Kristen tried to take deep breaths. She stared with her big wide blue eyes around the darkened basement, which smelled of moldy water and stale fear. For the past three weeks she had been dreaming of "the house" again. Thoughts that she had tried her best to out behind her these past thirteen months of her life. She knew the memories would never go away, neither would a dream like this from time to time…but lately it had been happening far so much, and she was getting scared.

Standing in her torn night gown, which she often wore to bed on warm May nights much like this one, she shivered in cold from the pounding ice laced rain which had fallen on her moments before. She cursed herself for going inside this place of the dammed, but she knew like so many times before she was drawn to it.

Looking around with her heart pounding in her chest, she took another breath before licking her lips. She hadn't felt this kind of fear in so long, and this time it felt closer then ever.

She spun around from the sound of scraping claws against metal, a sound she remembered drifting off so many nights and she froze with fear.

"Joey! Kincaid! help me!"

Her voice rang through the echoed darkness, she heard sound of glass and backed up again, then a loud banging came over head. Looking upward she watched as poor Kincaid dressed in his black night sweats came crashing through one of the empty pipes, landing flat into a greasy puddle of muck and dirt. She jumped back, still frozen in fear but at the same time wanting to hold back nervous laughter, somehow every time Kincaid came in with her he came in the hard way.

Taking a few moments to adjust himself around the surrounds, he took one look around the boiler room as water from an above pipe dripped in his eyes and flashed angered eyes at her.

"Awww shit, Kristen, not again... "

Kristen felt ashamed, she held her arms together as gooseflesh broke out and looked down at her soiled bare feet, feeling at the same time better that big strong and tough Kincaid was with her.

"I'm sorry Kincaid…"

Kincaid got standing, dusting himself off and shook his head.

"Sorry, man you are one spooked chick…"

She tried to smile up at him, flashing those puppy dog eyes that had worked so many times before, instead they heard yet another screeching noise from further behind, right away Kristen held onto Kincaid's arms and told him to Shhh.

Both froze waiting, she felt her heart beat start to race faster against the strong pulse she felt inside her friend's arm. Both stood there when an arm reached forward and touched her on the shoulder, making her spin around and almost scream. Kincaid also spun but right away hid his fear by crossing his arms and acting his role as the rough guy like always.

Joey stood there.

Kristen had so many memories of these two that it hurt her, she almost broke out crying with joy as he just stood there underneath a group of rusting chains with a very disappointed and pissed off look on his face.

"Joey, thank God for a minute I thought…"

"Thought what? Of dragging us in here?"

Hearing Joey's voice still rang almost to a strange level to her ears. Even if she only knew him for a few weeks before everything happened, it almost seemed like a true miracle that after he had woken from his coma when the doctors discovered them all moments later almost now a year ago…that his voice was restored, almost like a final gift.

"Yeah, cut it out. You're puttin' a dent in my beauty sleep."

Kincaid joined Joey, both standing side by side, still dressed for bed in sweats and T-shirts. Looking at the two of them together made her feel both ashamed and not as scared as she was moments ago. It seemed now that their life's were finally restoring back to what seemed as normal as they could get, time like this became less and less.

She remembered shortly after the investigation had been put forth to Western Hills, that the ones that had survived weren't even allowed in court, they weren't even agreed to be released until the month later…from that time onward they were kept in private areas of the hospital without any guests or seeing each other.

That time was a joyful, but at the same time terrifying time for them…so Kristen dreamed every night and took them with her. Now the dreams weren't bad anymore…in fact they were almost better then reality. So much to the point they knew they would have to slow down once they were released since they might become hooked like a drug of some sort. But for the short time that it happened they were happy. Nights Kristen would dream of them in different locations, sometimes on a warm sunny day, others just together and taking, joking and feeling like a family…or more of a better word…a team.

Their parents really looked down on the fact of them all hanging out together, so between starting high school again, and trying to pick up the empty pieces that were once left of their life's to become normal healthy teenagers, they seemed to have drifted apart. It hurt Kristen, but she knew she was one of the most to blame. In this short year things had gotten a lot better. She still saw her shrink twice a week, but she had a new boyfriend, a best friend, school, and almost new gang to hang out with, a group that didn't know about her past, nor her power.

