Broken Dreams

by Don'tFallAsleep1428

Katherine's mind is starting to break. What will happen to her now that she is locked up in Westin Hills? Though her father, Freddy, has nightmarish plans for her. She slowly starts to develop a personality disorder and grows even closer to him. Soon, she will have to choose a side…

7. Deception and Trust

Chapter 7: Deception and Trust

Katherine was still slouched against the door to her room, with her vacuous gaze staring up at the ceiling. Her eyes were unmoving, much like those apparitions from her dream. She knew now that taking those valium tablets was a bad idea, it was their calming effect that had caused her to drift off to sleep in the courtyard. When she had taken them back in Central City it was only to alleviate her nerves when in certain situations such as starting High School and being around new people in parties or social events. It had helped calm her nerves. But she had forgot how on the odd time the tablets would cause her to fall to sleep. She was so stupid. And now that little dream had only caused her apprehension to intensify.

She blinked once and turned her face to the right, glancing at the clock, it was 1.45pm, near visiting time. Her tongue slipped out of her mouth and again lightly touched her cut. She had to find some makeup to conceal the wound from Michael. He would be concerned if he saw it and would know instantly that she had fallen asleep. Pressing her hands on the cold ground she unsteadily rose to her feet and ambled over to the bed and reached down for her grip bag. After placing it on the bed she rummaged through the contents, pushing items of clothing to the side until she got her baby pink toiletry bag. Her slim hands pulled out the objects inside – a plastic bag of cotton balls, a small bottle of moisturizer, shampoo bottle, shower gel, toothbrush, toothpaste and face cloth. But to her dismay, no makeup.

"Fuck" she moaned. Soon, an idea entered her mind and she rushed to the door and stepped into corridor. Her pensive gaze scoured the hallway as a few orderlies passed her. She peered around them as she tried to catch a glimpse of a female nurse. Even one of the younger ones around her age, one of them would bound to have some make up with them. Her face lit up as she saw the nurse from the treatment room pushing a cart of medicine out of the room next to hers.

"Sorry, aren't you Samantha?" Katherine called out.

The young nurse turned to face her, "Yes? Is everything okay?"

Katherine gave a shy smile, "Would it be okay if I could speak to you? Please?"

The wheels of the cart squeaked as Samantha rolled it back down towards her, "Yes, do you need anything?"

"Um" Katherine felt her face blush, "This is going to sound strange, but would you have any makeup I could borrow? Maybe some foundation, concealer?"

The nurse eyed her silently and noticed the small cut on the left side of her lip.

Bashfully Katherine covered her lip with her left hand and smiled meekly, thinking on the spot. "I uh, bit my lip. I suffer from bad anxiety, and I sometimes chew on my lips, I can sometimes break skin. It's becoming a bad habit"

Samantha gave a slow nod, not really believing her. Then sighed, seeing the pleading look on the young woman's wary face, "Just give me a few minutes. I've to leave this back to the treatment room. I'll have to go to the staff room, that's where my bag is. I'll be back in five minutes"

"Thank you so much" Katherine grinned. She took a step back into the doorway of her room and waited. Her eyes darted back and forth as she circumspectly studied the patients as they were passing her, most of them were alone. But a few were guided back to the rooms or the visiting area by orderlies. Lorenzo was one of them, gripping the arm of a middle-aged man with greying hair. The Hispanic glanced in her direction and gave her a wayward smirk. She threw him a stony glare and twisted away. Just what the fuck was his problem? First, he had offered her the opportunity to get some gear and now the leering look just there. She would have to keep her guard up around him.

She soon heard the patter of feet and spun back around seeing Samantha approach with a clear bottle of concealer, small circular makeup applicator pad and blusher brush/bronzer. Along with a small square hand-held mirror. "There you go, you can keep them"

Katherine shook her head, "Honestly no. I will give them back to you"

The girl pushed them into her hands, "Take them. I have plenty more"

"Thank you again" Katherine grinned and turned back into the room, closing the door behind her. She had five minutes to cover her cut lip before someone would come and escort her down to the visiting room. She hurriedly sat on the bed and twisted open the concealer bottle and dipped out a blob of the cream liquid onto the pad. After popping open the mirror in her left hand she raised the pad and gently applied the liquid to the edge of her lip, gliding it gently over the cut as she saw the reflection of her mouth in the mirror. Her eyes watered slightly at the stinging sensation from the wound, but she gritted her teeth and smeared more concealer over the wound. After a few more applications, she used the blusher brush and bronzer to skim over her cheeks. Giving her skin a healthier glow, rather than her usual pale visage. Even though the shade of the concealer was a little lighter than her normal skin tone, it would have to do. Hopefully Michael wouldn't notice.

Her shoulders slumped drearily, she hated lying to him. But if she told him about the busted lip and how she got it then it would enrage him, and he would end up doing something foolish like falling asleep and confronting her father. Which was the last thing she wanted. No matter what Michael thought about her father's powers being affected and not being able to hurt people – such as Taryn, Katherine knew that it wasn't entirely true. Her father had given her this busted lip. She just had to find out what her father was up to.

X x x

Michael and Nancy sat patiently in the visiting room, having settled at a small circular table at the far end of the room. There were twelve small circular tables dotted about the room. Most of the other tables were occupied by various family members and friends as they chatted quietly to their loved ones. The young man fidgeted in his seat, "I wish she would hurry up"

"She'll be here. She knows you've come to see her" Nancy reassured. Both their gazes were soon greeted with Katherine as she entered the room. A bright smile adorned her face as she approached them.

"Hi"

They rose to their feet with Nancy giving her a firm hug, "Hey, how are you?"

"I'm okay" Katherine replied. She soon embraced her boyfriend and lightly pecked him on his lips, "Hey, you"

Michael beamed and kissed her forehead lightly. "I've brought you something"

Katherine's eyebrows raised up in surprise, "What?"

He nodded down at his feet as they settled in their seats. Following his gaze, she saw a white plastic bag and watched as he threw it onto the table. "It's your art pads, coloring pencils. Some fresh clothes and a portable radio. A few novels. You know to help you keep awake at night"

"We tried to bring you in some caffeine drinks. But they were checking bags when we came in and took the drinks off us" Nancy stated, "It seems to be very strict in here"

Katherine scoffed softly, "Believe me it is"

"So…" Michael lowered his voice, to ensure none of the orderlies positioned in the two corners of the room could hear, "Did you manage to stay awake last night?"

"I tried to" Katherine noticed the worried look on their faces. "But drifted off around 1am"

"What happened?" Nancy whispered.

"He uh, knew you had visited me" She locked her forlorn gaze on Michael. "He said he could smell your scent off of me"

"My scent?"

"Yeah" Katherine took a deep breath, "I had to tell him that your mother was here. I'm sorry, but he would have found out. He would have raided my memories!"

"It's okay" He reached over and took her hand in his and gave it a tender squeeze, "Don't apologize"

"He's not too happy about it. I mean, that your mom is here. Just make sure she stays awake, okay?" Katherine mused then added, "I'm not sure if I'll get to see your mom again today, but would you let her know that is what happened in my dream? And that I'm sorry I couldn't tell her"

"But you did talk to her today in your therapy session?" Nancy questioned.

"Yes, but I had a panic attack. A bad one"

"Is that all that happened in your dream Kathy?" Michael enquired. His blue eyes stared intently into her brown ones, hoping to discern if she was keeping anything from him. Her eyes seemed slightly on edge; her jaw was clenched tightly. "Please tell me if he has done anything to you"

Katherine held his gaze, "Michael nothing has happened to me. I told you yesterday"

"Then why did you have a panic attack this morning?" he asked.

