I LIIIIIIIIIVVVVVEEEEE!

Ok, so this was written about a year ago with the ever awesome EZB. And this actually was supposed to take place during his Gravity Falls story "The Return to Gravity Falls", hence all his characters I'm using and I honestly don't remember after what chapter this was written to take place after. Heh, lost track. But unfortunately, due to my lack of muse, and EZB's busyness of his epic life, this got put on hold. For quite a while actually. But I'm starting to get back into the swing go writing like I used to again, and this is, hopefully, one of many updates this anthology will be having. Again, I can't say for certain I'll be updating all the time, but it'll be as often as I can, and I'll also be taking requests as well if anyone give a shit enough to leave me ideas.

Now for this particular piece, I had plans to work on it THIS Halloween, but I'd like to have "30 Days of Night" done before I start work on another GF horror movie adaptation. So, more then likely, it'll be next year.

Ok, enough of my blabbing. Enjoy!

I also own nothing. Jess, Jace, and Yuki belong to EZB, and "A Nightmare on Elm St." belongs to the late Wes Craven.

Rest In Peace, Wes. Thanks for making me afraid to go to sleep at night.

She had to run.

There was no one to run to.

He was all things and all places for her to run away.

She had to hide.

There was no place to hide.

He would await for her, find her, as he always did.

She had to scream.

She wouldn't dare make any more noise than she had to.

His ears were the realm of this nightmare and his power presided over her.

This nightmare was his playground.

"Come on back, plaything," the dark, guttural voice echoed from behind her.

Jessandra ran with her feet as hard as she could. It hadn't been long in the dream, like those that had come before: these nightmares of death and being hunted like prey. Only now, she was alone, and her wings were clipped here. She had lost her feathers. She had lost her flight.

Hope was coming up close on the lost category.

"JACE!" she dared to scream to the heavens above her.

Her bloodied and scratched feet raced painfully against the cold, wet pavement. She was looking behind her, checking the progress of the chaser. She could make out his form behind the billowing smoke that lingered behind her, fire tracing in his calming step that seemed to keep him at pace with her.

"Your dumbshit brother isn't here to hide behind, chicken girl," the man growled delightfully.

"H-HELP!" she screamed, aching her throat and lungs for whatever hopeful attention she could come across. The street ahead of her was just endless, and pitch black.

How long had she been running for? Hours? Days? Weeks? Had she just started running? Jessandra had no idea. The Harpy could hardly keep track of footsteps, especially since she was used to measuring things in kilometers, usually in a safe distance in the clouds. No longer was she in that safe, distant, detached height.

"You're down here with me now, bitch," he told her, his growing voice scaring her horribly.

He was catching up with her.

Then a burst of hope caught her attention. Far ahead, far, far ahead, in the distant gloom of darkness, two figures emerged. They could have been miles away, but it was something to hold to. The outlines of her parents awaited her, waving her closer, their long, large feathers bending along their arms and backs.

"Mom! Dad!" Jess shouted, a smile growing on her face.

Maybe this dream could be different. She may not wake up in sweat, a horrible feeling along her skin as if she had been grasped or throttled, or like the last time, waking up with a single, long scratch along her back. Not this time. This time she would awake with a smile on her face, having seen her parents in her dreams. They could help her! They were so warming to her, the golden orange light behind them growing as she approached.

Hell would not let her go so easily it seemed.

The light from behind them let out a shrill shriek. A gust of wind knocked Jess onto her back. As she collected herself, looking back up, she screamed. Her father was burning, the fires of a dying Phoenix exploding light all around it, slowly spreading closer to her. Jess pushed herself further and further away, desperately climbing onto a lawn of a standard American home in the suburbs.

"Jess!" Her mother grabbed her hand from behind her, causing her to scream and whipped around, pulling her hand away.

"Mom!"

"We can't go that way! Thats-"

Her mouth gagged and her mouth was torn open. An entire gloved hand burst through the back of her mouth, cutting her spine out from the back of her head. Four small knives, like nails, were attached to the glove, and Jess felt all the air race from her lungs in the loudest, most horrible scream she had ever uttered.

It was not enough to wake her.

She saw him lurking up behind her now dead mother, and Jess spun for the door to the home. Wrenching it open, she spun and closed it before she dared check the interior. It was more important that she lock him out than know what the shade of the wallpaper was.

Turning around to see the world behind her, she realized what a mistake that was. She was back where it all began. Where all the dreams since the first had lead to. Every single one of them ended here, in a maze of pipes and industrial hell. Red mist and light scorched her skin and remaining feathers on her ears and arms. It was hot, humid, and smelt of acrid steel. This was his playground.

"No, no, no!" she desperately turned and pulled at the door handle. It fell away, causing her to stumble back. When she looked back up, the door was gone.

"Having some technical difficulty?"

