hurt you?" Dylan asked. Briar panted and shook her head. She opened her hand and looked down into the palm. There sat a tiny bit of burnt flesh, straight from the face of Freddy. "Dude, you got it!" Dylan shouted, jumping from the bed and doing an odd dance. Briar frowned down at the bit of flesh.

"The thought of drinking that is kinda making me gag," Briar said. Dylan stopped dancing and made a sound like retching.

"I didn't want to think about that till absolutely necessary," Dylan said. Briar let out a laugh. She stood and put the flake of skin in a plastic baggy and dropped it into the cooler.

"So what are we going to do now?" Briar asked. She leaned against the door jamb and stared at Dylan. Dylan stood there staring over at Briar. Both of them jumped when someone knocked on the door. Briar turned and opened it, sighing when Crowley stood there.

"You girls are too jumpy. What's got your knickers in a twist?" Crowley asked. Briar rolled her eyes and let him in.

"We've been keeping horrible sleeping patterns," Briar explained. Crowley produced a box and set it on the table before turning back to Briar.

"For you," he said, then vanished. Briar began jumping up and down, clapping as she did so.

"He brought it!" she cried and nearly jumped on the box. She ripped the top off and her eyes widened at the shiny contraption inside. Briar lifted the claw out and pulled it on, flexing her fingers to judge how much of a fist she could make. Dylan's eyes were wide.

"Are you freaking serious?" Dylan asked, her voice raising. "Are you turning into Freddy now?" Briar grinned sadistically and looked up at Dylan.

"Not by a long shot, but this thing is wicked," Briar said. She made a slashing motion in the air and giggled. Dylan took a step back and pulled her phone from her pocket. She took a picture of a sadistically grinning Briar with the claw and sent it to Dean, the message, "she's scaring me" to go along with it. A few seconds later, Dean's ring tone started playing and Dylan hit send, pulling the phone up to her ear.

"Help. Me," Dylan said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What's wrong, babe?" Dean asked, slightly panicked. Dylan giggled.

"Briar got a new toy, and she's being kinda scary with it," Dylan explained.

"That's always dangerous. We aren't far out, I'll be there soon to save you," Dean said seriously. Dylan giggled again.

"Please, I don't need saving from Briar, she's just a freak is all," Dylan said.

"DORK!" Briar screeched, making sure Dean could hear it from his end. Dylan rolled her eyes when she heard Dean laugh.

"Get here soon though. I'm not sure how much longer we'll be able to last," Dylan said.

"I'm almost there, babe. We're just outside of the next town over," Dean said. Dylan sighed in relief.

"And you've got the dream root?" Dylan asked. Briar started bouncing in front of her, keeping her clawed hand behind her back.

"Yeah, we do," Dean said. Dylan heard Sam mumble something over the phone. "Sammy's going to mix it up for you," he added. Dylan felt some of the tension leak out of her muscles.

"Thank goodness. By the way, Briar's whispering something about wanting to talk to Sam," Dylan said. Dean sighed and she heard him pass the phone over before Sam said hello. Dylan passed the phone over to Briar and backed away from her, not wanting to turn her back on her hyper, jumpy, armed friend.

"Hey Sammy," Briar greeted, no longer bouncing. She waited while he said hello, another grin spreading across her face before it went back to seriousness. "Yeah, we've got a bit of DNA, though it's going to be tough to get it down," Briar said. Dylan could see her struggling to keep her mind on one thing. "I've got it on ice, so," Briar said. It wasn't long before she said good-bye and handed the phone back over.

"So?" Dylan asked. Briar sighed and looked off to the side, supposedly staring at something.

"They'll be here in a few minutes. Sam said Dean started to speed up as soon as he handed the phone over," Briar said. She backed up to the table and took the claw off while her hand was still behind her back, her eyes locked onto the patch of wall. She turned and pushed it into the box before putting the lid back on and walking up to the door. "I think I'm going to get some air," Briar said right before closing the door behind her.