"I was having a hard time in my session…" Katherine started. She hated all the lying, but she was only trying to protect Michael. It was for the best if he didn't know. "Sims was saying to your mom that I have schizophrenia and that if I didn't sleep during the night, she would consider sedating me. And with me being stuck in here I guess that everything became too much for me to handle. Like I told your mom, I can't stay here. I need out of here!"

"My mom will get you out of here" he tenderly squeezed her hand. He cast a quick glance at Nancy. She held his gaze for a moment. She too wasn't completely sure that Katherine was telling them everything. Whether it was down to her father manipulating her or threatening her, but something wasn't right.

"You do know that you can tell us anything" Nancy proposed to the girl facing her, "You don't need to be afraid. We won't judge you"

"I know, but you must trust me. Nothing has happened" Katherine nodded swiftly; her gaze unyielding as she stared at them both. It was like being a little girl all over again, the lies, the deceit. She quickly changed the subject, "How is everyone? Has everyone been managing to stay awake?"

Michael sighed softly, "I fell asleep for a few hours" he saw the worry on her face, "But listen, my mom was watching me. I was okay, I didn't even have a dream"

Nancy added, "Me and Glenn took turns sleeping last night too. Also, the others were taking turns too. All of us had no dreams"

Katherine sagged back in her seat. Oh, she knew why they had no dreams alright. Her father was too busy fucking her in her dream to pay them any attention. She shuddered at the memory and cleared the throat. "I don't think any of you should risk it again, by going to sleep. Try and stay awake please"

"Listen, I told you yesterday, we think he's lost his powers. Taryn had a dream in one of her classes and woke up without a single wound. Nothing" Michael encouraged then looked at Nancy, "Even when we were sleeping the other night, Kirsten, Nancy and I were in the dream. He tried to hurt us, but he didn't. We never had any injuries when we woke up. I'm convinced that either he has lost his powers, or they are weakened"

She gave them a perplexed stare, not sure whether to believe this. It was apparent in her dreams that her father had full use of his powers, he had hurt her. She had seen blood on his blades from a victim, but who had he killed? Or maybe he was tricking her, by pretending he was killing people? To what end though? To make her on edge, increase her fear? It was imperative she found out. Tonight, she would.

After a few more moments of silence she asked, "Do you know how he lost his powers?"

"We don't know" Michael, "But it can only be good news, right?"

Her shaking lips curled into a forceful smile, "Yeah it is"

"How are you finding things in here? Have you been talking to anyone? Getting some company from any other patients?" Nancy questioned.

Katherine was thankful for the change of topic, "Um, not really. Most of the time I spend in my room. There is a girl called Mary, she's a few years older than me. Maybe her early twenties. We haven't really talked, but she seems nice. The other patients hardly talk, they are very withdrawn and are drugged up. To be honest, I'd rather just be on my own in here. But I'm glad that your mother is here" she smiled brightly at Michael, "We had a talk earlier. She's uh, given me a little encouragement. Which is what I needed"

"That's good" he grinned, "Are you eating well?"

"So, so. My appetite comes and goes. You know how I am with my anxiety" Katherine glimpsed at Nancy, "Are you still staying at Nancy's s house?"

"No, my mom booked us into a motel last night. We are going to stay there. She didn't think it was fair for us to impose on Nancy and her parents any longer"

"Is there anything that you need us to bring you tomorrow?" Nancy smiled.

"Maybe some bottles of water?"

She nodded, then frowned as a male orderly approached them. "Sorry, but time is up. I'll have to ask you to leave"

Michael grumbled, "Can we have five more minutes please?"

The dark-haired orderly shook his head, "I'm sorry. But it's 3pm, visiting time is over. You can see Miss Krueger tomorrow"

Katherine sighed despondently and turned in her seat to ask, "Can they not visit me later? I mean, there are two visiting times in the hospital"

He shook his head, "No, there is only one hour visiting time per day. This is a psychiatric hospital. Different rules here"

Curing her fingers inward, Katherine held back a curse of rage. "Fine" she rose to her feet and took a step towards Michael and Nancy. "Stay awake tonight, please?"

They both gave a small nod.

"And you too" Michael replied.

She gave a curt nod of her head and embraced him in a tight hug, "I love you" she brushed her lips against his right ear.

"I love you too Kathy" he murmured and kissed the temple of her head.

Taking a step back she offered a hug towards Nancy who urged, "Keep alert. And if you do fall asleep, don't let that fucker do anything to you"

Katherine nodded sheepishly, then stood back as they were escorted out of the room by the hospital attendant. Her eyes lowered to the plastic bag on the table and with a sigh, she snatched it and left the room.

X x x

"I don't like this Michael" Nancy muttered as they exited the main foyer of Westin Hills. The afternoon sun beamed down on them, causing them to be temporarily blinded until their eyes adjusted to the light. She lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, "Keeping things from Katherine. I know what you want to do tonight, but it still is dangerous"

He walked by her side across the vast car park. They meandered in between the vast amounts of cars until they were at his parked Cadillac Sedan, "I know Nancy, I hate lying to Katherine too. But what can I do? If we do tell her what we have planned, then she will just fall asleep too and try and protect us. But I don't want her anywhere near that bastard tonight. We'll tell her tomorrow if everything goes according to plan"

They clambered into the car and for a few moments, a thoughtful silence fell between them as he drove them out of the grounds of the hospital, onto the main road that led back into the center of town. After a few minutes, Nancy questioned. "Is Kincaid still up for it? I know he seems very eager to do this"

"Yeah, I had a chat with him before I went over to collect you. He wants some retribution for what Freddy did to Taryn. You know, how he brought up her past. Everyone is meeting us at the motel around 7pm. We can finalize our plans then. There might not be enough space for everyone, but we can manage"

Nancy nodded, "I know you said it was just you, Kristen and Kincaid planning on doing this. But I want to go into the dream too"

"Are you sure?" Michael's gaze left the road momentarily to glimpse at her. "You don't have to"

Nancy laughed nervously, "I don't really want to do this, but at the same time I don't want Kristen going in there on her own. I know you guys will be there, but you are planning on attacking Freddy. It's not fair on her being left wandering around that power plant on her own"

He grimly nodded, "I understand. You're a good person Nancy" he turned the car into a small car park beside a convenience store. "I'm going to get some coffee for the others for tonight. Then we'll head back to the motel"

x x x

The line at the canteen trailed along the back wall. About twenty patients stood in line as they queued for their evening meals. Katherine crossed her arms against her chest, her patience wearing thin. It had been a long afternoon and her dream from earlier was still lingering on her mind. After waking up from the little dream she had immediately loss any appetite she had, but at this very moment her stomach was groaning and grumbling in discontent. She needed food. Sniffing the air, she discerned that the options for today was either lasagna or pasta. Either would do her. Noticing that the queue had begun to move she shuffled forward a few feet as the patient ahead of her moved forward, as he was being accompanied by a tall stocky orderly. She recognized the patient as Sam the paranoid Schizophrenic from the games room the other day. He vigilantly looked about the room and craned his head over his left shoulder to scrutinize her.

The orderly tugged his arm hard enticing him to move forward a few more feet as the queue continued to shorten. Katherine saw the opening in the wall as the row of hot plates that consisted of lasagna, pasta and chips. They were continually being replenished by the cooks behind the canteen staff who served the patients. Lifting a white tray, along with plastic fork and knife she expectantly waited her turn as she was next in line to be served. She smiled politely as she remembered the canteen woman from the other day as she began to serve her. Her name was Jane.

