"Nightmare Realms and Dream Walkers"
"Fly me high through the starry skies
Maybe to an astral plane
Cross the highways of fantasy
Help me to forget today's pain"
-Gary Wright "Dream Weaver"
Summer, 1806...
Friday the 13th…
The fire from their torches lit up the surrounding forest like daylight in the starless night. She smiled to herself as she watched them through the window of her cabin, in spite of what she knew was about to happen. The fools. Did they really think they'd gotten the drop on her? She'd seen the light from the flames coming through the woods all the way from town. If she'd wanted to she could've fled, and they'd have never found her.
If she'd wanted to, she also could have killed them all in seconds. But that would have been short sighted. And what she had planned was far worse.
Still smiling, she stepped away from the window. She glanced down at herself and her grin broadened.
She'd dressed herself up to the nines for this occasion. She hoped the approaching mob appreciated that. She'd stolen Madame Chastain's finest, high necked funeral dress, along with her infant daughter, several weeks ago, fully intending to wear it when she crossed over. As if through divine providence, it fit her slender form to perfection. Her long black hair was pulled up into a tight bun, though a few strands hung loose. But that didn't matter. She knew how striking it made her look. It would be an image they would soon all be familiar with, an image they would not forget. And that was very important if this was going to work.
Of course it would work. Why was she constantly second guessing the plan? Everything was done. The rituals, the sacrifices. She'd prepared them all precisely as she was told. She'd said all the incantations… made all the proper markings… slit the throats and spilled the blood… even… even when it had been difficult…
A single tear rolled down her cheek, unexpectedly, and her smile turned to a sneer as she wiped it away. This! It was this filthy weakness that threatened to unravel everything! But she'd done it all anyway! She'd proven herself, and soon she would transcend the weakness of the flesh. Soon she would become their servant! HIS servant.
The unholy avatar of He Who Waited in the Dark. And all the power that came with it.
And then, she would become more of a nightmare for those insufferable fools outside her home than she had ever been before.
A heavy pounding at the door interrupted her thoughts.
"We know you're in there, witch!" she smiled to herself as she recognized the self-righteous voice of Father Barlow. "We know what you've done! The law of man may be blind to your despicable acts, but you will not hide from the law of God! Your retribution is at hand and you shall meet your infernal master tonight!"
Of that she had no doubt. She stifled a laugh. "I beg your pardon, Father, but I wasn't expecting company! Give me a moment to tidy up, and I'll be right out!"
At that moment, the door exploded inward…
Fall, 2010…
Kara awoke with a start. For a moment, disorientation gripped her, and she couldn't remember where she was.
The soft hum of the engine, and the waning sunlight shining through the trees passing by the window reminded her. She was in a van; one of the Westin Hills patient transport vans, to be specific. And she was headed to Crystal Lake.
As her heart rate slowed, she glanced to her right. Luke was still asleep, his head leaning on the doorframe. She'd been asleep against his shoulder.
Kara glanced away from Luke… and locked eyes with Rory, who was seated across from her. Judging by the look on the other girl's face, she'd seen Kara start awake.
"Dreams?" Rory asked.
Kara slowly nodded her head.
"What about?" this new question came from Lisa, who was seated at the front of the van, in the passenger's seat. She stared at Kara over the back of the headrest. She had heavy bags under her eyes, and her black hair hung, loose and stringy, in front of her face. "Him…?"
She hasn't even MET Krueger, and she seems to be taking this harder than any of us, Kara thought to herself, as she shook her head. She must really be blaming herself for what happened to her friend.
"What then?" Maggie spared a glance over her shoulder from the driver's seat, before looking back out at the road. Kara could see the tunnel of trees, dimly illuminated by the quickly waning sunlight, stretching off seemingly endlessly before them. "Kara, based on the things you've seen, any dreams you have could prove to be very important."
Kara nodded. "I dreamt about that woman. That woman in black that you and Lori saw, Rory. The one that I saw get lynched in that vision... Only… it was more than that. Like… like I was her. I was seeing what she was seeing and hearing what she was hearing. Feeling and thinking what she was…" she swallowed hard. "It…. wasn't fun…"
It was Sunday. One day removed from Justin's funeral and their subsequent meeting of the minds at Westin Hills. Shortly after their meeting, Maggie had phoned Eli Wolfsong, the man Doc had recommended who might be able to provide some insight on the dreams Kara had been having, which could in turn help them combat Krueger. Wolfsong had agreed to speak with Maggie face-to-face, but refused to leave Crystal Lake to do so. When asked why, he would only reply that he couldn't.