Joey and Kincaid had done well for themselves to. They were kind of popular in their own way, and both seemed as involved into the school sports then anyone else could be. But still somehow they was that castled strange glow that drifted along with them. Rumors were always around and she knew that the only reason those two stayed so close was because as much as they tried to put on the act that it was all over with, and that it was time to start living like normal people and stop pulling them in, she knew the truth, they were warriors much like herself. They knew there would always be another fight.

But being together like they had been so many times before in the past, where they felt the safest, she was scared and needed them.

"It's Freddy…I heard him."

She said with an uneven voice, looking up at the dark ceilings.

"Freddy's dead, buried, and consecrated. We won, remember?

For some strange unknown reason she felt close to tears, never before in so long had she felt this scared…even with them together to protect her.

"He's coming back for us…"

"Kincaid's right, Fred Krueger is history, c'mere…"

Joey came over to her side, taking her by the wrist, maybe not knowing his own strength as he placed her shaken hand onto the door of the open boiler…he was right, it was cold.

He looked at her with his wide brown eyes before she turned around, still shaking from the insides.

She stared at her two friends.

"I don't know…"

Just then without another movement, something jumped out from the darkness of the boiler, so fast Kristen didn't have time to react. It flung her down with all it's strength knocking her down to the ground before a stinging pain went through the flesh of her arm before warmth came.

In a start Joey woke up, sitting straight up still dressed from the night before. Gasping for air he looked around blinding and found himself back in his room, thin day light leaked through his red blinds behind his dresser and stereo. Looking around again unsure he felt the sloshing of his waterbed from underneath him go back and forth like crazy. Taking another second he felt his heart race and sweat pour down his forehead.

He was safe…it was just a dream.

Looking around at his bedroom, covered in rock posters, and sports awards he won over the past very busy year he looked around remembering Kincaid's dog.

He shut his eyes with relief before his hear his mother's cracked voice call him down for breakfast.

He was okay…he was sure of it.

Moments later he made it down the stairs of his house, almost with a little spring in his step. He still felt pretty shaken from the night before but felt all the better that it was just one of Kristen's crazy dreams.

Shaking his head he made it to the kitchen where his mother was dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt cooking eggs. His father, dressed for work read the newspaper at the table.

"Joey eat your breakfast before it gets cold…"

Joey slid by his mother who lately seemed in a mood with him. But the good enough thing was since he had been released from the hospital his father had taken him under his wing in a strange sort of way. He seemed happy everything that had happened was behind them and he now had an all American sport's playing young teenage son.

Joey liked to make his father proud, but still felt a sick bitter taste whenever he thought back on the year before.

Sitting down and starting on his breakfast his mother turned around with a plate of toast and sat down herself.

"You didn't get out of those clothes all night?"

She lifted an eyebrow as Joey munched on his bacon and shrugged.

"Guess I was tried."

Joey's father smiled putting down the newspaper for a moment before smiling at his son.

"Just getting into summer mood huh son?"

Joey tried to smile before getting up and pushing his chair aside.

His mother gave a look and pointed.

"Rodger look he hasn't even touched his food…"

"Leave him alone Jan, he has to get going for school."

Joey didn't want to spend another second going back between to two, heading upstairs he washed up and got changed in a hurry before heading out the back door to his car.

For his last birthday his father had brought him a Z28, a pretty sharp car which Joey took care with over all his pride and joy. He was sure that it was yet another gift his father bought him to almost make up for the two empty lost ones before. But he knew he wasn't spoiled, he was pushed by both his parents and he sure as hell knew there were other kids at Springwood High with faster and much better cars…Kincaid seemed to think otherwise.

Jumping into the driver's seat, dressed in his jean jacket, sweater somehow due to the warm early morning heat and jeans, he brushed his hair away from his face and looked in the rearview mirror before backing out.

The drive to school was pleasant, he seemed to almost forget about what happened the night before when he picked Kincaid up at his house three blocks down. The rest of the ride he turned up his radio to almost block out Kincaid's bitches and moans about what a pain in the ass Kristen was becoming. Before he knew it he pulled into the crowed parking-lot.