"Hi" Jane greeted her and lifted a plastic plate, "What would you like today?"

"Lasagna and chips please" Katherine eagerly looked behind her and saw that there was a large metal coffee flask amongst the large plastic containers of juice, water, milk, "Would it be okay if I could have some coffee, please?"

Jane scooped some chips onto the plate and nodded, "Any sugar or milk?"

"No thanks"

After handing Katherine her plate of food, Jane turned towards the coffee flask and steadily poured out some of the beverage into a small white cup. After a few seconds she approached the girl and handed it over to her, who took the cup in her hands with keenness.

"Jane" A voice began, and soon a figure stepped up behind Katherine, "I'm afraid Miss Krueger is not allowed any coffee after 5pm"

Katherine scowled; her lips curled into a leer as she spun around towards the owner of the voice. Who else would it fucking be? Dr Sims. "Why not?" she snapped.

"I think it would be best if you have no caffeinated drinks after 5pm" she pried the cup out of the young woman's hand. "You can give her some water"

As Sims walked away, Katherine clenched her fists and waited until the woman couldn't hear her and growled in disdain. "Fuck's sake!"

"I'm sorry" Jane shrugged her shoulders, "Here's your water"

"It's not your fault" Katherine groaned and took the plastic cup off her. "Thanks anyway"

Gripping her tray with her food and beverage, she took a few steps forward and scanned the large room. Most of the tables were occupied. There was a hum of noise, conversations between some of the patients. But mainly the staff who were monitoring the room with extreme vigilance. Taking her time, she slowly walked amongst the tables, her dark brown eyes checking for any free space or even a free table for her to sit on her own. To her far left near the wall she saw Mary sitting beside another patient she vaguely remembered from the day she was first introduced to Mary. His name was Ethan. From what she could remember, he was suffering from a condition called Trichotillomania.

Taking a deep breath, she began to make her way over to them and softly cleared her throat, catching Mary's attention as she looked up from her plate. "Hi, would it be okay if I can sit with you? Please?"

Mary glanced at Ethan who causally shrugged his shoulders and then with a bob of her head Mary gestured for her to sit. Smiling appreciatively Katherine walked around and sat beside Ethan, to his right, while Mary sat facing him. There was an uneasy silence as Katherine consumed her food. She never realized she was this famished. Her eyes darted fleetingly at Ethan, noticing that there were a few new bald patches around the right side of his head, above his ear. The skin looked reddish, scabby.

Swallowing thickly, Katherine lifted her plastic up and took a gulp of her water, then focused her interest back to her meal.

Staring over at the new girl, Mary cleared her throat and asked, "So, what was that about earlier?"

Katherine chewed absently on her food and threw her a bewildered look, "What do you mean?"

"Outside in the courtyard" Mary grew curious, "You were sleeping. You see I like to watch people. I saw you on the bench"

"So, I fell asleep" Katherine shrugged her question off. "What of it?"

Mary continued, seemingly eager to know what had happened. "You seemed to have had a bad dream. You jumped up like something horrible had happened. So, what was it about? What did you dream of?"

Katherine ignored the curious gazes from her and Ethan and muttered, "Nothing, okay?"

"I have strange dreams too you know" Mary declared.

"Don't we all" Katherine grumbled, hoping that Mary would stop questioning her.

"Is that why you are in here?" Mary seemed to be unrelenting, "Because of your dreams?"

"No" Katherine quietly seethed. Trying to keep her anger under control. She hated the constant questions. "I'm in here because I tried to kill myself"

Mary mused for a moment, then asked. "Why was that?"

Katherine threw her an angry glare and retorted, "I don't see how that's your business!"

After a moment, Katherine sighed and apologized. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's just I don't like talking about it"

Mary sighed, "It's okay. I'm used to it. I can get annoyed too when people constantly ask me questions too. It all depends what meds they put me on"

Katherine gave a muted nod and took a sip of her water, "Um, how long were you in Fairview before they transferred you here?"

"Too fucking long" Mary laughed bitterly, "Two years"

"Two years?" Katherine swallowed in fear.

"Yeah" Mary pushed her tray away and then nonchalantly began to study the canteen, her focus not on anything. It seemed she was no longer in the talking mood either.

Pulling her gaze away, Katherine finished her dinner and then grasped the plastic cup, turning it slightly in her hands, to the right then to the left. Growing bored. She didn't want to go back to her room just yet. Lazily she raised her left hand and placed the rim of her chin on her palm and then laboriously glared at the table. Her right hand scrunched the plastic cup and discarded it on the tray. After a few moments her eyes began to blink lethargically, and she lightly began to tap her index finger on the white plastic table. She sighed and stifled a yawn, then her body stiffened as she heard a soft gurgling sound. It was coming from her left, specifically from the direction of Mary. Chewing her bottom lip, Katherine shook her head lightly. It was just her imagination. She was hearing things.

However, the gurgling intensified as if the girl was gagging, choking.

Katherine shivered and twisted her head to the left; a few strands of her hair had fallen loose from her ponytail and covered half her face. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight before her.

The young woman was laying slumped in her seat, her head yanked backwards, and deep red blood was gushing out of her corner of her pale lips. Down the middle of her throat were four deep gashes, that had teared the skin apart. Exposing the esophagus, internal and external jugular veins, along with her thyroid gland. The tissue inside her neck was shredded and cut, blood gushing from every artery and vein. The thick muscles were severed, and she could barely see the faint white bone of the top of her spine.

As she was about to pull her petrified eyes away from Mary's decimated corpse, she finally noticed Ethan to her left, his head was collapsed on the table on his lifeless arms. The skin around his skull had been literally ripped off from his head, showing the bloodied bone beneath that had various cracks and fissures scattered upon it. It was as though his scalp was sliced off by blades. The detached flesh was now sprayed across the table before his cadaver, staining the table red.

Holding back a sob, Katherine swung her head back down to face the table. Her stomach lurched violently as she whispered, "It's not real, it's not real"

A sudden slink of a bladed claw being spread wide caught her attention and she heard his raspy chuckle from directly in front of her. She listlessly lifted her deathly pale face up to his and saw that in his bladed claw was the same apple she had from the courtyard. The blades were smeared in blood and grated flesh. He held out the apple to her, that was swarming with maggots, beetles, slugs and lice. The white flesh of the apple was now black and rotten.

"Want another bite?" Freddy smiled darkly and offered it to her.

A shriek erupted from her, and her eyes snapped open as her head jolted up from its position on her left palm. She wildly looked about, and saw that Mary and Ethan were perfectly fine. Not a blemish or piece of severed skin marred their body.

Mary stared at her and asked, "Are you okay?"

Katherine wheezed and looked down at the table and gasped at a few maggots and slugs wiggled in the middle. She emitted another shriek and jumped up from her seat and without another word, rushed past the orderlies and other patients out of the canteen. She ignored their calls of concern as she ran down the corridor, and then turned right into the adjacent hallway.

She screamed as she collided with Sandra. The older woman grasped her shaking arms to steady her. "Woah! Katherine, what's wrong?"

The traumatized woman sobbed and stuttered, "I-I…"

Sandra glimpsed around and saw a male doctor approach them, "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, I'm just going to take her back to her room" Sandra smiled.

