"Aah, Shit."
That was the first thought and word he could muster, as realization dawned on him. The recently familiar, heart-pounding, fear overtook him as the heat of the painfully familiar boiler room told him one thing; he'd fallen asleep.
He turned his head back and forth, his eyes searching, and his muscles clinching, as his instincts kicked in, before he began to slowly move around. He was in dangerous territory now and he needed to be on guard. He turned his head to look behind him as he tried to listen for any sound to tell him if he was alone or not.
Stepping around a few pipes sticking out of the ground, Quentin looked to his left, before he let out a scream as he felt something grab a handful of the hairs on the back of his head, and pull him back!
A flash of red and green was all he caught, before his face made hard contact with a row of metal pipes! "YOU. CAN'T. SAVE. HER!" With each word, his head and face was slamming into the metal pipes with killer force. He could taste the blood forming in his mouth, and feel it dribbling from his nose, which, surprisingly, wasn't broken.
His mind became slightly dazed and his vision began to blur and blacken, as he was suddenly whipped around and brought face to face with Freddy Krueger. The faint smell of burnt flesh and wool mixed in with the heavy smell of his own blood, as his blurred vision took in the burnt figure that had killed three of his friends and had hurt Nancy.
Nancy. 'You can't save her!' Thinking of her, Quentin was able to catch something flicker across Kruegers eyes. Something that he couldn't place, as he felt the blades of his gloved hand, which he'd pressed against Quentin's left shoulder, dig in deeper.
"Tag," Krueger leaned in close, his mismatched eyes focusing in on his blurred, dark brown ones, as he realized what it was that he had seen flicker into Krueger's eyes as he thought of Nancy; extreme anger and jealousy. "You're it"
The blades dug into his skin and down, as he slashed diagonally down to his right, lower, stomach, ripping open his shirt and tearing his flesh open. He fell forward, and Krueger stepped to the side as Quentin landed on his side, before he rolled onto his back, groaning lightly, as he stared up at his Killer.
"Krueger!" Freddy Krueger's head snapped to the left, as a familiar voice reached both their ears. Quentin's focus blackened for a second, as he tried to open his mouth and cry out to her. 'Nancy!' His mind screamed.
Krueger glanced down at him, before a pleased, amused, smirk appeared on his face. "You're girlfriend's here," he began to walk away. "I'll be right back." All Quentin could do was stare blindly up at the ceiling as he inwardly screamed! 'No! Nancy! Leave her alone you sick bastard!'
He knew Krueger could hear him. In this world, your dreams and thoughts where his. What you thought, Krueger knew. Nancy. He had heard him think her name. He knew what he'd seen, even if his vision was blurred. It had even come off the monster in waves.
Jealousy. Krueger felt anger and jealousy towards him. Because of Nancy. 'But why?' Why was Krueger so fascinated with Nancy?
Memories flashed across his blackened vision. Seeing Nancy in the hallway. Him and her as kids playing hide-and-seek. Seeing her bleeding on the floor of the store. Her crying as she went through that sick bastards photo collection!
The memory of those photos sickened him, as his body was able to absentmindedly clinch his fist lightly, before they became numb. His whole body felt numb and weighed down, as he let his mind flip through his memories like a disorganized photo album.
'Mr. Fweddy always plays with Nancy more than us! It's not fair!'
Kris... That was Kris's voice. He was able to furrow his brows, as his mind began to paint a dulled picture of his childhood. He was now standing over a table, staring down at his younger self, who was sitting at a table coloring. He was inside his own memory.
Little Quentin had to be about five or six. He was hunched over a piece of paper with a green crayon, drawing what appeared to be grass for a square, purple, house with one large window and door, with a large, smiley face, sun in the corner.
Little Quentin was grinning, as he put his crayon down and held his picture up and looked at it, before he turned to look at his neighbor. "Nancy, look! I drew a house!" Little Quentin seemed so pleased, as Quentin realize that it was Nancy, her hair in a strange, side, ponytail, and big, brown, eyes blinking past long bangs, that was sitting next to his younger self!
Little Nancy looked up from her drawing, a shy smile appearing across her face, as she pointed at his picture. "It's pwetty. Is that your howse?" Little Quentin nodded vigorously as he put his picture back down on the table and tilted his head to the side, as he tried to look at her picture.
"Whatcha dwaing?" Little Nancy shyly looked down at her picture, before pushing it over so little Quentin could get a better look at it. Quentin furrowed his brow, as his mind recalled what it was that she had drawn.
It was a well drawn picture for someone of five. It was a picture of two people standing under a bright blue sky and next to a tree. One figure was a girl with brown hair in a similar style to little Nancy's, and wearing a frilly white and light pink dress like the one she had on. The girl in the picture was obviously her. Quentin, standing over the two and staring down at the picture, felt his skin crawl, as he realized that the drawing of herself was standing next to a figure in a stripped shirt and wearing a hat. Krueger.
