Emerging Powers

By: The Silverhyena

The "Timeline" of this story coincides with Lady Voorhees' The Bound Fedora. Used with permission. Hey, Blake McCormick is an "Elm Street Brat", it was really only a matter of time before she and the infamous "Urban Legend" of the area crossed paths.

Chapter 1: Curiosity

*Springwood, Ruins of what was once Westin Hills*

It had been an interesting four or so years to say the least for Blake McCormick. Ever since the girl had been abducted from her hometown of Springwood by that devil-worshiping cult and dragged all the way to Crystal Lake, things were different. There, she had met the best friends that a little girl could have ever possibly asked for. Not just her guardian angels, Jason and Lisa Voorhees. There was Kane and Hodder as well, a pair of purebred German Shepherds, one white as snow, the other black as the night. That was also where she not only discovered just who and what her mother was, but that she had inherited and developed her own set of rather... unique abilities. There was no sense in denying it; Blake was gifted with psychic abilities!

However, the budding teen had little idea how to fully utilize and control her powers. Blake still remained shy, often finding comfort with her father and two dogs or their yearly vacations out to Camp Crystal Lake in between the Spring and Summer. Although often reminded by Lisa and her father that her gifts were nothing to be ashamed of, Blake did her best to keep them hidden and only used them in private... or when it couldn't be helped. Still, despite everything she had been through, Blake remained a kind and gentle soul.

By now, Blake was blooming into quite the pretty young lady. Her eyes still remained her most unique feature, one a deep, chocolate brown and the other sky blue. Silky, shoulder length brown hair framed her gentle face. Even as she grew older, Blake still held the innocent appearance that she'd had since she was a child. The girl bore the scars from her imprisonment all those years ago, the most prominent one being a single, long blade mark down her right forearm and had several others peppering places hidden by the oversized black hoodie that she just slipped on over her head. It hardly matched the bright blue sundress that she was wearing, but Blake never cared. She loved that old, worn out hoodie almost as much as her daddy and two loyal German Shepherds!

Speaking of which, both Kane and Hodder trotted beside their mistress quite happily as they strolled down the eerily deserted streets of town. Things had gone on as normal, well, as normal as they could, then just a week ago, EVERYTHING in Springwood was turned on it's head and burst into disarray. Westin Hills, the famous psychiatric hospital specializing in sleep disorders, had been burned to the ground. Completely destroyed. The Hypnocil supply had mysteriously vanished and dried up as well. Even Blake's father was worried. People were panicking, some packing up whatever would fit in their cars and driving as far from the town as possible. Businesses closed up and moved out in the matter of hours! The only places that seemed to have some regular activity were the bars and churches... maybe one of the local coffee joints too. Blake had often considered that something strange was going on around her hometown. After all, it had a pretty long history yet... she could not for the life of her locate a single spirit to ask about what was going on. And the living? Well, whenever the subject was brought up they seemed to go silent as the grave.

"Weird, isn't it, boys?" Blake asked, giving both of her dogs a scratch on the head, "In Crystal Lake I've got Mrs. Voorhees to talk too and the occasional moron who invaded Jason's property screaming for help. Occasional voices up in Texas when we went up to see daddy's extended family. And that time we passed through Haddonfield on a road trip. But here... there's nothing." she mused, as she walked.

Blake still felt something though, something inexplicable pulling her towards the ruins of the old hospital that she couldn't explain. Most would have considered it dangerous for such a young girl to be wandering around a near ghost town by herself, however there weren't many that would be dumb enough to attack a girl holding the leashes to a pair of potentially vicious German Shepherds and carrying a walking sturdy stick nearly as tall as herself!

It was a rather chilly and bleak day, despite being in the middle of April. And the gray clouds overhead only added to the dreary atmosphere once Blake and her furry friends made it to their destination. Where the once stark white brick walls stood was nothing but gray and blackened waste and rubble. The smell of smoke still hung heavy in the air and there was a powerful sense of foreboding and fear around the ruins of the once clean and well maintained hospital. There was a patchwork of mobile chain link fencing and police tape, but nothing that would keep unwanted explorers out. It was as though those that were investigating the crime scene wanted as little as possible to do with it. A loud bark from Kane broke the uncomfortable silence, then both dogs put their noses to the ground, already on the trail of something.

"I don't care what was stated on the news! This was NO freak accident, guys," Blake explained, ducking under the "Do not Cross" tape as she explored the rubble, "Someone, or something, deliberately set this place on fire. And we are going to find out what. There we go, boys! Seek! That's it, seek!"