He nodded slowly and watched as Sandra slowly walked the woman down the corridor. "We can talk in your room" she murmured. Her eyes examined the girl's posture and body language. Her body quivered violently beneath her hands as she grasped the girl's shoulders. Her face was a deathly pale, her eyes were listless. Tears welled in her eyes, and she took a deep breath, trying to pacify a panic attack. Again, she inhaled deeply and then exhaled long and hard.

"Katherine, where is your room?" Sandra asked.

"Down here" Katherine croaked through her haggard breathing and pointed behind Sandra.

Once inside her room, Sandra closed the door and saw Katherine staring at the ceiling as she calmed her breathing. Focusing on a small spot above her. "I don't know how much longer I can take this"

"What is it?" Sandra went to her side, then tipped her head down to study her. "Something happened, didn't it?"

"I, uh, fell asleep" Katherine licked her lips briskly, "I didn't mean to. Honestly!"

"Come on" she led her to the bed and sat at her side, "tell me what happened. Everything"

"I think them Valium tablets were a bad idea" Katherine reached down to grasp the rim of her cardigan, "As you know I went outside to the courtyard. I fell asleep on one of the benches. He was there. He told me to go to sleep tonight, that I shouldn't be listening to you. You see he has access to my memories. He listened to our conversation. He says you are trying to corrupt me"

Sandra scoffed in disbelief, "That's fucking rich, coming from him! Did he threaten you?"

Katherine shrugged her shoulders slowly.

"I take that as a yes" Sandra sighed sadly. "Look, I understand that you are terrified, but by sleeping it will only make matters worse. He will continue to assert his control over you and as you have said to me earlier. You don't want to be controlled"

"Of course, I don't want that!" Katherine responded curtly.

"Then you have to stop listening to him Katherine" Sandra maintained.

"It's not that easy! You don't understand how he can get into your head. The way he says things, how he approaches you and acts around you. Even as a little girl he could get me to do anything, say anything to anyone! All the lies, the deceit!" Katherine retorted sharply. She saw the look of alarm on Sandra's face and then she quickly apologized, "I'm sorry for raising my voice. But it's not easy for me. It never has been when he is around me"

"It's okay" Sandra soothed and rubbed her back lightly, "What happened just now? You came running around that corner so fast. It was like you were running from something or someone"

Katherine took a deep breath, "I fell asleep again. In the canteen. That girl Mary…" she trailed off as Sandra threw her a confused look. "Oh, she is one of the patient's here. She is nice, though she asks a lot of questions. Uh, she was at my table at dinner. When I drifted off to sleep, I could hear this gurgling, choking sound. I saw her…."

"Take a deep breath" Sandra again rubbed her back as she noticed the girl was breathing unevenly. "Nice and easy"

Again, Katherine inhaled powerfully and then breathed out, before continuing. "She was laying back in her seat, her throat was torn apart. There were four long deep slashes from the bottom of her chin, down to the collar bone. You c-could see inside her throat…"

"You don't have to say anything else. He's trying to deepen your fear"

Katherine gave a short sardonic chuckle. "Well, he's doing a good fucking job at it!"

Sandra rose to her feet, "Listen, I'll be back in five minutes. I have something to give you"

She watched as the older woman left the room and then she rose to her feet, and leisurely began to pace the room. Her mind was swarming with deliberations. As much as she knew that Sandra wanted to help her and that her intentions were good, she knew that her father would be extremely fucked off if she did decide to stay awake tonight. He always kept good to his word when it came to threats. If she defied him, he would most certainly inflict a beating on her. But then why was he looking at her younger apparition in that leering, debauched way? Would he end up doing something else to her? But going to sleep wouldn't going to do much good to her psychological well-being either. Either way she was in a precarious position.

Her pacing soon stopped as she heard Sandra approaching the room. She held her black handbag and brief case that she knew contained her old therapy notes. Placing them on the ground she reached inside her bag and withdrew a small yellow bottle that had a white label stuck across the side. "Take this"

"What are they?" she looked at them suspiciously

"Caffeine tablets" Sandra pushed them into her hands. "I bought them at a local pharmacy when I was on my lunch break, it was just a few minutes away from here. Take two or three tablets each night. It should help you stay awake. I got you some cans of coke and diet coke too"

She watched as Sandra grabbed three cans from her bag. "Thanks" Katherine forced a smile, "Are you heading now?"

"Yes, I'm going to get some food for me and Michael. I'll be back in the morning around 8.30am" Sandra titled her head towards the plastic bag on the bed, "Did Michael bring you something?"

"Yeah" Katherine grinned, "Um, a radio. Some of my art pads, coloring pencils, a few novels and some fresh clothes"

"That's good. Just keep yourself occupied. Play the radio as loud as you can. Move about the room, don't let yourself settle in one place for too long"

"I want you to stay awake yourself, I mean he will eventually enter your dreams Sandra" Katherine mumbled. "I know how much you mean to Michael"

Sandra smiled, appreciating her concern. "I understand. But I've been managing to stay awake so far. I always have had bouts of insomnia anyway. And I do enjoy the taste of coffee, so that helps me keep alert. Just you look after yourself. Stay awake tonight" she gently pushed the tablets and cans of coke/diet coke into her hands.

Katherine gave a thinly lipped smile and nodded, "Okay, I will"

"Good" Sandra returned the smile and gathered her belongings. "I'll see you in the morning"

Katherine watched as she closed the door behind her. Lowering her gaze to the caffeine tablets and cans in her hands, she cursed softly. "Shit" She walked over to the chest of drawers beside the bed and placed them on top. She would decide later what to do, though deep down she knew what it was.

She wasn't going to defy him tonight. She would sleep.

X x x

Wellington Road Motel. 8pm…

On the other side of Springwood, near the south of the town near of the main road in and out of the town was the motel where Michael and Sandra had booked into. There was a few convenience stores and a large gas station across form the single-story building. A large blue neon sign that spelt out the name Wellington Road Motel flicked and hummed above the entrance to the car park. Michael's Sedan and Kristen's own BMW convertible were parked outside his motel room. The room was a modest size with a single and double bed to the right as you entered the room. A large oak chest of drawers was to the immediate right as you crossed the boundary into the room, where a small portable TV was perched. There was a small kitchenette at the far end of the room with a small table with two chairs, a sink and two small cupboards with a small fridge. A small kettle and toaster were on the counter tucked under a cupboard. Facing the two beds was a doorway into a small bathroom.

Sitting jadedly on the double bed were the girls, Nancy, Kristen and Taryn. Taryn shifted uneasily on the bed as she nursed her cup of coffee. She was dismayed by the plan that was put forward by Michael and Kincaid. It was too perilous; she didn't want Kincaid do put himself in any harm. Despite not picking up any injuries from her nightmare, it had scarred her psychologically.

She took a slug of her coffee and looked across at Kincaid as they sat on the single bed, "Look guys, I'm still not happy with this idea" she then looked over at Joey and Glenn as they stood near the entrance to the bathroom. "I know that he never hurt us when we last had a dream of him, but still maybe it was a fluke or something"

"I don't think so" Michael spoke, "I think what he did to Katherine by erasing some of her memories, that he has depleted this strength, he's made himself weak. We are the last kids he is going after from the fire. He hasn't killed anyone else. Trust me, it'll be okay"

"I just want to make sure" she diverted her gaze to Kincaid, "I don't want anything to happen to you"

He smiled warmly, and reassured. "It'll be fine. Don't worry babe"

Joey also offered assurance, "Taryn, we'll be awake. If anything happens, we can wake them up. And Kirsten can use her power too"

"They're right" Kristen spoke from her position to her right on the bed. "We'll only be asleep for a few hours. I'll make sure we are all together"

Glenn pushed away from the wall and stared ardently at Michael and Kincaid, "What exactly is your plan?"