Little Quentin's face brightened as he seemed to realize who the two figures were. "Mr. Fweddy! Did you make that for him to?" Little Nancy gave a shy smile and nod, as she took her picture back and began to color in the rest of the Krueger figures shirt with a red crayon.
"Alright everyone! Recess!" The teachers voice was heard, as little Quentin beamed and jumped up from his seat, his picture in hand. "Come on Nancy! Lets go pway!" He watched himself run over to the teachers desk like the other children, and place his picture on the desk, before him and the others rushed out the just opened door. Quentin, his mind in a slight daze, allowed himself to walk over and stand beside his younger self, walking right through the teacher like she was a hologram.
"Nancy? Are you coming, sweetheart?" He stopped in the doorway beside little Quentin, as little Quentin and himself looked at the teacher, before looking over at little Nancy, who was still scribbling away at her picture. She looked up and shook her head. The teacher gave a knowing smile, as she ushered little Quentin out the door, Quentin following behind them as some force seemed to draw him to his younger self, even though he wanted to stay and watch over little Nancy. "Be good and don't make a mess, OK?" Nancy gave a quick nod, before going back o her drawing.
Then, the scenery shifted, and he was outside standing by little Quentin and the swing-set. Some of the kids were swinging as little Quentin and what appeared to be little Dean, a boy he couldn't recall, and little Jesse were running through them, laughing as they missed being hit by the swingers, who laughed at their antics. Quentin followed them, the kids swinging right through him like he was a ghost.
He watched as little Quentin and his friends made it to the other side, and where about to run through again with little Quentin going first. But then something came up and grabbed little Quentin's shoulder from behind, stopping the young boy in his tracks. "No, no! That's not really safe, buddy! Lets try a new game, huh?" Quentin felt his fist clinch and his teeth mash together, as him and little Quentin stared at a man who, at the time, he and his younger self. had thought was one of his best friends.
"Mr. Fweddy!" Little Quentin smiled widely, as Dean, Jess, and the other boys gave the same, happy, exclamation, as Krueger, dressed in a white and green stripped sweater and not a burn in sight, gave a laugh, as he ruffled little Quentin's head, repeating the gesture to the other boys, as Quentin and little Quentin watched little Kris run up behind and pat Krueger's lower back. "Tag! Can't catch me Mr. Fweddy!"
Krueger whipped around and smiled as Kris giggled and began to run away, squealing happily, as he made a mock dive to get her. Little Quentin and the others laughed, as they all began to run away. Quentin watched as Krueger, known only as Mr. Freddy to his younger self and his friends, made playful noises and moves, as he played with the kids. Watching the non burned version of Krueger pick his younger self up and swing him around playfully was a strange sight. It was hard for him to believe that the man he saw playing with little Quentin and the other kids, was the man who would one day come after them in the future, with an intent to kill.
Suddenly, the scenery, once again, blurred away, before he was now standing next to little Quentin, who was looking through the classroom window, a frown on his young face, as little Quentin's fingers curled around the brick jolting out from the wall under the window. "Hey Quent? Whatcha looking at buddy?" Quentin turned to look over at Krueger, who was hunched over an upturned weed with his hat on and a shovel in his hand. Quentin watched the man wipe sweat away from his eyes, as little Quentin turned his head fully to look over at Krueger, before looking back inside the classroom.
"Nancy! She didn't come owtside yet! She's still inside colowing." Little Quentin looked back at Krueger, who seemed to have stiffened up slightly with a frown on his face. Quentin watched Little Quentin tilt his head in curiosity at the mans strange action. "Hmm. Why do you think she'd do that?" Quentin and his younger self watched as Krueger got to his feet, and wiped his gloved hands together, before pulling them off and sticking them in his back pocket as he came to stand beside little Quentin, and look into the classroom. Quentin shivered as the man walked through him like a ghost. Memory or not, burned or normal, he didn't like having Krueger that close to him or his younger self.
Quentin looked inside, and sure enough, little Nancy could be seen hunched over a piece of paper and scribbling away at it with a red crayon. Quentin felt his stomach churn as he saw a hungry look, a pathetic want, flash across the man's face, as he pat little Quentin on the head, who was looking up at the man with curiosity. "Mr. Fweddy? Do you gots a tummy ache? You keep making sad faces like I do when my tummy hurts!" Quentin watched as Krueger gave a weak chuckle and gently squeezed little Quentin's shoulder. "No, I'm alright, buddy. Mr. Freddy just has a lot on his mind," Krueger playfully ruffled little Quentin's hair. "Grown-ups sometimes make sad or funny faces when they think about stuff" Little Quentin tilted his head to the side as he blinked up at the older male.