The voice came from all around her, and she turned back, putting herself against the wall. Then the wall itself morphed in a horrible groan. Four hands all tried grabbing her limbs at once, and she shrieked and pulled away, barely having a moment to race away from the now growing figure of her nightmare hunter.

She couldn't scream any more. Her brain couldn't process the amount of terror that filled her as she saw him force his way out of the wall like an embryo out of a womb. He was coming, and all she could do was watch. Her body wouldn't listen to the demands of every single natural instinct roaring inside.

Run. Just run!

"Giving up, little missy?" he asked her, clicking the fingers together excitedly. She gulped and stared up to him. The face was obscured by a small fedora, casting a shadow over his entire head and shoulders. Maybe, just maybe, she wondered if she let this happen, the dreams would stop.

No sooner had the thought passed her mind, than he lashed out and sliced her arm with a quick swipe. She screamed and held her bleeding arm. A two inch incision by her wing-line.

"You leave when I say you leave, bitch!" he snarled, letting a few drops of her blood fall to the floor from his raised knives.

"W-w-w-wh-"

"Hmm? Speak up," he demanded, preparing to swipe at her again.

"What are you!?" she roared and closed her eyes as she saw the coming attack.

"JESS!"

She opened her eyes with a gasp and looked around. It was a cold, crummy motel room in Washington state. Her brother was on the side of her bed, clutching her shoulders tightly, worry shining from his eyes brighter than the sun itself. He sighed when she came to and let his grip loosen.

"Finally," he sighed and brushed some hair out from her feathers by her ears, untangling them slightly, "you were having another one of your nightmares."

"I... Jace!" she screeched at him. He held his hand to his mouth and 'shh'ed.

"Quiet!" he whispered to her. "You'll get us kicked out for waking the neighbors."

"I'm telling you," she grasped the brim of his shirt with one of her arms, keeping him close, "they're real!"

"How is that possible. Dreams are just... dreams," he told her while shrugging, "you have them and you make of them what you will."

"Jace, it's the same voice," she began explaining what would have been the fifth time, "in the same place, trying to kill me! I've never seen him before and I don't recognize the voice even!"

"Okay, okay, shhhh," he held his hands to her sides, trying to calm his younger sister. The fifteen year old male stroked his arm feathers and looked at her in puzzlement. There was a longing to understand and believe her inside his stare, but she knew he wouldn't. Logic was on his side, and sense aided him.

Only then did her arm ache, and she looked down.

"Oh my god," she said with a tremble.

The two of them stared to her, and her brother swore loudly. One of her large golden feathers was dangling off a line of sliced open skin. She had been cut long the side of her arm. Jace instantly went to his gathered supplies and retrieved a roll of gauze, and inspected her.

"Jess, what the hell- how did that happen!?" he demanded worriedly.

Jess couldn't answer. That was the exact spot. The exact same spot he had cut her. It was real. All of it was real. If he hurt her, she would be hurt. Which meant...

"It's were he cut me," she told him with a shaking lips. Jace stared at his younger sister, the only sister in his life. The pride of his family and himself, and one of only a few people on planet earth he would instantly take a bullet for. No longer could he afford to distrust the misconceptions of his dear twelve year old sister. He needed to solve this for her.

"They've been getting worse? These dreams?" he asked her as he began to apply the gauze and wrapping.

"Yes. All of them just get worse. He hunts me and chases me and... he's horrible," she told him. "I smell burnt... something... it's so bad and disgusting Jace!" she shouted and reached around his stomach for a hug. He gasped and held her close, looking to the windows carefully.

The night was still young, and he doubted either of them would get sleep.

"Okay... so you're dealing with a dream monster thing?" he gently pulled her away and looked to her tear-stained eyes.

"I don't know," she admitted, wiping a few away, "all I know is that he wants me dead. It's like that stupid hunter all over again, but he can get me when I can't run!"

"I know. Jess..." he thought about his answer for her for a moment, and decided it was right. "I think we need to call in some experts about weird stuff."

"Huh?" she asked, wiping away her eyes from their tears.

"You know who I mean. Who else can we trust that's dealt with crazy stuff like this?" Jace asked with a grin. Jess gasped, and her face grew red. "You got 'em."

She smiled and nodded. "Dipper and Mabel."

"Man, you want to talk about rocking the bow, that giant undead thing was freaky until you put out it's eyes! Like... shwoop! Shwoop!"

Mabel Pines mimed the action that Wendy Corduroy's character, only known as 'The Red Phantom' had performed to take down the monster the group had just encountered. The Redhead laughed as she, Mabel, Dipper, Soos, and their newest accomplice Uki-Dohth, known as Yuki, stepped out from the living room together, chatting animatedly together.

"It's pretty cool to know Dipper and Yuki can save their magical power for other stuff. Who knew that adventurers can set fires whenever the heck they want?" Wendy replied.

"Still, those were some sick shots you had," Dipper told her with a grin. Wendy grinned and nodded to him.

"Ranger with a good eye," she winked at him, and Dipper felt the pit of his stomach churn excitedly.