"Well, we'll fall asleep and then we can look for weapons. There is bound to be something we can use against him. An old metal bar, maybe a broken pipe from a boiler or furnace, maybe some tools that are lying about the place. Anything that we can get our hands on" Michael replied. He noticed the worried stares from the girls and soon Nancy asked. "What about your mother? She won't be too happy with this"

"I know" he nodded, "But I'll explain it to her. She'll understand. I hope!"

They heard a car door slamming shut and the clicking of heels as a figure approached the door. As she pushed opened the door Sandra eyes widened in surprise as her eyes roamed over each of them. She closed the door and left a large pizza box and her bags on the chest of drawers. Her inquisitive stare finally fell upon her son, and she demanded. "What's going on Michael?"

He pushed himself away from the chest of drawers and went to her side, giving her a weak smile. "Now, mom don't get angry. But we have a plan"

"A plan? What sort of plan?"

He looked briefly at the others, "I really believe that something has happened to Freddy's powers. So, Kincaid, Nancy, Kristen and I are going into the dream tonight. We're going to confront him. If he can't hurt us, then maybe we can hurt him"

Her jaw dropped opened in alarm, "You're what?"

"I know that you're worried…" he began.

"Fucking right I'm worried Michael!" she brusquely snapped, "It doesn't matter if he has lost his powers or not, or if he can hurt you physically or not. He can still fuck with your mind!" her gaze turned towards Taryn, "I mean, look at what he did to you Taryn. I'm not sure what happened in your dream. But since then, you have shown the signs of someone having went through a traumatic experience. I have seen firsthand how various disturbing events from people's past can affect them"

Michael gently took his mother's shoulders and turned her to face him, "We understand. But I'm doing this. We need to fight back against that fucker. He's weak, I know he is!"

"Maybe I should go too" Glenn proposed.

"What?!" Nancy shot up from her seat and rushed to him, "No Glenn!"

He took her hands in his, "Nancy, I'll be okay. It would give us better odds. Three against one"

Michael glanced between Glenn and Nancy and saw the apprehension on her face. "Only if you are sure Glenn. The more people we have the better to fight against him"

"I'm not sure about this Michael" his mother persisted, "He will know that you are sleeping. He'll only try and separate you all again"

"I'll try and keep us together" Kristen spoke up, "I feel that I am getting stronger using my power. It will only be for a few hours. You can wake us up if even one of us is struggling in our sleep"

Looking at them in turn, Sandra saw the conviction on their faces. It was as though they had enough of being terrorized in their dreams by that madman, they were willing to stand up against him. The time was now. "I'm not going to change your mind, am I?"

"No, you're not mom" Michael shook his head, "I'm doing this. If not for us, for Katherine"

She groaned. Knowing that Katherine would need to be told, "You'll have to tell her tomorrow when you see her. She's going to be upset"

"She'll understand, I'm sure of it"

She began to discard her navy jacket, "Did she say anything to you today about her dreams?"

"She keeps saying nothing has happened" Nancy replied.

"She did mention that Freddy knew I had visited her yesterday. That he could smell my scent off her" Michael admitted.

Raising an eyebrow, Sandra muttered in disbelief. "You scent? He could smell you off her?"

"Yeah, she told him that you were here. Did she mention anything to you today? How did it go with her therapy session?" Michael stepped over to the pizza box and opened it to take a slice. "she said she had a panic attack. Said something about that Dr Sims might want to sedate her?"

Sandra lifted the box and offered the food to the others, but they politely declined. "Yeah, Sims warned her if she is caught staying awake during the night then she would carry out nightly sedation to ensure she is sleeping"

They all exchanged horrified glances at this piece of news.

Sandra continued. "She also said she fell asleep in the courtyard. Did she tell you this?"

Michael threw a bewildered look at Nancy, both disappointed that Katherine didn't have the encourage to tell them this. "No, she didn't. What happened?"

Placing down the pizza box, she let out a deep dismayed sigh. "He told her not to listen to me. That I am trying to corrupt her mind" she shook her head in rage, "He's got some fucking nerve to say that!"

"Mom, I'm sure she will listen to you. You have helped her before. She knows that she needs your help" he reassured her.

"I know" she smiled back. "Let me know what time you are going to be going to sleep. I'm going to make some coffee"

Westin Hills

Soft music blared from the portable radio, the song 'Play the Game' by Queen echoed in her room as Katherine sat huddled in the chair beside the window. Her blanket from her bed was snugged around her frame, the top of her white tank top was barely visible. Her right hand held a dark orange coloring pencil as she skimmed the tip across the page of her art pad. It seemed that sketching had helped her calm down since that evening. It was the second picture she had drawn and was nearly complete.

Her feet gently tapped against the soft cushioned rim of the chair as she hummed along to the end of the song, the lyrics resonating in the darkened room.

"Your life

Don't play hard to get

It's a free, free world

All you have to do is fall in love

Play the game

Play the game of love, of love"

As the song finished, the voice of the DJ present broke through as he chatted to the listeners. "I'm Chad Davidson and this is KRGR radio. It's now 9.20pm. Next up we have Aerosmith with their song 'Dream On'"

Katherine frowned and tried to ignore the lyrics and regained her focus on her drawing. It was just a quick sketch of the sunset beyond the large oak trees with their lush green leaves, that massed beyond the white pebbled wall of the courtyard below her room. The tip of the pencil glided effortlessly across the page as the color blended with the deep reds and faint yellows of the sun.

Indolently she allowed her head to rest against the chair and she lightly tapped the pencil against the paper and yanked the blanket closer to her frame. A chill shot through her body and she slowly stifled a yawn, her eyes having closed for a moment as the Aerosmith song lingered in the air…

Yeah, sing with me, sing for the year

Sing for the laughter, sing for the tear

Sing with me if it's just for today

Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away

Dream on, dream on, dream on

Dream until your dream come true

Dream on, dream on, dream on

Dream until your dream come true

A crackling sound jolted her awake and she groaned and rolled her head a few times to the right then to the left. Her eyes blinked a few times as the static from the radio invaded her ears. She craned her neck towards the window and saw that the sun had finally set, and in its place was the crescent moon that shone down on the courtyard. There was a squawking sound as a few black crows flew across the night sky.

Lowering her bare feet to the ground she threw the blanket off her and left her art pad and pencils on the seat. Her brooding gaze glanced at the clock. It was 10pm.

The static from the radio reverberated throughout the room, causing her to curse and she quickly marched around the bed towards it. God knows where Michael had bought it from, she had never seen it before. Gripping it in her right hand she slowly twisted and turned the dial with her left hand. Perhaps the station knocked itself off and needed retuning. The crackling interference intensified, and she gritted her teeth in ire as she twirled the button again, then there was some high-pitched feedback and then it cut out.

"Stupid piece of shit!" she slammed the radio down on the chest of drawers in fury. Suddenly the smell of smoke filtered from it, and she flipped it over, to pull apart the small compartment that contained the batteries. Popping open the small flap her eyes went wide with confusion. The batteries were melted, bubbling and a faint plume of smoke floated into the air. "What the hell?"

A sharp metallic clicking sound ricocheted from behind her and with a shriek she spun around to face her father.

Freddy loomed a few feet from her, with his claw hung downwards with each blade tapping rhythmically at his side. He gave her a sly smirk.