"I never thought I'd see you run from me," Freddy said as soon as Briar had the door shut. He paced up to her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, Briar wincing away as he did so. "And what was that you were hiding from me?" he asked. Briar shook her head, her eyes shut tightly.

"You're not here, you're not here," Briar repeated to herself. When she opened her eyes, Freddy was gone, the only sign of him was his fading laughter. Briar sighed and turned to face the door, hoping that that was the last waking dream she would have. She pushed the door opened and her eyes landed on Dylan who was staring at her phone and rocking back and forth slightly. "I think you've lost it," she commented, causing Dylan to look up at her.

"You've lost it!" Dylan countered. Briar rolled her eyes.

"Tell me something I don't know," she said and went to sit at the edge of Dylan's bed. "We have just a few more minutes," Briar said, knowing what Dylan was anticipating. Dylan looked up and frowned at her. Briar's phone chimed, signaling a new text. She answered it and continued to watch Dylan with a knowing smirk.

"How much longer do you think?" Dylan asked, looking up at Briar. Briar smiled at her.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two," Briar said and turned to the door which opened when Briar would have said one. Dylan shot up and launched herself at Dean as he walked in, wrapping her arms around his neck and clinging to him. In turn, he wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed, his face buried in her shoulder.

"Dean, thank God," Dylan breathed out, loosening her grip and leaning back, smiling up at him. Dean smiled at her and then over to Briar.

"Wow, I feel special," Dean said. Briar and Sam rolled their eyes at the same time. Sam stepped around Dean and approached Briar, a small parcel in his hand.

"How are you doing?" Sam asked, ignoring the current make-out session going on between the couple in the open doorway. Briar looked over Sam's shoulder and rolled her eyes again.

"I think the world could end and they wouldn't even realize it," Briar commented. She turned back to Sam with a tired smile on her lips. "As good as a girl can be on a severe lack of sleep," she told him. Sam sat down next to her and handed the parcel to her.

"I brought enough for the four of us," Sam said. Briar frowned and shook her head.

"I'm afraid not, Sammy. You and Dean are going to stay here to make sure we wake up," Briar said. Sam frowned at her now.

"Why not?" Sam asked. Briar shook her head again.

"Because, I'm not entirely sure we'll be able to get out. I guess it's time I tell you and Dean the whole story," Briar said. She looked up at Dylan and Dean still standing in the open doorway making out. "HEY YOU LOVE BIRDS!" Briar shouted at them. They parted and turn to look at her innocently. "Dean, that innocent look doesn't work on you," Briar said, standing. She pointed to the beds and went to stand in front of them like a lecturer. "Sit," she commanded. Dean looked sheepish and sat on the edge of Briar's bed, Dylan beside him. "Not you, Dylan, you freak," Briar said. Dylan rolled her eyes but stood anyway.

"So, what's up?" Dean asked, looking between Briar and Dylan.

"I don't know how to say this gently, so here it goes. We're fighting Freddy Krueger," Briar said. Dean blinked and began laughing.

"He's a fictional character, Briar," Sam said, looking at Dylan who was shaking her head.

"Nope, no he's not, look," Dylan said, pulling the bandage on her cheek off. Sam winced in sympathy at the harsh red cuts pulled together by several black stitches. Briar pulled up her shirt to show them the almost fresh slices on her stomach.

"Damn," Dean said, standing to get a closer look at the cuts on each girl. "So, do you two have any idea how to fight him?" he asked. Briar dropped her shirt and sighed.

"Dylan and I have to fight him on his own turf. Maybe just enough to get any kind of information out of him, but if that fails, to the death," Briar said. She could see the complaints already on Dean's face.

"If I didn't think Dylan could do this, I wouldn't let her go, but she's just as determined as I am to get rid of him," Briar said. "Not to mention she's seen what he's capable of." Dean was silent. Briar moved to the cooler and pulled the baggie out, making Dylan gag again.

"So, I was able to get some of his flesh, believe it or not, and I know that we can take weapons in with us, so long as we visualize us in there with the items we want," Briar said. Dylan hummed and nodded, as if she actually knew what was going on.

