Disclaimer: Hello I do not own anything in this story. The song I used, belongs to Priestess, Lay Down. Freddy Krueger is owned by wes Craven. Enjoy and feel free to R&R.

Gotta stay awake

My voice echoed in my mind, but my limbs were already resting on the inviting bed. Sleep. How I had missed sleep, waking up in the mornings and feeling rested. But the dreams, no the nightmares were unbearable. Leaving a painful bruise that happened to come during the night, I had that dream in particular. It was complete stupidity not to stay awake. Three days? Three days awake, seventy two hours and counting. My tired arm ached as I scribbled on my art pad, without realizing it I had drawn him again. I let out a long sigh, depressed at how with a single dream he practically owned your thoughts. All you could ever do is focus on him somehow, whether it's trying to keep your eyes open remembering the fright or having a conversation with your mother about the sleep deprivation problem. Either way he gets you, by dying of exhaustion or falling into a deep enough sleep there's no waking up.

Maybe I'm just crazy. Maybe I sleepwalked and got hurt. Maybe he's not real.

I stared off into space as my lids began to droop. How I begged for rest. The radio caught my attention as a new song started, listening to the lyrics my eyes shot wide open, shocked.

Lay down, sleep my little darlin'

Lay down just like in a coffin

Lay down, this pain will be long gone

With the absence of your breath

I stood quickly and ran to the radio. I couldn't take it anymore, It sounded too much like it was taunting me to sleep. Suddenly pain shot through my limbs, aching from over working them. The song continued to play as I heaved myself onto the bed, the sheets were warm and comforting. I closed one eye leaving the other open for observation, whenever I would lay down it felt like he was hovering over me impatiently waiting for me to dream. I knew I couldn't keep up this act much longer.

Sleep.

A familiar voice called to me, as the word was repeated I heard my name whispered in my thoughts. This was torture, knowing if I sleep or stay awake I will injure pain. I streamed through plans, suddenly going blank. I was too tired to even think up a plan anymore. How ironic though I've always wanted to die in my sleep and now it was going to happen. I let my other eye close slowly as I heard a slight dark chuckle. Noticing I had no more energy to lift my eye lids I could only drift. I felt a tingling sensation move around on my ankle. It was sharp and somewhat ticklish, like a spider crawling on your skin. The feeling slowly went up to my knee and then with a sudden movement went to tracing the large vain on my neck. I heard the revolting sound of screeching metal, as I felt cold pain carve into my throat; I let out a gasp and shot out of bed clutching my stained neck. Able to get up from a rush of adrenaline, I walked to the mirror in my room and saw crimson flowing from where the pain was searing.

"Gotta stay awake." I mumbled to myself.

The darkness slowly started to crowd my room, crickets singing in the distance. Another night to possibly turn from the top predator to become a small prey. Like a rabbit cowering from a monstrous bear or like a fly being entangled in a spiders abode. Whenever I would tire and lay down I was his prey.