That night, Lisa set up an array of machines in Luna and Luan's old room. Lincoln took one bed while Leni took the other. Lisa hooked them up then sat in a straight-back kitchen chair, a clipboard in her lap. She watched over them both as they struggled to fall asleep, then as they both, moments apart, finally dropped off.
Checking the digital readout of her home EKG machine, Lisa saw that their brainwaves were normal. The moment either one entered into a nightmare, she would know.
The night was long, silent, and lonely. The machines beeped and booped, soothing her. She fought against sleep, getting up at one point and getting a can of cola from the fridge.
Back in the room, she sipped it while she watched Leni. The girl had muttered in her sleep several times, but the readout showed no changes in her brainwaves. Lisa was prepared to write it off until the girl whimpered and shuddered. Setting her cola aside, Lisa got up and went over to her. She manually checked her pulse.
It was slow and regular.
Strange.
Just then, Leni grabbed her by her hair and pulled her close, her eyes flinging open. "I like a girl with brains," a dark voice issued forth. Lisa fought, but the older girl was stronger, pulling her close and slipping her tongue into her mouth.
Pushing away, Lisa wreched free of Leni's grasp and fell to the floor. When she got up, a man with a burned face sat where Leni had been moments ago. Lisa gaped. He was dressed in a red and green sweater and a hat. He wore a glove on his right hand, each finger affixed to a dull, wickedly sharp blade.
"Lisa, Lisa, Lisa," he said, "you're too smart for your own good."
Lisa blinked. "No..."
"In fact, you might just be the smartest little girl I've ever killed."
Lisa ran then, fleeing from the room and into the hall. Freddy was right behind her. "Come back here!" he yelled. "I want to run a death study!"
She ran down the stairs and found herself in the middle of the dining room. This wasn't right.
Luna and Luan were both at the table, eating something red and wet with their hands. Their faces were white and smothered with blood.
"Join us, Lisa," Luna said.
Behind her, Freddy laughed, and Lisa ran into the kitchen, but stopped when a Rottweiler darted through the back door, its muzzle dripping with foam. Lisa's heart sputtered. Her two greatest fears: Vicious dogs and rabies.
She turned, and Freddy grabbed her. "Oooh, what's the matter? You don't wanna pet the doggie?"
Lisa fought against him, but he was too powerful. As a last resort, she sank her teeth into his forearm.
Yelling, he threw her down; she struck the cabniets and sank to the floor.
"That just earned you one ticket to Blade City," Freddy said, coming forward. He raised his hand and brought it down, but at the last moment, Lisa blocked the blow with her left arm. The blades sliced skin. Lisa screamed.
"Here it comes!" Freddy yelled, raising his arm again. "Here it fucking comes!"
The blades flashed through the air, but Lisa came awake, Lori shaking her worriedly. She screamed and fell out of the chair.
"Lisa! Are you okay?"
"No," Lisa panted. She rolled up her sleeve and looked at the three bloody gashes on her forearm. "He's real."