"So what do you need us here for?" Dean asked. Briar frowned and looked over at Dylan.

"Unfortunately, I don't know whether or not we'll be able to wake up on our own," Briar said. Dylan perked up and turned to Dean.

"The human brain has a limit as to how long it can go without sleep. After about seventy hours, it starts to periodically shut down without you realizing it. Basically, this means you're having a waking slumber. Briar and I are already past that point. After that, you're brain shuts down permanently, sending the body into a coma," Dylan said, her voice getting sad at the end. Dean nodded, finally understanding.

"And how do you think Sam and I are going to pull you two out of a coma?" Dean asked. Briar moved to her bag sitting on the table. She pulled out a few boxes and set them out on the table as a demonstration.

"Inject us with these," Briar said.

"What are those?" Sam asked. Briar sighed and moved back to Dylan, handing her the baggie to put back in the cooler. She gripped it with two fingers and held it away from her body, dropping it into the cooler.

"Adrenaline," Briar stated. "It should wake us up. There's two there, it's all I could get," Briar said. Dean nodded and leaned his elbows on his knees, his hands holding his head up.

"Now what was with that freaky claw Dylan sent me a picture of?" Dean asked. Briar giggled and placed her finger to her lips, imitating that he should be quiet.

"It's a surprise for Freddy," Briar said. Dylan nodded and went to sit next to Dean.

"So all you need now is the dream drought," Sam said, standing. Briar nodded and led him to where she was keeping a couple of cups that he could mix the solution in.

A few moments later, Briar and Dylan were sitting back on their respective beds with the dream drought in their hands. Both of them were frowning down at the beverage. "I have a little piece of Freddy floating in my drink," Briar said, poking at the bit of skin they had cut in half. Dylan made a sound like she was gagging. Briar giggled and looked over at her.

"Bri, don't make this harder for me than it already is," Dylan said. Briar stopped giggling and turned back to her drink.

"Think of it like it's a pill or something. For like, a headache," Briar said, and proceeded to down the beverage, gagging once. Dylan gagged again before downing hers. She pressing a hand to her lips to try to keep it down. Before either of them knew it, they were both passed out on their beds.

Briar looked around her and down at her feet. She saw the duffel bag where she imagined it. She bent to unzip it, finding all the weapons the girls would need. She pulled the box out and fastened the claw in place. Dylan appeared beside her not much long after her. She tossed Dylan a shot gun and a vial of holy water, before handing off a box of salt rounds. Briar picked up her own gun and turned to look at Dylan. 'Time to get the show on the road, girly,' Briar said. The opened the door to the hotel and stepped out into the snowy playground.

'Where are we?' Dylan asked. Briar glanced behind her at the school and shuddered.

'Where all this started,' Briar said. Dylan turned, examining the area and gagged when she laid eyes on the bodies pinned to the fence, their insides spilling out tainting the snow an odd rust color.

'I don't want to know,' Dylan said an turned back to follow Briar.

'Follow me,' Briar said, and led the way into the school, her eyes casting in every direction looking for Freddy. She pushed the door open, wincing as it made a loud noise. She stepped in and looked down both halls. 'If I were Freddy, where would I be?' Briar asked herself. Dylan stepped up beside her and glanced down the hall to the left.

'Didn't you tell me that he lived in the basement?' Dylan asked. Briar nodded and turned left, letting her instincts lead her. Soon, they came to a door marking the basement room, and opened it. Briar stepped through and the door slammed shut behind her, locking Dylan out. Briar turned and banged on the door, calling out Dylan's name.

Dylan stared at the door that came so close to chopping her hand off. She was surprised she hadn't wet herself from the close call. Dylan turned when she heard laughter, aiming her shotgun first. As soon as her eyes landed on Freddy, although he was stunned to see her with a weapon, she fired, causing him to disperse. Ghost? Freddy hissed in her ear behind her and Dylan whipped around to fire again, catching him in the throat. She heard Freddy groan and Dylan started to scream. She ran down the hall trying to find another way to get to Briar.