"Still though. That giant undead thing- like, what are going to do about it?" Soos asked them with a worried look to their dark skinned friend.

"I know not of such solutions," Yuki admitted, "should there be one within the immediate vicinity, I was unable to perceive it."

"Ugh," Grunkle Stan finally continued after them, carry a box with all the parts to their adventure game, Strongholds and Serpents, "I'm going to buy you 'Grappled on Grammar' or something so you know what it sounds like when you speak. If this is what the princes and royalty years ago had to endure, I'd understand why they were all stiff jerks."

Dipper and Mabel laughed as Yuki nervously chuckled along.

"Hey, Dipper, Mabel," Wendy called to them from the gift shop, "I totally forgot to hand this to you in the morning."

"Huh?" Dipper turned quickly, and stepped closer. Mabel, however, noticed the small envelope held in Wendy's grip, and charged forth, blazing a trail around her brother. "Hey!" Dipper shouted as she snatched what turned out to be a post card and began to read it.

"Ahem. Dear Mabel and Dipper- HA!" Mabel poked the card against Dipper's chest, "finally someone put me as the first twin!" she grinned at him excitedly, and he shrugged.

"Plenty of people do that," he assured her.

"Yeah? Like who?"

"Well, like... uhh..."

"Dear Mabel and Dipper," Mabel continued, scowling at her brother, who was still certain that someone out in the world used his suggested order, "we've just caught up the phoenix! Hey!" Mabel leapt up and giggled, "It's Jace and Jess!"

"Cool!" Dipper stepped closer, looking past her arm to read the card as she read aloud.

"We were staring to head back through northern California, and we thought it would be totally bananas cool if we could stop by for a moment and hang out like we did the first time. Oh, Jace is sooo the one who wrote this," Mabel rolled her eyes and snickered, "only he could be genius enough to use 'totally bananas cool'. Ahem. But something came up. Jess started getting these weird dreams. They're starting to effect her..." Mabel looked to Dipper, worry clear and evident throughout her eyes.

"Wait... you don't think that..." Dipper asked his twin, "Cipher?"

"Maybe he got all annoyed that we beat him at S and S, so now he's going after our friends," Mabel worriedly told him.

"But we banished him to the portal. He's not coming out unless someone lets him out!" Dipper exclaimed, and looked to Wendy, who was listening into this, and then to Soos and Yuki, who were equally confused. Mabel continued to read.

"We're not... exactly sure if you've ever had to deal with anything like this, but we need your help. We think Jess is in danger, and we know you're good with these mystery things. We'll be dropping by soon. Thanks, Jace and Jess," Mabel lowered the post card and worriedly looked around the room. Talk about a change in atmosphere- the once happy and excited vibes floating around the shack went to an almost abysmal and worried tone within a few sentences.

"Who are Jace and Jess?" Yuki asked.

"Friends," Dipper quickly told him.

"Hey! Yuki!" A voice called the alien to spin around, and Grunkle Stan entered the gift shop, a stack of coupon books in his arms, "I need you to go use all these this week."

"I- excuse me?" he demanded as Grunkle Stan walked past him, and then tossed a buss ticket at his face.

"Look, I need Wendy and Soos here, and until customers start marching through those doors," Grunkle Stan pointed a thumb over his shoulder, "I need you to be useful. That's a two-way bus ticket. Oh, and I suppose some hotel money," Grunkle Stan tossed him a wad of cash rolled up into a tight bun, "now go get the house food. You should be able to get practically everything for free if you do everything right."

"But.. but I draw attention to myself," Yuki wined as he protested this action.

"No butts! You want to live here until you get situated, don't you?" Stan warned him, and the alien nodded. "Now get going!" The alien reached for one of the racks, where cheap backpacks were for sale, filled it with the material, and slipped it around his shoulders.

"Don't worry Yuki! You'll be fine!" Mabel assured him.

"Farewell," the alien nervously told them as he walked out the door and began his hiking into town.

"Great. Let me know if he gets lost and comes back around. I guess I can waste some gas on him, you know," Grunkle Stan shrugged, "getting him to the bus station."

As Grunkle Stan walked past them, Dipper was ready to look to the post card. Something about the handwriting seemed... off. Certainly, Jace had great handwriting, but half way through the scribbles became less and less distinguishable. He hadn't been possessed, as Dipper doubted Cipher could even write proper English with a human-like body. Was Jace... just that scared?

"So, we're going to help your friends, right?" Soos asked, and the twins looked to him.

"We?" Dipper repeated.

"Well yeah. I remember those two," Soos acknowledged, "I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to them, you know."

"Same man," Wendy nodded, "this shouldn't be something that anyone deals with alone. You guys may want our help, you know?" she told them, leaning on the counter. "We're with this."

The twins looked to each other, beaming. If a dream demon thought that he could mess with their friends without consequence, he had another thing coming.

If only they knew.