After turning over some chunks of wall and foundation and moving the remnants of beds and other furniture aside, Kane and Hodder began to dig quickly, then abruptly stopped. Already, Blake could feel a change in the air and her chest tightened a little. She knew they were onto something. The two dogs whined softly, trying to place themselves between their mistress and whatever it was they had been digging up.

"Easy there, boys. That's it, Kane. There's a good boy, Hodder. What's wrong?"

Blake spoke softly and in a calm tone, gazing right back into the expressive brown eyes of both canines. There was something here they didn't like, and even she was feeling the goosebumps form on her skin as a freezing cold wind swept through the wreckage site.

"It's up to us to find out what's going on! Obviously no one else around here is." she added, bending down to finish what Kane and Hodder began.

Out of the rubble, the young teen pulled out a piece of red and green striped cloth that was oddly undamaged by the blaze. It was torn and frayed, like it had snagged on something prior. She was both intrigued and startled, especially when a strong scent began to fill her nose, overpowering that of smoke and ashes. Mens' cologne, maybe? Kane and Hodder ceased to whine and began growling instead, baring their teeth in a threatening display. However, Blake didn't have time to investigate further, someone was coming. Hastily, she slipped her find into the large front pocket of her hoodie and snuck out of the "accident scene" before she or her dogs got in trouble for snooping. Blake could feel her heart beating faster, and it wasn't just from picking up her pace on the walk back home.

As she walked, the smell became stronger, even once long out of sight of Westin Hills. Hodder and Kane started whining softly again, glancing up to Blake worriedly. But, once the small group left the near deserted town and turned onto their street, Elm Street, in order to head home, things became more intense from there. Blake stopped in front of a nice looking, light blue, two story house that had a gorgeous and immaculate lawn and well maintained garden. Two vehicles were parked in the driveway, though the trunks were open and in the process of being packed. But, when the girl blinked, a different sight filled her vision. It was the same lot, same yard, but it was vastly different. Dead trees, gray grass, and dry, crusty leaves blew in the chilling wind. The house had changed too, into an old, decrepit manor. Paint was peeling off of the rotting wooden sides and all the windows were boarded shut. At the top of the door was the address, "1428 Elm Street". There were several children, boys and girls, all dressed in what could only be described as old fashioned, Sunday finest, playing games in the yard. All they while, they sang a haunting nursery rhyme,

1, 2, Freddy's coming for you,

3, 4, better lock your door,

5, 6, grab your crucifix,

7, 8, better stay up late,

9, 10, never sleep again!

Blake took in a sharp breath and stumbled back. Her two dogs barked and whined, nuzzling against her just to make sure that she was okay.

"I'm fine, boys... I'm okay."

She pet each of her dogs in turn, realizing that it was merely a vision. An incredibly vivid one. Whether it was what was, will be, or may happen, Blake could not be certain. Not yet. Everything was back to normal again, with the exception of the current homeowners, a young married couple, rushing in and out, asking if they had everything they would need.

"Miss McCormick! What are you doing out here? It isn't safe. You and your father should leave this place! Leave now while you still can!" called the mother, as she fastened her three year old son into his car seat.

"What's going on? Why is everyone so scared? Does this... have something to do with 1428 Elm Street? Or the Hypnocil shortage?" Blake questioned, growing more and more confused and annoyed by the minute.

No one was telling her anything. Not even her own father. Peoples' minds tended to be blank around here, like they had been blocking a trauma out for so long that they eventually forget about it completely. All Blake did know was that the young mother she spoke to turned a deathly pale and looked like she might have begun crying upon hearing that mere address.

"Vernon... Vernon... We need to get out of here, now!"

Once the child was safely in the back seat, the young woman screamed at her husband to hurry up and that they needed to go. She never answered Blake's question, only that she had best forget that place, for her own safety. Very faintly, even as both husband and wife got into separate cars and backed out of their driveway, Blake could hear a voice in her mind, coming from the frantic mother.

'Poor girl, she'll be his next victim if she ever learns the truth... we never should have bought this place!'

The sound of car engines getting further away and Kane's and Hodder's frantic barking brought Blake out of her momentary trance. She couldn't be certain if the woman actually said something to her or not, but every so often, Blake would hear the thoughts of the living as well as the dead. Taking in a heavy sigh, the girl calmed down her two anxious dogs and made her way back home. Her dad would be worried about her if she stayed out for too long, even though he'd more then likely be asleep by the time she got back, since he worked at one of the few remaining taverns in town during the night shift.