Briar turned when she heard Dylan's fading screams. There were tears slipping down her cheeks, but she wiped them away and headed down the stairs. She reached the room she recognized as Freddy's bedroom, the scene so similar to that of the movie, except for the various lit candles. Briar gagged at the thought that rose in her head. 'Perv,' she mumbled. Briar looked around, and upon not finding anything of value, turned to leave, only to come face to face with Freddy, his eyes showing his surprise, even though his face was stoic.

'I never thought you would come directly to me, in my dreams,' he said, stepping forward. Briar moved her left hand back behind her back, holding the shotgun in her right at chest level.

'I wanted this to be over,' Briar said. Freddy cackled, still approaching her. He stopped when he was mere inches away.

'But it is over. You can never leave now,' Freddy said, running his claw across Briar's cheek, being so careful as to not cut her. His eyes washed over her entire face, drinking in the beauty he saw in it. 'It's been so long since I've had one as pretty as you, though, not as old,' Freddy said to her. Briar took a few steps back, Freddy taking those steps forward to stay that same pace away.

'What would you do if I said I didn't want to spend eternity with you,' Briar said, her voice calm, collected.

'What would you do if I told you I had Dylan tied up somewhere, all ready to be carved up if you disagreed?' Freddy said back. Briar's eyes narrowed.

'You son of a bitch!' Briar screamed and flung her left hand out and across him, slicing into his flesh. His eyes widened at the sudden strike. He staggered back and stood in shock.

'How?' he questioned. Briar had fresh tears streaking down her cheeks. Briar shook her head, too stunned to answer.

'You let Dylan go,' Briar said finally. Freddy laughed now and stepped closer again.

'I knew she would be the weak link in your armor,' Freddy said. He bent his face up slightly to stare her in the eyes after he closed the distance between them. 'Say you'll stay,' Freddy said. Briar felt trapped, consumed by the urge to sacrifice herself for Dylan. Really, who deserved to live more, Briar thought, Dylan or me?

'Let Dylan go,' Briar said, her tone defeated.

'Not what I want to hear,' Freddy said. Briar sniffled and shook her head.

'I'll stay here for eternity,' Briar finally said, letting him hear the words he wanted to.

'Then she's free,' Freddy said, smiling. He pulled Briar to his lips pressing her against them.

Dylan panted and leaned back against the railing, watching both sides of her. Her gun was slung over her shoulder to make it easier for her to run. When she had left the preschool, her surroundings quickly turned into that of a factory. She recognized the description from that of what Amanda had told her and Briar. After she had left the snowy yard behind, she hadn't seen Freddy for a while, but still she continued to run just in case he was waiting for her to stop. Dylan finally stopped when her legs couldn't take her any farther. 'I hope Briar's okay,' Dylan said, standing and getting a better view of her current trap.

'I had hoped to carve you up,' Freddy's voice said, ringing from every direction. Dylan covered her eyes with her hand and groaned.

'I fucking knew it,' Dylan said. Freddy chuckled, the sound no longer disembodied. Dylan turned to where the sound came from and aimed her shot gun. Freddy stepped forward and ripped it out of her grip, flinging it over the railing to plummet to the bottom of the factory. Freddy laughed again.

'There's nothing you can do here, and you aren't welcome here anymore, so you have two choices,' Freddy said. He raised one claw, 'You can be killed, or,' Freddy raised a second claw, 'you can leave and never come back.' Dylan was confused by the offer.

'What, am I no fun anymore?' she asked. Freddy laughed again.

'I got what I wanted, I don't need you anymore,' Freddy said. Dylan stood up straighter and look him right in the eyes.

'Good God, you're short,' Dylan said, unable to control her mouth. Freddy glared at her. 'Sorry, not what I meant to say,' Dylan tried to amend. 'What I wanted to say, before my brain so rudely interrupted, was, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN?' Dylan screamed at him. Freddy backed off, not used to the sudden out burst.

