I don't know where I will take this story. It's mainly just for me to write out my ideas. I wanted to write something based in the anoes universe, but I didn't have a clue on what to make the nightmares like.

I decided that I'd loosely base them off nightmares I had when I was younger. Freddy will mostly act like the one from the original film, since I find that one the creepiest out of them all.

EDIT: I've decided that I will have this set around the time that the original film takes place, and plan on adding characters from there. Made a few changes with the first chapter to fit with this idea.

Fright

Carl was not doing well.

He hadn't slept in four days. Four days shouldn't go by so agonizingly slow, but they did. Each minute took its precious time, and each hour felt like days. It felt like an eternity since he'd last gotten into bed and called it a night. It was morning now, around six. He knew because he heard his mother call his name from in the kitchen. Earlier, he kept himself awake with whatever he could find. Movies, Caffeine, pills, puzzles, and just about whatever he could get his hands on. She didn't suspect a thing. It's not like he could tell her. Who would believe him? Eyes stung, the lids tugging downward. He forced them open, throwing on a sweatshirt that lay on his bedroom floor and heading to the stairs. He made himself stay awake, for sleeping would bring much worse pain.

Carl didn't believe in monsters, but neither did Hannah, his little sister. Two months earlier, she slipped in the shower, cracking her head open. She had been in there for an hour, and it was his turn to use the bathroom. He remembered banging on the door, telling her to hurry up, and getting no response from her. That only irritated him, and seconds later, he had come back to the door with a key.

She had bled out on the floor, alone and scared. Ripping back the shower curtain, Hannah's body laid on her side in the corner, knees pulled up to her chest, and the shower's water that pooled around her corpse was red. It was said to be a simple, tragic accident. Mother didn't see it. She was out of town. The paramedics had quickly taken away Hannah's body. He had called his mother immediately to give the bad news, tears streaming down his cheeks. She had rushed home, of course, sobbing, demanding answers, and mourning with her son. He didn't think it could get any worse after that, but it did.

After the funeral, his mother grew distant. He knew she was heartbroken, but so was he. It was difficult to pass by Hannah's room, peering inside and knowing that he'd never see her again. It all started then. He couldn't find his headphones and knew that she had a pair or two. It felt wrong to take from the dead, but he did so anyway. Digging through her desk drawer, something caught his eyes then. It was a crumbled up piece of paper. Normally, he'd move on but scribbled words were visible between the creases. Curiosity got the best of Carl, and he pulled it up from the dusty drawers and flattened it on the desk.

It was a drawing. A short figure with brown hair stood in the middle, holding a stuffed bear. He recognized it as his sister. What caught his attention was the other person, tall and gaunt with a hat on their head. they stood off to the side, their face scribbled over with red crayon. In the right corner, three words were scrawled neatly in blue.

Freddy and me.

Carl flipped the paper over, glancing over a small new line of words written at the top.

He said when I'm ready, he'll take me to his house.

He said I wouldn't ever have to grow up.

I don't know if I should sleep tonight.

A chill had crawled up his spine. Carl didn't know what to make of it, and he quickly shoved the paper back into the drawer and left, forgetting all about the headphones.

That last line kept him up.

I don't know if I should sleep tonight.

But why?

Freddy.

The name wouldn't leave him. Children had imaginary friends, but he never remembered them being so sinister. That's how it started. He was sure of it. The nightmares began. At first, they weren't much, but they grew and they grew. Freddy came for him, just like he did with Hannah. He barely spoke, but when he did, it was all whispered threats that seemed to come at every direction. He never allowed Carl to get a good look of his face. He chased him down never-ending hallways. He stalked him through his dreams. Each time Carl shot up from bed, wide awake with tears in his eyes and sweat dripping down his forehead, he felt like he was losing his mind.

"You're gonna be late!" Mother called again. He had already missed so many days of school after Hannah's passing, and he knew that he must attend today. Plus, with the lack of sleep, his grades began to fall faster than he ever thought possible. Carl blinked once, adjusting his vision. Everything seemed so bright to his eyes, like he were staring into the sun. Down the stairs he went, muttering quietly to himself. He found that kept him occupied, which lowered the chances of him dozing off. Sleeping is the last thing he knew he wanted to do, but it was so tempting to just close his eyes and take a nap. His body urged him to do just that, but Carl refused. Fear held him back. It kept him up for the past three nights. Still, he knew that soon he'd have to go back to sleep, and that's what scared him the most.