He had agreed to meet with both Maggie and Kara if the two of them were willing to venture out to Crystal Lake. Luke had come along for support, as had Rory. Kara suspected Lisa came along due to feeling responsible for the whole mess. Chastity, obviously, hadn't wanted anything more to do with the whole thing and had stayed behind, but didn't feel safe at home due to her parents' obliviousness to the Krueger situation. So Rory's dad, Donald, had offered to let her spend the weekend at their house in order to keep an eye on her, until the group got back from Crystal Lake. Dr. Campbell wanted to stay to keep an eye on Lori, and the Sheriff had… sheriff stuff to do, Kara guessed. Now that Krueger was back to full power, Kara suspected Sheriff Williams would be very busy pretty soon...
They'd set out for Crystal Lake early that morning, leaving from Rory's house. None of them had slept well that night. Kara, in fact, hadn't slept at all, despite Dr. Campbell's assurances that the hypnocil should keep them safe for at least the time being. Clearly it hadn't been enough to stop her weirdo dreams...
They'd met so early, as it was a long drive from Springwood to Crystal Lake and Eli Wolfsong had told them, under no circumstances, were they to arrive after sun down. They needed to be at his house, nestled deep within the forests surrounding Crystal Lake, before sunset, or not at all. Lisa had taken it as some kind of strange threat. But Kara thought it sounded more like a warning.
Everyone knew about Crystal Lake's bloody history. They could change the name to Forest Green all they wanted, (and apparently this wasn't the first time they'd tried that particular tactic) but it didn't change the things that had happened there. Despite Maggie's assurances that leaving Springwood cut them off from Freddy's influence, the fact that they were headed toward Crystal Lake didn't make Kara feel much safer…
"That woman," Maggie spoke up, interrupting Kara's thoughts and bringing her back to the present. "She's the only part of this I don't get. Who the hell is she? How does she fit into this?"
Kara shook her head. "No idea. In my dream, I… I mean, she was in her house, I think? A cabin in the middle of the woods. It was a long time ago, like the 1800's, or something. And she was surrounded by a mob with torches. Maybe the same mob that lynched her in my other vision? Only she wasn't scared about it. Or mad. She was happy. Like she expected it. Like it was what she wanted."
"You know, we've all kind of been overlooking her because of Freddy," Rory spoke up. "But I'm starting to feel like she's important somehow. Like… maybe she's the key to all of this? You said she was hanged from some dead tree in your vision?"
Kara nodded. "Yeah, big fuckin' craggy lookin' thing. Looked like a big black claw reaching for the sky."
"I think I saw that tree in one of my dreams too." Rory went on. "The first one I had of Krueger."
Kara shrugged. "I saw it the night Molly and Tyler got killed on Elm Street. During the vision I think… I think I realized that tree was where that house your dad bought is standing now. That fucking house."
"Cool. Great." Lisa spoke up now, her tone as snarky as ever. "So a tree, a house, and some old dead witch-lady are all connected to Krueger somehow. How in the fuck does that help us?"
Rory sighed deeply. "I have no idea."
"Well, hopefully Mr. Wolfsong can help us figure it out," Maggie said. "We're almost there."
Kara hoped Maggie's optimism wasn't unfounded. She turned from the group and glanced out the window. Absently, she noticed an old wooden sign, pointing down a dirt road that forked off from the main road. As they passed it, she saw the words carved into the sign.
Camp Crystal Lake - 1 mile.
She shuddered. For some reason, she was very glad they weren't headed down that road…
Chastity Hill's eyes fluttered open as she heard the door click. She sat up with a start as Donald Lawson leaned in the open doorway, wincing slightly as he noticed her reaction.
"Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to startle you. How're you doing?
Chastity stretched, waving a hand at Donald. "It's okay. I'm fine. Kind of shocked that I actually fell asleep, honestly."
Donald nodded. "It's good that you were able to get some rest. You comfortable? Need anything?"
Chastity glanced around the room. Rory's room. Chastity had wanted absolutely nothing to do with everyone's plans to investigate deeper into this Krueger situation. She had her hypnocil now, and she fully intended to just wait it out until everything was sorted. The Sheriff was on it. The doctors from Westin Hills were on it. As far as she was concerned, the authorities had been notified and would get it taken care of. She would no longer involve herself anymore than she would have tried to personally track down a burglar that broke into her house or something.
She still hadn't, however, felt quite comfortable just going home. Her parents were oblivious to the Krueger situation and Sheriff Williams had insisted they should stay that way. It wasn't like they would've believed her if she'd told them anyway. Chastity didn't like the idea of being home with people who didn't know what was going on if she got attacked in her sleep. That was when Rory had devised the plan of telling Chas's parents that Chas was going to sleepover at Rory's house for the weekend. That way Rory's dad could keep an eye on Chas while Rory and co. went and visited that Wolfsong guy and did… whatever it was they planned to do.