"So don't worry, OK? I promise I'm not sick." Little Quentin gave a small nod, as Krueger smiled at the younger boy. "Now! Why don't I go get Nancy, huh?" Little Quentin beamed happily, his worry for his friend seeming to disappear, as he nodded vigorously in agreement with that exclamation. Krueger gave little Quentin a lopsided smile, as he walked past the boy to the door the kids had filed out of, before entering into the classroom.
Quentin growled in frustration, as he made to follow Krueger, only for a strong force to pull him back beside little Quentin, leaving him wishing he could be in there to hear the conversation they were having. But he now understood that his ability to venture into the classroom was denied, seemingly by his younger self having not having been in the room as they were talking, leaving no classroom memory for him to venture into.
"No fair!" Quentin and little Quentin turned to their right, finding younger Kris standing beside them as she glared through the glass at Krueger and little Nancy, who were both now sitting at the table, Krueger holding an orange crayon as he watched little Nancy color while he absently ran his crayon across the paper, making a circle.
"Mr. Fweddy always plays with Nancy more than us! It's not fair!" Quentin felt himself shudder, as his mind was plagued with extra memories of Krueger leaving a game of tag to check on little Nancy as she whimpered after having fallen off the teeter-totter. Of Krueger letting little Nancy tag or tackle him more than the other kids... Of little Nancy getting to go to the secret cave more than the other kids.
"Nuh-uh, Kwis! Mr. Fweddy plays wif all of us the same!" Little Quentin defended, glaring at his future dead friend, who pouted and crossed her arms over her chest before she ran off to go jump rope with some of the other girls. Quentin watched his younger self glare at little Kris's retreating back, before they both looked back into the classroom once more, before little Quentin turned and pushed himself away from the window to go find someone to play with, forcing Quentin to follow
The scenery, once again, shifted, and he found himself following little Quentin, who was running towards the opening classroom door, as Kruger followed behind little Nancy, who had a picture in her hand. She gave a shy wave and smile as little Quentin ran up to her. "Yay! Nancy!" Little Quentin clapped his hands together happily, as little Nancy swayed back and forth with her head tilted down shyly, as she held her drawing out to him.
"Here. Its for you." She mumbled, as little Quentin tilted his head with a puzzled expression, before taking the picture. Quentin and his younger self watched as Krueger stiffened and narrowed his eyes slightly at the younger male, before little Quentin stared down at the picture.
It was a drawing of little Quentin and little Nancy holding hands between the swing-set and slide with a tree behind them with leaves in the shape of hearts. Little Quentin wrinkled his nose at the girlishness of it, but gave little Nancy a smile as he looked back at her. "Its cool! Thanks, Nancy!" Little Quentin came forward and gave little Nancy a big hug, to which Krueger's hands clinched and his jaw squared, as he gave a strained smile, trying to act like nothing was bothering him. Quentin and little Quentin saw this. Little Quentin gave him a curious look of confusion, not understanding the man's action, before he quickly forgot about it and let little Nancy free of his hug.
Little Nancy gave little Quentin a big smile, as Quentin watched his younger self take the picture and fold it into fours, before he stuck it halfway into his pocket. "There! Now it wont get diwty!" He made a tada gesture, as Little Nancy laughed. Little Quentin smiled, before he grabbed little Nancy's hand and began to pull her towards the other kids who where playing duck-duck-goose.
Quentin watched as little Nancy and little Quentin looked back at Krueger and waved bye with smiles, before the image faded away and he was left in darkness again.
The jealousy had always been there. He could see that now. Krueger had always had a slight hatred for him because of his friendship with Nancy. Something he knew might not always be friendship as they got older.
'You can't save her!' Krueger's words echoed through his mind, as he clinched his fist in anger. Was it true? Had Nancy been doomed since the day she meet Krueger? Had his efforts to be there for her been nothing? It wasn't right!
Quentin's mind began to go blank as he slowly began to let himself be lolled into a coma until Krueger ended his life. To drift through the empty part of the dream world and wait for his death at the hands of a man who had betrayed him and ruined his and Nancy's childhood by existing.
"Waaaahhhhhh!"
His body twitched, as he inwardly straightened, his ears perking at the sound of someone crying. Someone crying in fear; in pain. Nancy! That was Nancy screaming, he realized, as he cried out her name. She needed him! It didn't matter how many time Krueger came after them. Nancy needed him; he needed her! He screamed into the darkness, which began cracking and shattering away, as he gasped and his eyes bolted open, his mind awakening to Nancy screaming.
He pulled himself up, ignoring the dizziness he felt, as he realized Nancy had stopped screaming. He made it towards the bed, and placed his hands on her shoulder, as fear gripped him at her sudden quietness.