"Damn it! Don't creep up on me like that!" Katherine snapped angrily, then bit her lip in trepidation. Pondering whether it was a good idea to reproach him like that. He hated her talking back to him.

He chuckled mischievously at her, but soon his attention was caught by the small bottle of tablets and cans of caffeine drinks on the chest of drawers. Her brown eyes followed his powerful stare, and she felt her chest tighten in fear as he took a step forward to snatch the bottle. He twirled it in his left hand and studied the label.

Equate

Stay Awake

Caffeine Awareness Aid

1 Tablet equal to one cup of coffee.

200mg, 80 tablets.

She raised her shaking hands and began to explain, "Wait…"

A sneer tugged at his burnt lips and with one swift move, this glove snatched her throat and drew her close. She gagged as his blades constricted around her flesh. Her breath caught in her throat as again she tried to speak, "Would-"

Her words caught in her throat as he squeezed tightly. "Where did you get these from?" he growled.

"Sandra-"her voice strained to get the words out and she choked as his grip intensified once more. His eyes narrowed in disdain at the mere mention of the woman's name. Katherine's hands grasped at the leather material of the glove, her fingernails clawing at it weakly. She croaked huskily, "S-stop!"

Freddy noticed her mouth parting slowly, as she gasped for air, her brown eyes were pleading him to ease the pressure on her throat. They fluttered violently and he slowly pushed her back onto the bed. He felt a small, pleased smirk tug at his lips as her hands began to falter, falling to her sides as her energy began to drain from her body. After a few more seconds he eased the pressure on her neck and she gasped, breathing in sharply and coughed. Her eyes blinked wildly as a few tears trailed down her flushed cheeks. "Damn it, listen to me!" she rasped.

He leaned closer and crawled onto the bed and straddled her hips. His grip was still tight upon her neck as he pinned her to the bed, glowering angrily at her. Beckoning for her to speak.

"Sandra gave them to me, but I never took any!" Katherine muttered hoarsely, taking a few more deep breaths of air. "Check the damn bottle! The seal hasn't been ripped or torn. It hasn't been opened!"

Slowly, he turned his infuriated glare to the bottle in his left hand and tilted it up to inspect the lid. The small plastic seal was still attached. She was telling the truth.

"I swear to you!" Katherine hissed and her voice rose in rage, "You never give me the chance to explain things! You just fly off the fucking handle and lose control! I hate it!"

His head snapped in her direction; a slight sneer crept across his visage at the tone of her voice.

She saw the enraged look on his face and quickly calmed herself, throwing him an apologetic glance. "I'm asleep now, aren't I? I said I would go to sleep and here I am"

Soon his sneer twisted into a please smirk. "That is true, princess" his left hand clenched around the bottle, bending and crushing the plastic. The tablets inside disintegrated under his strong, powerful hand and with a quick flick of his wrist he discarded it behind him. His eyes gleamed waywardly as he leaned forward, "Seeing as you are a good little girl for me, maybe I should reward you"

"Reward me?" she swallowed profusely and then saw the carnal smirk, "No, there's no need to daddy"

His tongue slithered out over his bottom lip briefly and he chuckled. Sensing the fear radiating from her. Leisurely he withdrew his claw from her neck and trailed the blades down the side of her arm, inching downwards toward the top of her jogging bottoms, as his left hand meandered down the right side of her body again heading towards her bottoms also. Instantly she pressed her hands against his chest, trying to push him off. But he eased himself forward, forcing them back. She gritted her teeth and with all her might she shoved him back and snarled, "I said no!"

Freddy sneered viciously and she saw him raise his left hand, ready to strike out at her and she squeezed her eyes shut. Bracing herself for the strike …

But the smack to her face never happened.

She uneasily pried her eyes opened and saw that his face was craned over his left shoulder, staring intently at the doorway. Her curious gaze went to the doorway that was closed, then back to him as he abruptly sat up, becoming alert. She felt his blades tap lightly at the bottom of her tank top and slowly he brought them to his chest and again drummed them against his tattered sweater. She sound found her voice and asked, "What is it?"

He licked his lips keenly, then turned his gaze back to her and flashed her a cunning grin.

She frowned, "What-"

He silenced her, pressing a blade against her lips and commanded, "Follow me"

She gave a small nod and he quickly climbed off her. Pushing herself off the bed she watched as the door creaked opened as he marched towards it. Hesitantly, she began to follow him into the dimly lit corridor and nearly had to jog to keep up with him. It seemed he was in a hurry, but where exactly was he going to? She glimpsed at him in the poor lightening and could barely see the faint smirk beneath his fedora. Had he something planned?

As they approached one of the locked security doors, there was a small electronic beep as it unlocked and creaked open, to allow them entry into the next hallway. He sniggered quietly to himself and took a sideways glance at his daughter as she tried to keep up with him. The very moment he had sensed that little bitch Kristen and the other little fucks entering the dream, he knew that he wanted to toy with the again and lull them into a false sense of security. And he wanted Katherine to witness it. Over the next few nights, he would discover if he could truly put his trust in her. As much he wanted too, the fact that remained was that bitch Sandra was supposedly 'counselling' her, and it could entice Katherine to tell her what exactly was going on in her dreams and what he was up to. But Katherine was right about one thing, he had killed. Not just once, but three times in the space of two days. Just as the dream demons had declared he had access to anyone's dreams. All the children in this little fucking town. And because of this, his bloodlust had only intensified at the mere prospect of the chance to claim the lives of the other children in the town.

It took them a few more minutes until they arrived at the basement area of the building. A thick set of double doors greeted them and with a flick of his claw the door pushed outwards, and a blanket of darkness greeted them. Skidding to a halt Katherine held her breath, why the hell did he drag her down here? He knew too well; she hated the dark.

She saw the edge of his fedora hat disappear into the blackness before her and she took a cautious step through the entrance and whispered, "Daddy?"

Silence only greeted her, and she took a few more steps forward then called out, a little more loudly. "Daddy!"

Suddenly, a sharp gush of hot air sizzled above her head and a blast of steam hissed across her face. She screamed and jumped back, bumping into a steel wall behind her. Her eyes peered through the steam at the long metal passageway before her, this was all she needed. Being back in this vast maze of the power plant. God knows how she was going to find him now.

Taking a shaky breath, she ducked under the steam and marched forward, glancing down each passageway for any sign or sound of him. The deep metallic groans of the boilers echoed from each corridor as she passed them. She saw a small narrow set of stairs that led deeper into the power plant and descended them. At the bottom she came across three corridors. Peering down the first corridor she saw about thirty feet down near the bottom a red-light bulb, casting a hazy glow on the ground. There was a flicker as though a shadow had shifted. Was there someone in the end of that corridor?

She quickly sprinted down the hall and grounded to halt below the red lighting, and soon a disgruntled grimace spread across her face. There was no sign of anyone. She wheezed and lightly waved her hands across her face. It was way too hot. Her tank top was literally sticking to her chest and stomach. It was saturated with sweat. What she wouldn't do for some water. Even some fresh air. Pushing that thought out of her mind she pushed onwards, jogging lightly as she advanced down the next corridor.

Her senses became alert as she heard the faint sound of footsteps about twenty feet away, directly ahead. Once more, she darted into a run, hoping that it was her father that was in the next corridor. As she turned the corner, she collided full force into two figures.

Stifling a scream Katherine fell into the wall to her left and swung her head towards the two girls. Nancy and Kristen. They leaned against the railing and caught their breaths, "Katherine?" Nancy cried, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Me?" Katherine scoffed, "Never mind me, why are you asleep?"