"Nah, I'm okay," Chastity said at length. She held up the book that had been resting on the bed next to her. Pet Sematary by Stephen King. "I've got my book to keep me entertained."
Donald raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly. "All of this is going on, and that's what you choose to read?"
Chas shrugged, returning his grin. "It scares the hell out of me and I figured it might help me stay awake. I guess I figured wrong. Anyway, I've got my book, Rory's bed is super comfy, and I have her TV if I get bored. I'm fine, Mr. Lawson."
"Okay. You know where the clean towels are if you need to shower, right?"
"Yes, Mr. Lawson."
Donald nodded and flashed her a thumbs up, before leaving and pulling the door shut behind him.
Chastity sighed, flopping back down on the bed. She hadn't planned on falling asleep, even with the hypnocil… but she had. And nothing had happened. It seemed like the pills were working.
And fuck, was she tired.
She yawned, loudly. Alright. It was naptime. In the unlikely event that something did happen to her, Mr. Lawson was home. He'd wake her up if he heard anything strange.
She let her eyes flutter closed.
Everything was going to be okay.
The sliver of sun left on the horizon splashed the scenery with a deep orange glow as the van came to a stop in the clearing, it's wheels crunching on the gravel driveway. Maggie glanced at her watch as she threw the vehicle in park. It was nearly six o'clock. They had made it, per Eli Wolfsong's request, before sundown with little more than minutes to spare.
Maggie stepped out of the van, Rory and the others following suit. Before them, on a slight grassy incline, stood a small, pleasant looking log cabin. A curling wisp of smoke rose from its brick chimney, and a soft, glowing flicker of light could be seen through the cabin's front windows.
Lisa grunted as she stretched, her back audibly popping. "This looks promising. Not at all like the pad of some off the grid, survivalist nutjob. Better be fuckin' worth it."
Rory raised an eyebrow at her. "It's just a log cabin."
Lisa gestured around. "Yeah, with no power lines, no phone lines. No cars. And he lives out here in Forest Green? AKA, Crystal Lake? With no way to call for help? No, not suspicious at all."
"He has a cellphone. That's how Maggie called him. Right?" Rory looked to Maggie who nodded.
Lisa scoffed. "Yeah, and it's a miracle that even went through. Look, I came out here for a shoot about a month ago. Get out your phones. Anyone that has a signal of any kind, even one bar, I'll give you a hundred bucks."
Maggie didn't bother getting out her own phone as she watched Luke, Kara, and Rory each get out theirs, glance down at them, then slowly replace them in their pockets without saying a word. No signal.
Lisa nodded. "See? It's like this place was custom made to be murder central. No wonder Jason Voorhees and all his copycats got away with that shit for all those years."
"Alright," Maggie said finally. "You're getting all worked up over nothing. Doc knows this guy. He interviewed him for his book. And if Doc says we can trust him, then we can trust him."
Lisa rolled her eyes. "Oh, well, as long as Doc says it's okay…"
Maggie was about to retort one more time, when the sound of the cabin's screen door slapping shut suddenly caught her attention.
A man had stepped out onto the porch. He was tall, and very broad shouldered. He had a wide jawline with a grim, down-turned mouth that gave him the appearance of perpetually frowning, and a ruddy, weathered complexion. His long, inky black hair was draped over his shoulders, as he regarded each of them in turn with stern, brown eyes.
At length, he spoke, his voice deep and gruff. "You are almost late."
Maggie blinked a few times, as if coming out of a trance. There was nothing particularly striking about the man, with his brown button down work shirt and blue jeans, but God did he give off a commanding presence. "Uh, yes. Sorry about that. It's a long drive from Springwood, and Crystal-er... Forest Green's back roads aren't exactly easy to navigate. Mr. Wolfsong, I presume?"
The man nodded. "And you are Dr. Burroughs."
It wasn't a question, but Maggie found herself nodding anyway. "Please, call me Maggie."
"And you may call me Eli." The dark haired man then turned to Kara. "And you… you must be Kara Murphy."
Kara paused, taken aback. She glanced over at Maggie and exchanged a bewildered glance with the older woman, before looking back to Eli. "Uh… yeah. How-?"
"We should continue this conversation inside." Eli reached over and pulled open the screen door with a creak. He gestured to the open door. "It isn't safe out here when the sun goes down."
Maggie glanced over head. The sky above had turned a dark shade of navy blue, the first stars just beginning to twinkle into existence. She nodded, and ushered the teenagers inside.
