DISCLAIMER

Semi-inspired by Nightmare On Elm Street. Belongs to Canadian Television and Nickelodeon. I only own the plot.

After his nightmare, Joey just couldn't go back to sleep. Not after seeing the little girl…a figure he knew all too well. Joey tossed and turned in his bed, trying to get comfortable. But no matter what he did, he just couldn't get back to sleep. With a sigh, he sat up. He didn't know what to do. He glanced at the wall, where the little girl's demand stood out brightly. He glanced at his door. He couldn't believe his parents hadn't heard him scream. Then again, they were deep sleepers. He drummed his fingers on the bed. Then, he lay back down. There was nothing more he could do. He closed his eyes and inhaled and exhaled rhythmically, hoping it would lull him to sleep. The next thing he knew, his alarm was going off.

"Aw, man. I just fell asleep," he complained. At least…that's what it felt like. With a sigh, he turned off his alarm, got up, and got dressed. Then, he went downstairs, where his parents were waiting.

"Good morning, Joey. How'd you sleep?" his mother questioned.

"Not very good. I had a horrible dream," Joey answered.

"I'm sorry to hear that, son," his father stated.

"Yeah, well, I'm gonna jet," Joey stated, heading for the door.

"Aren't you going to have some breakfast?" his mother questioned.

"No thanks. I'm not very hungry," he replied, walking out the door. He got into his car, put the key in the ignition, and turned it. Once the car was sufficiently warmed up, he headed for school. When he got to the establishment, he ignored the other early comers and headed straight for the boys' restroom.

"This can't be happening! That thing is gone! I beat it!" he snapped fiercely. "I beat it," he whispered. He rolled up the sleeve of his jacket to reveal scars crisscrossing up and down his arm. The door opened and Joey quickly rolled his sleeve back down. He shouldn't have bothered. The boys just ignored him and went about their business. Joey quickly ran out the restroom. He wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone right now. Minutes later, he bell rang and he hurried to his class, not noticing when Alice showed up. During the school day, Joey kept his mind focused on his work, resulting in some raised eyebrows. However, Joey ignored the stares and just concentrated on staying awake. Meanwhile, Alice was attempting to do the same as Joey, only she wasn't having much luck. As her math teacher droned on, she felt her eyes drooping and she nodded off. Alice looked around. Where was she? From a distance, she could hear someone humming. Confused, she followed the sound. As she got closer, she became aware that it was in the tune of an old nursery rhyme.

"Hello?" she asked nervously. There was no answer but the humming. This is really weird, she thought. The humming grew louder as she continued to walk down the hall.

Ring around the rosies

A pocket full of posies

Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!

Alice looked around in confusion. What was going on? What kind of a dream was this? Suddenly, the little girl materialized in front of her. Alice gasped.

"You scared me," she scolded.

"I knew you'd come play with me," she grinned. Then, before Alice knew what was happening, she was thrown down what appeared to be a long shaft. Once she reached the bottom, she immediately found herself in a large cage. She gasped and started banging on the bars. Thundering footsteps were heard and the girl froze. The footsteps continued until out of the shadows came a creature with a black body with claws for fingernails and glowing red eyes. Alice backed away from the front of the cage as the creature approached.

"Come play with me," it said in a terrible voice.