He began to shake her, his body shaking itself, as his fear grew as she didn't respond to him shaking her. She wasn't waking up! Panic struck him like a knife. "Wake up, Nancy! Wake up!" He shook her harder, screaming at her, as tears beginning to cloud his eyes.
"Nancy, please!" He exclaimed, continuing to shake her. "Please! Don't do this! Please!" He sounded crazed and fearful, as he, with more force, continued to shake her. "Nancy, come back! Please! Wake up! You promised!"
Tears fell from his eyes, as her head, like a rag doll, fell to the side. He hung his head in pain and sadness, as he frantically tried to think of what to do. His arm shifted, and he felt something hard knock against his wrist.
Realizing immediately what it was, Quentin reached inside his left sleeve, and removed the second syringe and adrenaline he had stolen from the hospital. With shaky hands, he loaded the adrenaline into the needle. 'Please! Please let this work!' He inwardly pleaded, as he dropped the empty adrenaline bottle, and raised the syringe over his head with both hands.
'Please work!'
He stiffened and plunged the needle down and into her chest! Her body jolted up, her arms swinging up in a gesture that indicated she was grasping for something, as he fell back and off her. And, in the blink of an eye, Freddy Krueger appeared on top of her, before falling to the ground in shock, as Nancy sat up and gasped.
Quentin felt immense relief to see her awake, only for it to be replaced by fear and mind numbing shock, as Krueger got to his feet! "Quentin get him!" Nancy's voice jarred him out of his stupor, as he backed up on his elbows and legs, kicking himself away from the burnt monster as he got to his feet and grabbed the paper-cutter blade he'd found earlier.
Quentin swung as Krueger charged his way, catching the demon in the shoulder, pulling a cry of what sounded like pain and anger from him. Anger covered the demon's face, as he lunged past Quentin's blade and ran his gloved hand through his left shoulder!
Immense pain overtook him, as Krueger stiffly yanked him towards him with a glare of pure hatred, before he twirled him around, and threw him into a nearby wall! He gasped in pain as Nancy launched herself at the monsters back and began to stab him with the syringe. "Fucking bastard!" She cried out, before Freddy flung her off and away from him.
"Nice try, Nancy," Quentin heard him hiss, as he clicked his claws and approached her fallen and fearful form. "Now let me take a stab!" He growled, as he lunged forward with his blades, only for Nancy to block his blades with an old plank of wood! Krueger flung the board away as Quentin, a knife in hand, pushed himself up on his hands and knees and lunged his body forward, plunging the blade deep into the burnt mans leg!
Krueger let out a howl of pain, before whirling around and backhanding him away with his left hand, causing Quentin to fly back onto his back, Krueger stalking towards him as he tried to sit up and get away.
"Now why don't you just fucking die!" The demon snarled, raising his bladed hand up for the attack! Suddenly, the sicking sound of dead, ripping, flesh reached his ear, and Krueger's arm flung forward and his glove and hand tumbled to the ground!
Krueger held his arm up to his face, staring at where his hand use to be with a look of realization, fear, and disbelief. He turned to Nancy with his raised arm. "Hurts, doesn't it?" She said through clinched teeth. "It's cause you're in my world now, bitch!" Paper-cutter blade in both hands, she swung the blade like a bat, slicing right across the demons throat, severing half of his head from his body!
The both watched in disgust and slight relief, as decayed, blackened, tar like blood oozed from his neck as he crumbled backwards and to the ground in a sickening thud. Quentin shifted and coughed up the blood that had caked his throat and mouth, as he slowly got to his feet, clutching his ripped and bruised chest as he made to stand beside Nancy, who stared down at Krueger's body, before they began to shuffle to the door and around him.
He watched as Nancy picked up the lantern they'd found earlier, and lit it, before tossing it onto the pile of her old drawings, watching them instantly go up in flames, before they made their way out of the school, leaning against each other for support.
'We're alive... We won.' Quentin felt his body, for the first time in the last few days, fully relax at the realization he just had. He coughed, trying to get the blood and smoke out of his lungs and throat, as the fire department and ambulance vehicle's began to approach.
They were rushed by two firefighters, as a few others rushed past them to put out the flames of the burning school, while they were ushered to the waiting ambulance personal, who instantly rushed him onto a stroller. Nancy watched him as he was loaded into the back of the ambulance, before she hopped in as well, choosing to sit to his left at his head, while an ambulance personnel began to stick him with IVs and place an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose.
His eyes grew heavy, as he tilted his head to look at her, seeing a relaxed smile appear on her face. And briefly, as he began to slip into unconsciousness, he began to understand Krueger's jealousy towards him. To be able to be alive and be with Nancy and see her smile or laugh or cry was something the demon of a man had not gotten to experience long enough. Would never get to see again. Quentin Understood... And he relished the knowledge of it as he closed his eyes and began to drift to sleep.
"Night, Quentin."