"Nope," Maggie heard Lisa mutter over her shoulder as they stepped across the threshold. "Not creepy at all."
Chastity closed her eyes, letting the hot water run over her face and soak into her hair. She sighed contentedly as she felt it run down her bare back in warm rivulets. This shower was everything at the moment.
She had managed a light doze for about an hour and woke up feeling energized and relieved. No dreams. No nightmarish insane asylums turned strip clubs. No Freddy. It seemed the pills Dr. Campbell had given her were working. Everything felt clearer and brighter now.
It hadn't even bothered her that when she woke up, Mr. Lawson was gone. He'd apparently left sometime in her sleep. He didn't leave a note or anything. At first she'd been annoyed. What if something had happened to her while she was sleeping, and he hadn't been there to wake her up? Wasn't that the whole point of her staying here?
But her annoyance was quickly overpowered by her relief. Freddy couldn't get her as long as she had those pills. The others were on their way to talk to someone who could help them figure out a long term solution. The sheriff had been notified. The authorities were working on it.
Everything was going to be okay. Chastity suddenly felt like she had her whole life ahead of her now.
She had debated reading for a little while, or even going back to sleep, but had finally decided on hitting the shower and then finding something to eat. And she was glad she had.
Chastity put her arms over her head and stretched, turning to face the shower head now, letting the water run over her breasts and stomach. Damn, the Lawson's had a nice shower! The one she had at home was bigger, with a larger shower head, but with Chastity having an older sister and two younger brothers, in addition to her parents, there was almost never enough hot water for more than a ten minute shower. Plus, her shower only had a curtain, not the nice, sliding door with the frosted glass like this one-
Chastity let out a small yelp as she suddenly noticed the figure standing on the other side of the frosted glass. She couldn't make it out clearly, but it looked male, and seemed to be wearing a white shirt and khaki slacks. Mr. Lawson must've come how while she'd been showering.
Instinctively, Chastity covered herself with her hands.
"Uh, Mr. Lawson! Occupied!" she called out.
Mr. Lawson didn't move. He seemed to be staring at her through the frosted glass. Chastity immediately became uncomfortable. Mr. Lawson had never given off a pervy vibe before. He always seemed so nice and generally speaking, Chastity had always been able to sniff out perverts in the past. They seemed to gravitate to her. Why was he just standing there staring at her?
"Mr. Lawson?"
Finally, Mr. Lawson turned away from her. He stopped briefly by the sink, grabbed something, then turned, and walked out the door. Chastity let out a sigh of relief, as the latch clicked shut. That had been weird. And what had he stopped to grab by the-
Chastity felt a lump grow in her throat as she suddenly remembered she had folded up her clothes and left them, along with a dry towel, on the sink. As she looked through the frosted glass, she could see they were now gone.
Mr. Lawson had taken her clothes and towel.
Revulsion and an icy spike of fear began to well up in Chastity's gut. What the fuck was this?
At that moment, the pressure from the shower increased dramatically, the stream becoming so hard it actually was beginning to sting Chastity's skin. That was weird. Maybe Mr. Lawson had started the dishwasher or washing machine and it was affecting the plumbing? Whatever. It was about time to get out anyway. Maybe there was a spare towel under the sink she could use to cover up with. At the very least she could probably make due with hand towels until she could get to Rory's room.
Chastity reached over, grabbing the handle to the shower's faucet. She tried turning it, frowning when it wouldn't move. It was stuck or jammed somehow...
The stream continued at the same stinging pressure. It seemed to be gradually getting hotter too. Chastity's skin was starting to turn red.
"What the fuck?" Was the shower broken now? Chastity reached over and grabbed the handle to the sliding glass door. It wouldn't budge. She pulled harder. It wouldn't move at all. The door was completely immobile.
The water was definitely getting hotter. Painfully so.
Chastity whimpered involuntarily. "Mr. Lawson!" she cried out. "I can't get out! I think there's something wrong with the shower!"
No reply. Chastity yelped as the water suddenly became even hotter still! She moved forward, directly beneath the shower head, trying to get out of the stream of water. To her horror, the shower head suddenly moved of its own accord, aiming directly down at her. Chastity screamed as the boiling hot water scalded the scalp of her head and shoulders as the shower head bore down on her. Vicious red welts and blisters began appearing on her skin where the water struck her.
In spite of the heat, a dull, sinking coldness formed in the pit of Chastity's stomach. If she didn't get out of this shower soon, she was going to be scalded to death.
Chastity looked up at the frosted glass of the sliding door and knew she had only one option if she wanted to avoid being boiled alive like a lobster.