Kristen let out a shaky breath and answered. "We're trying out my powers again. We're trying to find the others"

"Others?" Katherine gasped. "Who else is dreaming?"

Kristen exchanged a nervous glance with Nancy.

"Damn it, who else is asleep?" Katherine demanded.

"Michael, Glenn and Kincaid" Nancy admitted, immediately seeing the look of terror on Katherine's face. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all.

"What? Where are they?" Katherine looked wildly up and down the corridor.

Nancy glanced apprehensively at Kristen, then said. "They're going to confront your father"

"They're what?" Katherine exclaimed. She frenziedly shook her head in dismay, "No, no!"

Kristen gently took a hold of her arm and tried to calm her. "Katherine, we think that Freddy has lost his powers. That's why we all fell asleep"

"But…" Katherine mumbled, confused. "W-what?"

"Taryn didn't have any injuries when she had her nightmare in her class" Nancy explicated, "Even the other night, me, Kristen and Michael had no wounds. We all woke up without scratch!"

Katherine stared vacantly at them. Knowing that deep down they were wrong. If the others were attacking her father or attempting to, then it was a trap. She had to stop them. Spinning on her heel, she ran down the corridor to her left. "We have to get to them, now!"

"Wait! Katherine!" Nancy shouted as her and Kristen quickly pursued her. "We have to stick together!"

Katherine ducked under a blast of hot steam, "We must find them. Where did you see them last?"

"We haven't seen them since we've been asleep" Kristen called out, in between her heaving breathing. She tried to keep up with the two girls. Her legs grew heavy, but she persevered on. "Freddy must have separated us"

Coming to two adjacent corridors, Katherine skidded to a stop and inspected each passageway carefully. She thought quickly, it was near this area where there was a short cut to the main boiler room. She was certain of it. Her eyes narrowed as she turned to the right and she felt something tugging at her mind. Like something or someone was luring her down this direction. It then occurred to her that this was the way to the main boiler room, "This way!"

"What? How do you know where to go?" Nancy asked, catching her breath.

"My dad used to take me here when I was a child. It's this way to the main boiler room. Where he died" she called over her shoulder, then scurried into a fast sprint. "Come on!"

Nancy wheezed and placed her hands on her knees, then took a fleeting glimpse at Kristen who looked like she was going to collapse, she too was exhausted. "Let's go"

Both girls took a haggard breath and then continued after Katherine who was about ten feet ahead of them. They could barely make her silhouette in the darkened corridor as she turned left into the adjoining corridor. At the far end of the passageway about thirty feet ahead there was a faint orange glow. A sign of light or fire emanating from a room. It seemed Katherine was right; she knew exactly where to go. There were faint voices up ahead, the sound of grunting and groaning. As though people were battling, fighting.

Katherine reduced her speed and abruptly came to a halt at the entrance of the boiler room. Her jaw dropped open in astonishment at the scene before her. They were circling her father. Just what where they thinking? Had they gone mad?

Michael held aloft a long thin pipe, the tip pointed and sharp. Kincaid stood to his right; his burly frame stood firm. Wrapped around his left and right clenched fists were thin silver chains as he raised them in a fighting stance. She could see the faint smudge of blackish-red liquid smeared on the chain links that covered his knuckles. Behind them was Glenn and gripped tightly in his hands was a long black crowbar, the curved ending dripping with blood.

Freddy limped backward and she noticed his hat was knocked off his head, laying a few feet behind him. Marred across the temple was a splatter of blood, oozing from a cut above his right eye. She frowned, perplexed. Was Nancy and Kirsten telling the truth? Could they really injure him?

Taking a step forward Kincaid readied his right clenched fists and aimed it sharply down at Freddy's face, connecting sharply with his cheek and he grunted, then staggered back. Katherine flinched, a flicker of rage flashing across her face at Kincaid's actions. She was about to take a step forward but felt a pair of hands hold her back as they curled around her shoulders. "Don't!"

She took a momentary glance at Nancy and Kristen behind her. Nodding once she turned her attention back to the brawl. Michael approached Freddy and with a snarl he swung the pipe at a forty-five-degree angle and the sharp edge pierced into the side of his right knee, tearing through the cartilage. A roar of anguish echoed in the boiler room, and he cursed, tumbling onto his knees. He sneered and quickly sensed their presence, twisting his head to glare at them.

For a fleeting moment Katherine saw him giving her a furtive smirk.

Her eyes narrowed in puzzlement, was he smiling? Something wasn't right here.

With a grunt Freddy swung his bladed claw forward and two of his blades embedded into the fleshy thigh of Michael's right leg, then yanked it out. The young man jerked backwards and then stared down at his leg, expecting to see blood, feel pain. But there wasn't any, just as before. He grinned and swivelled his weapon again down hard into the side of Freddy's face, sending him sprawling onto his back. Freddy groaned and screamed in pain as Glenn impaled the curved tip of the crowbar into the top his back, hooking into the top of his spine. He used whatever strength he could muster and pushed himself onto his haunches. Then he felt the tip of the pipe puncture through his lower back and penetrated through his body out of his stomach. He groaned in agony and before he could slump forward, Kincaid's right boot came flying into his face and he quickly lost consciousness.

Katherine stared in shock at the motionless figure of her father, a surge of anger engulfing her. How could they do this? Was she really enraged at them? They were only trying to protect themselves, that was true. But this was her father. Her flesh and blood. They would never understand that she did care for him as a little girl and even at this very moment she held some affection towards him.

Her contemplative thoughts were interrupted, as she heard Nancy scream over at the guys. "Come on, let's go!"

They turned towards her and ran in their direction. As they saw Katherine, Michael gave her a furious glare and demanded. "What are you doing here Kathy? You were meant to stay awake!"

Katherine felt herself being pushed down the corridor as Michael took his hands in his. She threw one last glance at the comatose cadaver of her father, seeing blood seeping from his wounds. As she was pushed down the passageway, she soon found her voice. "I fell asleep, okay? Look, what the hell were you all thinking?"

"We did it!" Kincaid shouted in elation.

She pouted in dismay, not comprehending what was going on. "I don't understand!"

Michael slowed to a stop along with the others, then clutched her shoulders in a firm grip. "You saw what happened back there. He can't hurt us. But we can hurt him. I told you, he has lost his powers"

"But how?" she whispered.

"It doesn't matter, does it? He can't you anymore!" Michael insisted and smiled. He drew her into a hug and kissed the top of her messy hair. She twisted her head against his chest to stare down the corridor where they had come from. Half expecting her father to come charging towards them, but there was no sign of him. How could this be? Something really was fucked up here. No matter what Michael had assured her, her father could hurt her. She lightly touched her lip with her tongue, feeling the texture of the cut. She heard Michael called over to Kristen. "Wake us up, Kristen!"

Suddenly, she felt a prickling sensation stir from her toes, spreading up her calves, thighs, the pit of her stomach. Reaching every muscle and nerve ending in her body and she saw her arms shimmering in a white glow, then in a flash her body vanished from the dream…

…

Katherine's brown eyes snapped opened, and her head jerked up from a stained tattered pillow. Just where was she now? Her gaze lifted and she saw to her right a long wooden bench. Her hands felt a moist substance below her, and she looked down to the soiled, bloodied mattress that she was laying on. She scooted off the bed to her feet and through the grimy, dusty window of the room saw the silhouette of a figure slowly rise to their feet. In a burst of energy, she ran to the doorway and saw her father straightened up with his back to her. Still lodged in the top of his back and through his stomach where the crowbar and metal pipe. He gradually reached around with his clawed glove and with a snigger he yanked the hooked tip of the crowbar out of his spine and discarded it onto the metal floor. Then with another low chuckle he eased the pipe out of his body, through his back. The pipe slithered out of his torso and clattered to the metal floor. She expected to see a gush of blood cascading down his sweater, but there wasn't even a trickle.