Blake managed a small smile once she was home, a nice little, cottage style house at the end of the street. Sometimes, her father spoke of moving, especially now since this fiasco was happening, and while Blake always thought of this place at home, a thought did cross her mind that maybe she had her daddy could move to Crystal Lake and be closer to Jason and Lisa. While these ideas ran through her head, the girl showed herself inside and locked the door behind her before setting her walking stick down, taking off her boots, and unclipping Kane and Hodder from their leashes.

"Keep it down, daddy needs to sleep." Blake whispered to her dogs.

Despite the fact that they were barking and growling earlier, both German Shepherds quieted down at her request, happily taking the doggie treats that their mistress offered them before getting a drink of water from the kitchen. Blake however, found herself in the living room, on the comfy looking plush couch, sketchbook and pencil in hand, muttering that rhyme she had heard during her vision.

"1, 2, Freddy's coming for you," she muttered, taking that torn piece of cloth she had found back at Westin Hills out of her pocket, "3, 4, better lock your door."

Blake had lost track of time, only partially aware of what she was doing as her pencil met with paper and an image began to steadily form. That heavy scent began to waft in the air once more, she couldn't stop herself now. Images of a man with burnt skin and demonic, yellow eyes clouded her vision. She only stopped once she felt two large paws against her arm. Snapping out of her trance, Blake looked over, realizing that her dogs had joined her in the living room.

"Hodder! You silly boy, it's not... dinner time... yet..."

Each word became progressively slower as Blake looked at what she had drawn. Staring back at her from the paper was a malefic looking man with horribly disfigured skin, very much like what she had seen flashing before her eyes earlier. A fedora covered his head and he was wearing a striped sweater. What color, well, Blake hadn't thought that far in advance, she was just using a regular graphite led to draw right now. But the pattern matched the swatch of fabric she had found. Yet that wasn't the scariest part... no... Blake recognized what this burnt man had on his right hand. A glove, metal plated like a gauntlet with razors on the fingers, giving the appearance of claws.

"It... It can't be... t-that's the... the same thing mom-I... I mean... Amelia Rake used! That glove with the blades on it!" Blake mentioned, more to herself then anyone, as she glanced down to her dogs, "Jason and Lisa still have that thing nailed up to the wall of their tunnel. What is this guy doing with it? Who is he? Could... he be this... Freddy?"

Kane and Hodder both began to growl softly once more, the fur on their backs and hackles raising. Sighing heavily, Blake set her sketchbook and pencil down on the nearby coffee table, leaving her hands free to stroke and pet the dogs. Obviously, they had stumbled onto something, what exactly, the girl didn't know. She was able to take a break from her thoughts as Kane licked her hand and sniffed up her arm. Both dogs were more clingy then usual and didn't want to leave her. After such a long walk and with the growing darkness outside, Blake began to feel fatigue creeping over her. She hadn't been sleeping well the past week, and what little Hypnocil she and her father had left was rationed out carefully, barely enough for a few more days. Her dad was initially going to give what was left to her, but Blake refused to take it all. She couldn't do that to him, not until they could get some more.

As Blake settled in, moving herself into a more comfortable position on the couch, Hodder jumped up, curling up at her feet and resting his head on her legs, while Kane lay down on the floor, where Blake's hand still rested upon his thick fur. Somehow, Blake just knew that this was going to be far more then a little Sunday nap. She felt drawn, a powerful urge to go somewhere that most weren't able to. A place she had unwittingly visited before when she was younger.

"Just think happy thoughts, boys." Blake mumbled, to her dogs, before her heavy eyelids closed, pulling her into the realm of dreams.

~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~

Author's Notes: Well, I figured that it would have to be done. Blake is an Elm Street child, (or brat, if you prefer Freddy's terminology. As stated above, I'm utilizing Lady Voorhees' version of Krueger from her story Bound Fedora, which is an interesting read. Check it out if you haven't already.

Anyways, I LOVED Blake from my Ft13th story, Guardian Angels, so much that I wanted to do more with her in her hometown of Springwood. Some time has passed, so she's just starting to get into her teen years. Blake knows there's odd happenings in town, but what exactly, that's up to her to find out, since no one else is going to. Also brought back Kane and Hodder, of course. And in case you are wondering, Yes, Blake, her father, and her dogs DO go up to Crystal Lake at least once a year.

This was a lot of fun to work with, feedback is much appreciated and I hope you like reading it as much as I liked writing it.

Disclaimer: I do NOT claim any ownership of Nightmare on Elm Street or Freddy Krueger. Freddy Krueger belongs to Wes Craven and Sidney belongs to Lady Voorhees.