Closing her eyes and gritting her teeth, she threw herself as hard as she could against the shower door. The frosted glass exploded around her as she fell forward, out of the shower, and with a blinding flash of pain from the impact, her whole world went white…
The smell of the incense Eli Wolfsong had begun to burn filled the room, the scent musky, but somehow sweet, like a mixture of damp earth and cinnamon.
Rory glanced around from where she sat, in a circle with the others, on the floor in the middle of what she assumed was the living room of Eli's cabin. It was beginning to get dark in the room, the only light coming from the waning sunset shining through the room's single window, the small flickering fire in the fireplace, and the large red candle Eli had lit and placed at the center of their circle. As Lisa had pointed out, Eli didn't have electricity so candles and the natural light were the only illumination he had. He had a generator, but had explained that he only rarely fired it up to keep his pre-paid flip phone charged. Rory got the feeling he didn't have much of a social life, but it seemed important that he maintained some kind of connection with the outside world.
Rory took in the pleasant, homey surroundings of the room. An overstuffed couch sat below the window, with a handmade quilt draped over the back, and a wooden coffee table in front of it. An elaborate dream catcher hung in front of the window itself. Near the window was a bookcase, overflowing with what looked like old, leather bound volumes. On the wall opposite the bookcase was the stone fireplace.
In the center of the room, where they sat, was a large animal skin rug of some sort. It was a light brown and white color, and if Rory had to guess, she'd say it was probably deerskin. On its center, beneath where Eli had placed the candle, was a strange symbol, that seemingly had been painted directly on the fur of the rug in black. It was a slightly curved, line, with three smaller, straight lines slashed through its center. Rory couldn't possibly explain why, but for some reason, the symbol calmed her. It seemed to have a welcoming and benevolent presence. In fact, the whole cabin, and even Eli, seemed to give her the same vibe, despite his stoic and seemingly humorless nature.
Eli took a seat, between Kara and Maggie, a steaming, tin mug held in his hands. He slowly took a sip from the mug, before speaking.
"My people are known as the Shokanee.," he said. "Since our beginnings, we have been a tribe of lucid dreamers. Our entire culture is built around it. This is the reason Dr. Reynolds wished to interview me for his book."
Luke nodded from where he sat on the other side of Kara. "And lucid dreaming is, like… controlling your dreams."
"In a sense," replied Eli. "Lucid dreaming is the ability to realize you are in a dream and thusly to control your own actions in the dream state. With enough time and practice, you can gain the ability to perceive at all times when you have entered a dream state, and shape the dream world around you." Eli paused, before turning to Kara and passing her the mug. "Drink this, then pass it along. Drink slowly. It is very strong."
Kara sniffed at the drink before taking a sip… and nearly gagging. "God damn, that is bitter. What is that?"
"A special herbal tea," Eli went on. "According to legends passed down through the Shokanee, we were originally taught how to walk through the world of dreams by a benevolent White Dream Spirit. A Dream Master."
Rory noticed Maggie's head perk up at that.
"Those who the Dream Master spoke to directly became a council of tribal elders. Medicine men, called Dream Weavers. They became responsible for passing along the techniques of lucid dreaming to the rest of the tribe, as well as ensuring that the tribe used their abilities responsibly."
Luke suddenly coughed loudly after sipping from the mug Kara had passed him. He passed the mug to Lisa, who raised an eyebrow at Eli. A smirk had appeared on her face.
"Ensuring they dreamt responsibly?" she scoffed. "Dream Master didn't want the tribe spending all their time having pervy dream orgies, eh?"
Eli glanced over at her, clearly unamused. "According to my peoples' beliefs, the realm of dreams is actually a single plane of existence, separate from this world. When one's spirit enters the Dreamworld, their subconscious shapes the realm around them, creating the dream. A lucid dreamer, as I've stated before, can learn to consciously manipulate this realm. A truly experienced dream walker can use their abilities to enter the space of another's dreams. And through this, enter their minds. And learn all their secrets. And beyond that, if an experienced dream walker enters the dream space of a non lucid dreamer… they could shape the non lucid dreamer's space to fit their own purposes. If handled improperly, dream walking can be a dangerous and malevolent practice. "
A heavy silence hung in the air as what Eli was saying and how it could tie into their Krueger dilemma began to sink in. The wry amusement had completely left Lisa's face. Eli noticed she still held the steaming mug. He nodded at her.
"Drink. Please. And pass it along."
Lisa glanced at him before looking down at the mug. "What did you say this stuff was again?"
"It's an herbal tea," said Eli. "It will help relax you and put you in the right frame of mind for dream walking."
Luke cocked his head. "Wait, the way you were talking, I thought dream walking took years of training and experience."