'Briar has agreed to stay with me, for your safety,' Freddy said. He stalked up to her and grasped her throat in his non-clawed hand. 'But what she doesn't know, won't bother her.' He squeezed and lifted Dylan off the ground, her feet swinging beneath her, trying to find purchase. One of her feet hit Freddy's leg, and Dylan was going to use whatever she got. She put a slight amount of weight onto it and brought her other foot up, catching him in the ribs. Freddy flew backwards a few feet and Dylan landed back on the catwalk.

'Oh yeah, I forgot about that,' Dylan said. She imagined her shotgun back in her hands and when she opened her eyes, there it was. She shot at Freddy as he stood, and he dispersed. 'YEAH! That's right, BITCH!' Dylan yelled to the space around her. She turned and the image of Briar popped into her head. She felt sick as the world around her swam and she was standing in a dim candle lit room. She looked around at the pink walls, the stuffed animals on shelves, the plush pink bed covers and...Briar in a white dress with pink bows in her hair. Briar looked up and her eyes widened.

'BRIAR, what the HELL?' Dylan asked. Briar's eye narrowed.

'Take a wild fucking guess,' Briar seethed. Dylan could tell she wasn't enjoying this at all. Dylan couldn't help the giggles that made their way up her throat, causing Briar's frown to deepen. 'I'm going to need severe mental help after this,' Briar said. She stood from the bed and as she walked to Dylan, there was a sound of chains rattling.

'Well, I didn't want to take him seriously when he said you had agreed to stay with him forever,' Dylan said. She looked down at the chain that fastened Briar's ankle to the bed post. 'Remember the dream root though, Bri,' Dylan said. Briar glared at her, then closed her eyes. Dylan watched as her clothes changed into something more Briar like and the chain around her ankle disappeared. 'Nice work, Bri,' Dylan said. Briar grabbed Dylan's arm and ushered her out the door, closing it between them.

'Leave, Dylan, I can't protect you here,' Briar said through the wood. Dylan sighed and leaned her head against the door.

'And you can't protect yourself. We need each other to survive, dude,' Dylan said. Briar opened the door again and whispered to Dylan.

'Then wait here and come after him when I have his back turned,' Briar said, handing Dylan a knife she recognized. Briar closed the door again and Dylan heard Freddy's voice.

'I was going to let your little friend go, but she decided that she would rather stay here and die, so I had to kill her,' Freddy said, his voice cruel. 'What are you wearing?' he asked.

'What I would prefer to wear,' Briar said. Dylan leaned in closer to the door, the conversation going quiet. 'NOW!' Briar screamed suddenly and Dylan flung the door open. She launched forward and plunged the dagger into Freddy's back, over his heart. He gave out a scream and his body turned to ash.

The next thing Dylan knew, she was floating outside her body. She looked over at Briar, her white, transparent form floating just outside hers, her eyes still closed.

Dylan sat up, shock running through her, her heart pumping at a speed she didn't think was possible. She looked up above her at the place where she had last been, then up over Briar's still body. "What happened? Where's Briar?" Dylan asked. Dean came up to her and sat on the edge of her bed, his eyes sad.

"She's in a coma," Dean said gently. Dylan's eyes went wide.

"Just use the adrenaline, it's easy," Dylan said, looking between a sad Dean and a guilty looking Sam standing on the other side of Briar's bed. It was then that she realized that Sam was holding the broken container of adrenaline meant for Briar. "No, no, please tell me, no," Dylan said, tears streaking down her face. She slid off her bed and hugged Briar, her ear to Briar's heart, still beating. "No, Briar, you can wake up now," Dylan sniffled, shaking Briar gently. "Bri, we did it, we killed him, you can wake up now," Dylan cried. She wiped the hair away from Briar's face and sobs wracked their way up her body. She cried over Briar's stomach, and she was vaguely aware of Dean wrapping his arms around her from behind. Dean pulled her up off the ground and set her on the edge of her bed. Dylan turned and buried her head in his shoulder, not wanting to see Briar laying there, still trapped in that eternal sleep.

"Shh, Dylan. We'll find a way to bring her back," Dean said, soothing a hand down Dylan's hair. Dylan didn't stop crying.