Eli nodded. "It does. But I may be able to guide you through a session. Some are naturally gifted in the ways of dream walking." He glanced over at Kara as he spoke. "And I may be able to help you find the answers you seek in the Dreamworld."
Lisa glanced down at the mug again, before passing it to Rory without drinking. "This sounds an awful lot like hypnosis, and I don't want some guy I've never met fucking around in my head. No offence, but pass."
Eli shrugged. "It's just as well. The less people involved, the easier it may be to navigate. And if any of you have anything to hide, it may be best to refrain from joining in the dream walk." Eli's gaze fell upon Maggie as Rory took her sip and passed the mug to the older woman. "All secrets are lain bare in the Dreamworld."
Maggie took the mug from Rory, pausing as Eli spoke. Finally, she set the mug aside without drinking from it. "It might be best if I stay alert as well. In case anything goes wrong."
Eli nodded. Rory noticed an odd exchange of glances pass between him and Maggie. "Yes," Eli finally said at length. "That might be best."
"Wait," Rory spoke up. "What about the hypnocil? We all took a dream suppressant called hypnocil last night to keep from dreaming. Isn't that going to affect this?"
Eli shook his head. "The fact that a rudimentary fix like hypnocil actually managed to hold this dream demon at bay only proves that despite all he has shown himself capable of, Freddy Krueger is still woefully unaware of the true nature of his powers. Blocking synapses and brain chemistry have little to do with the spirit's ability to enter the realm of dreams. Circumventing the medication will not be a problem."
Finally, Kara asked the question they all held in the back of their minds. "Is this going to be dangerous?"
Eli glanced over at her. "I won't lie to you, child. There is a not insignificant possibility of danger. With me, you will be entering a very deep, very real level of the Dreamworld. And I don't think I need to tell you that at that level, whatever happens in the dream will affect you in reality. And there are other things besides Freddy Krueger - ancient, evil things - lurking in the depths of the Dreamworld that may take notice of us if we linger too long. If any of you are uncomfortable with this, now is the time to leave the circle."
Maggie and Lisa both stood. Kara glanced at the two of them before finally looking at Eli and shrugging. "I'm the one that keeps having the visions and shit. I'm the reason we're even here. I kind of feel like I have to do this."
Luke nodded. "I'm going if you're going."
"Me too," said Rory.
Eli looked between Luke and Rory, and the blonde teenager thought she caught just the barest hint of a smile tug at the corner of his lips.
"It is good that you are willing to stand with your friend like this. That will be an asset during the tribulations to come." Eli stood. "Let us get started."
Eli had them lay back on the deer skin rug, forming a t-shape with their bodies, their feet meeting at the curved symbol painted on the skin's fur. Eli himself sat cross legged on the floor, just above Kara's head. He held a bundle of lit incense above her and slowly waved it back and forth. The smoke cascaded over the three of them, filling the room once again with that earthy, sweet scent. Maggie stood near the couch watching them, her arms crossed, while Lisa paced the room seemingly as far from the group as she could get.
"Close your eyes," Eli said softly. Rory, Luke, and Kara complied as Eli continued. "Allow yourself to fall into a deep state of relaxation. Breathe in the smoke. Imagine the world around you falling away. Imagine yourself slipping into a deep, warm sleep, as your spirits are carried from your bodies."
His voice was hypnotic. Kara had seen hypnotherapy performed on patients during her stay at Westin Hills, and this was awfully similar to that. Still, as she lay with her back against the soft fur of the deer skin, she could almost imagine the world falling away. That skin the four of them were laying on was adrift in an inky black sea of emptiness…
As she thought this, Eli began chanting something soft and low in his throat. Whatever language he was speaking, it certainly wasn't English.
It was very rhythmic and somehow quite soothing.
Distantly, Kara heard a voice, very much like her own, whispering…
"Now I lay me down to sleep… the Master of Dreams my soul to keep…"
Then the world slipped away.
Pain, sharp and throbbing, was the first thing that came back to Chastity as she slowly regained consciousness. She could feel a warm liquid trickling in a thin stream down the bridge of her nose from her hairline. The pounding in her head seemed to be emanating from the source of the trickle. Slowly, she lifted her head.
Her eyes went wide as she realized she was no longer in the bathroom. In fact, she was no longer in Rory's house at all.
She was still naked, tied with some kind of soiled silk scarves to a rickety wooden chair. In front of her was a large, old makeup desk, with a round mirror that would normally be surrounded by light bulbs, though it appeared all but a few of the bulbs in this particular makeup mirror had burnt out or shattered completely.
To her left, hanging from a grimy, metal pipe that ran along the red and green striped wall, were what looked like a variety of molding, ratty, moth-eaten showgirls outfits. Corsets, boas, nylon stockings, etc. A blackened radiator hissed ominously against the wall to her right. The light in the room was very dim, the only source the few remaining, flickering bulbs in the makeup mirror.
It seemed as though she were in some kind of rotten, old timey dressing room.
Chastity's confusion only lasted a moment before she suddenly began struggling violently against her chair. She knew what this was. It was a dream. Another fucking nightmare! He was coming for her!
"No!" she moaned. "This is impossible! I took the hypnocil! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!"
Without warning, a pipe blew off of the nearby radiator, and a white hot jet of steam shot out with a screech, blasting Chastity in the face. The naked girl screamed in agony as white hot pain enveloped her. Gradually, the steam filled the entire room, before finally slowing to a trickle then stopping entirely.
Chastity breathed heavily, her head slumped forward. Her face felt tight, hot, and wet. The pain was screaming and maddening.
Slowly, she looked up at the mirror.
Her face was swollen, slick, and red. Blisters had formed across her forehead and under her eyes, and her lips were split, and bloodied.
"Awww," a gravelly voice suddenly crooned from the direction of the radiator, and Chastity yelped in surprise. The steam finally began to clear… revealing Freddy Krueger, now standing in front of the radiator, leering at her, his arms folded across his chest. "Look at your poor pretty face. We can't let you leave here looking like that." Uncrossing his arms, he flicked open his clawed glove, grinning maniacally at Chastity through the gaps between his fingers. "Time for a makeover!"
Chastity could do nothing but scream as Freddy cackled.
"...Rory…"
"...Rory!..."
"Rory! Wake up!"
Rory rose up out of the darkness and her eyes fluttered open. It took her a moment to gain her bearings.
It was dark. She was lying on her back, outside, judging by the wet feeling of dew-soaked grass against the back of her neck and the bright, full moon glowing over head.
Luke was standing above her, a look of relief on his face, though it was mixed with one of concern. He reached out a hand toward her and after she took it, he pulled her to her feet.
"Jesus… what happened? Where are we?"
Luke didn't answer her. Instead, his eyes flicked past her, over her shoulder. Rory turned to see what he was looking at.
The ruins of 1428 Elm Street loomed over them.
"Shit…" Rory breathed. "So we're dreaming. But where's Eli? And Kara?"
"I don't know," Luke replied. "I woke up on the ground next to you just a few minutes ago."
Rory glanced back at the house. Besides the decrepit look of the place, and her less than pleasant memories of what had happened last time she'd been this close to it, for whatever reason, the negative aura of the place didn't seem quite as thick and threatening as usual. Perhaps because they weren't in Springwood? Maybe Freddy wasn't here? But if not, why was the house even manifesting? Eli had said he was going to guide them through the dream walk… so where was he? Rory had a feeling this wouldn't have been the first place he would have taken them…
"It seems quiet," Luke said, interrupting her thoughts. "Like no one's home."
Rory nodded. "I think we might be outside his reach."
Luke didn't have to ask who she meant.
Not knowing what else to do, Rory cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted. "Mr. Wolfsong?! Kara?! Anybody! Are you out there?"
An owl hooted softly in the distance, but otherwise, there was no response. Luke glanced around nervously. Instead of the street that typically ran in front of the house in the real world, there was only an endless, craggy forest filled with bare, dead trees, seeming to stretch off forever in all directions. Something definitely didn't feel right about this.
"Mr. Wolfsong!" Rory shouted again, louder.
Luke put a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe we should keep quiet, Ror. Remember what Eli said about there being things older and nastier than Krueger in the dream world?"
Rory sighed, letting her arms fall back to her side. She shook her head as she turned to Luke. " I don't think there's anyone or anything else here. Maybe we fell into some kind of weird, isolated dream pocket, or something."
As if on cue, the ground suddenly began shaking violently and a heavy wind began kicking up. Luke and Rory were thrown roughly to the ground.
A loud, humming sound began emanating from the house looming before them. A deep, blood red glow suddenly flickered to life within the dirty, broken windows of the second floor.
And though it all, an insidious, chittering, deeply inhuman laughter began rising up.
Luke propped himself up on his elbows from where he lay on his back on the ground. He focused his gaze on the house, his eyes widening. "Oh shit."
The windows on the second floor suddenly exploded outward, showering Rory and Luke with broken glass. A great wailing sound suddenly poured out from within the house. It sounded like hundreds, maybe thousands of tormented screams. Men, women, and children alike, all of their tortured voices cascading forth from within the fiery red glow emanating from within the Nightmare House, blending together into a cacophonous symphony of damnation.
It was as if 1428 Elm Street had become a literal portal to hell.
And then they appeared. Three massive, snake-like things, slithered out of the open upper windows of the house. They floated in the air, twisting their mottled, brown bodies as if swimming through an invisible liquid. Their heads were bulbous and craggy, hideous, alien parodies of a human skull. Pin pricks of red light burned within their cavernous, black eye sockets.
It was these red pin pricks they focused on Rory and Luke, as they moved through the air toward the two terrified teenagers. The creatures opened their angular jaws in unison, and the same chittering laughter from before filled the air once again.
Rory and Luke scrambled to their feet just as the three creatures reached them, and began encircling the two of them, slowly, intertwining around each other and passing back and forth, creating an unbroken circle around the two teenagers. Above them, the pale, white moon had turned a deep, bloody red, bathing everything in an eerie, crimson glow.
Then the creatures spoke.
The first to talk had a deep, guttural, and masculine voice.
"Well, well, well… it has been quite a while since we chanced upon the opportunity to engage a pair of mortals."
"Indeed. Such young and attractive mortals at that," the second chimed in. This one spoke in a high pitched, droning, feminine whine. The buzzing of a thousand mosquitos given a voice.
"How do you suppose they reached this level?" asked the third, in a toneless, sexless whisper. "It's been over a century since anyone who wasn't on the brink of death was able to fall to this depth of the Nightmare Realm."
"Irresponsible dream walking," the guttural-voiced one concluded. "Without proper preparation, one can slip off the path and fall and fall into the endless void. A dangerous practice for the inexperienced. Someone must've been desperate to attempt it."
"Not that we're complaining," added the whiny voiced creature. "It's been ages since we've had any company at all down here…"
"Deep into that Darkness peering," concluded the whispery-voiced creature, chucking to itself.
"Who..?" Rory stammered. "Who… w-what… are-?"
"Briareus," interrupted the guttural one.
"Cottus," droned the buzzing one.
"Gyges," whispered the third.
"We are the Dream Demons!" continued the first, the one that had identified itself as Briareus.
"The Guardians of the Gateway to the Nightmare Realm," hissed Gyges.
"The chief servants of the Eldest Son of Nyx!" said Cottus. "The Fallen Nightmare King!"
There are other things besides Freddy Krueger - ancient, evil things - lurking in the depths of the Dreamworld that may take notice of us…
Eli's words came back to Rory now. These must've been the kinds of beings he'd been referring to. But hadn't he said they'd only take notice if they lingered too long? They'd only just gotten here! And where were Eli and Kara?
"So many questions running through your pretty head," Briareus interrupted her train of thought, and an icy spike of horror shot through Rory's gut as she realized the creature was hearing her thoughts. It left the circle created by its brethren, closing the gap between it and Rory until it's putrid, skull-like face was only inches from Rory. She could feel the intense heat from it's sulphuric breath as it spoke to her. "There has been an awakening, child. Things long dormant have begun to stir. From within his watery prison, our master has opened his eyes for the first time in nearly half a millenia…"
"We have the answers you may seek," Cottus droned from where it still circled with Gyges.
"Yes," Briareus said, its hot, rotten egg breath causing Rory to gag. "But first, we would like some answers of our own."
"We have been disconnected from the mortal coil for quite some time now," Gyges hissed. "Left to fester in this empty hell."
The pinpricks of Briareus's eyes bored into Rory's. Dimly, she became aware of the fact that the serpentine being's long tail had slowly coiled around to the back of her head, though she found herself incapable of doing anything about it. Beside her, Luke stood stock still as well. Whatever these monsters were, they had some kind of hold over the two of them.
"We tell you all of this as a courtesy," Briareus continued. "We don't need your permission to find the answers we seek. But you needn't be frightened, dear child. I'm not going to permanently damage you. I couldn't even if I wanted to." The creature chortled darkly before continuing. "But this is going to hurt. Quite badly."
And with that, pain exploded behind Rory's eyes as something smooth and sharp lanced deep into the base of her skull.
And her whole world went red.
A/N: Hey, guys. It's been… a very long time, I know. There've been a lot of life changes since the last update. I've been laid off, found a new job, bought a house, gotten engaged. Plus, I nearly had this last chapter finished about a year back… and then my computer crashed and I foolishly had nothing backed up so I lost EVERYTHING. It was very disheartening and after trying for several months to rewrite the chapter as I'd had it written, I gave up.
Until inspiration struck and this chapter sprang to life in my head! It's a different direction than I initially intended, and I'm a little nervous about reactions as it's definitely the most out there chapter thus far and introduces some pretty controversial concepts… so let me know what you think with reviews!