Katherine scoffed in scepticism and sneered, "What the HELL was that?"

He bent down to snatch his hat and with a fiendish smirk he turned to finally face her.

She marched over to him and zealously inspected his body, first examining his right knee at the side where there should have been some sort of damage an injury. But his trousers weren't even torn, not a stitch was shredded. She mumbled incoherently. Her eyes soon darted up towards the burnt skin along his forehead, then she raised her right hand to lightly trailed her fingers above his eyes. He grinned at her expression of dismay at finding no blood or cut. She again muttered inarticulately and took a deep breath and scampered around to his back. He craned his head to the left, peering over shoulder at her with a grin as she carefully examined the top of his back, her fingers glided over the sweater. Expecting to find some sign of wound or tear to his garment. Again nothing. Taking a step back she used her quivering hands as she pulled up the bottom of his old sweater and slid her palms underneath, and then stooped a little lower to examine the scarred skin where she knew that the pipe had penetrated. Her eyes knitted in bewilderment as once more not a single smudge of blood was evident on his back. She cursed softly. "What the fuck?"

He smirked at her as she slowly stepped around to face him, but her gaze was still set upon his torso. Particularly at the stomach area. Yet again she used her hands to inspect his sweater, then she pulled up his sweater and frowned. Like with the other parts of his body that she scrutinized for any sign of injuries, there was none. But Michael, Glenn and Kincaid had maimed him, she saw it.

Warily she took a step back from him and saw him finally place his hat back on his head. He remained silent as she mumbled quietly to herself, "What is going on?" her eyes studied his bladed claw that hung limply at his side. Why was there no blood on it? There should be some evidence of Michael's blood on it! "They said you lost your powers…" she whispered and then lifted her mystified face to his, "But I know that you haven't. You can still hurt me"

Freddy lips slowly curled into a devious smile, relishing the look of fear on her face as it slowly started to transpire to her what was happening.

Her mouth shook as it parted in dread, and her eyes widened as she took a shaky step back from him, "Oh, my god. You're tricking them!"

x x x

Despite the pulsating heat from the furnaces, Katherine felt a cold shiver shot through her body as she gathered her thoughts. It was all a façade, everything that Michael and the others believed about her father having lost his powers. It was all a lie. He was fooling them, deceiving them. The boiler room began to spin, the heat was suffocating her, and she took a sharp intake of breath. Soon her focus went back to Freddy as he looked at her closely, with suspicion.

He took a few steps towards her, and her body tensed as he gripped her arms, pulling her close. Instantly he could sense her panic, her rising apprehension. Invading her thoughts he sneered angrily, discerning that one of her deliberations was whether to tell Michael and the others, to warn them.

His lips twitched with venom, and he took a deep breath. The fingers and blades encircled more firmly against her bare arms, and he saw the flicker of pain that crossed her face. Her mouth parted slightly as she stuttered, trying to form a word. "I…"

"Can I trust you?" Freddy demanded.

"W-what?" Katherine whispered hoarsely, eyes widening in confusion.

"Can I fucking trust you Katherine?" He let go of her arms and backed away a few feet. His eyes narrowed in doubt once more as he studied her.

Katherine gasped slightly. Feeling deeply hurt by this admission. "You don't trust me?"

"Oh, I want to baby girl. But you see I don't think I can" he stared at her sternly. "Especially with that bitch Sandra being around you when you are awake. You could easily tell her everything and go and fuck up my plans!"

She felt a tear roll down her cheek and she tried in vain to muster some words, but they failed to materialize, and she then lowered her head slightly to gather her contemplations. The shock of his words hit her hard, she was devastated. All she wanted was for her father to trust her. Like she had trusted him over the last few nights, by sleeping. Despite the risk of him doing something to her. Did he really believe that she would tell the others everything? She knew that they would be encouraged by what happened tonight, but she knew the danger they were in. However, her feelings towards her father were more potent and deeper than for the others. Then again, she still loved Michael. Her lips pouted and she frowned in bewilderment. Slowly, she raised her head towards him and saw his fervent glare. Again, there was a deep look of mistrust on his countenance. She felt heartbroken, dismayed at his stance towards her.

Freddy lowly growled at her lack of response and with a discreet flick of his blades she was propelled out of the dream into the waking world.

Why did you wake her Krueger? One of the demons demanded.

Freddy swung around to the furnace and glowered at the flames, seeing the faint outlines of the Dream Demons as they lurked within the vibrant hot, crackling flames.

Another demon spoke up. You should have kept her in the dream, pulled her into a coma.

"No, then the others would suspect something was up!" Freddy disagreed. "Remember that little bitch Kristen has assumed that she had woken everyone up, including Katherine!"

But Katherine will tell them the truth

Freddy shook his head. "No, she won't"

How can you be so sure Krueger?

He snarled, "Because she is my daughter!"

The demons whispered amongst themselves, unsure if they could trust Freddy's judgement. How could he certain that Katherine wouldn't tell?

Freddy spun away from the furnace and began to stalk through the various dark passageways of his power plant. He would give her one day to ponder over everything. But he had sensed and analysed her deliberations. Deep down she wanted him to feel proud of her, she desired his trust. He would discover tomorrow night if she was fully going to be at his side or not and he had this gut instinct that she would come through.

X x x

Inside her dimly lit room Katherine sat consumed in tears, distraught at how her father would react in that way. Her legs were curled up under her arms, the blanket held tightly to her shaking frame. All she yearned for was for him to trust her, to have some faith in her. To be proud of her, just like he was all those years ago when he was alive, and she was a little girl. However, she didn't want him to kill anyone and there was a part of her that wanted to warn the others. It was like she was torn, not knowing what to do.

Protect the others or earn her father's trust?

Though she did want to know who he had killed. Were there other people, other children linked to the fire that they didn't know about? But Donald and Marge had given them all the surnames of the parents who were there that night. So, if he wasn't going after Nancy and the others yet, could it perhaps be one of the parents? He had killed Roger Lane, she knew that. And even tried to kill Donald. But no, she knew ever since she was a little girl his main targets when he killed were children.

Lowering her legs, she uneasily ran her hands through her sweating hair and rose to her feet, albeit a little unsteadily. Just what the fuck was he up to? How long would he wait until he would strike and kill one of the others? If they had believed he had lost his powers, then there was no doubt in her mind that they would perhaps try and attack him again. If not all together, maybe on their own. She knew that Kincaid was enthusiastic about what had happened in the dream, could he even be tempted to attack her father again? Or even Michael? She shivered in fear.

"What the hell am I supposed to do?" she whispered to herself.

If she even dared to warn the others, then her father would be seriously fucked off. And then what would happen to her, another beating with that belt? Or even something more sinister? The perverse way he was looking at her little apparition from her dream invaded her mind. Oh god, would he do something to her? Maybe make her watch it?

Taking a long deep breath, she walked over to the far corner of the room where the crushed bottle of caffeine tablets and bent to inspect them. A smatter of white residue from the squashed tablets stained the ground and the plastic bottle was mangled, bent and twisted. She grasped it and tried to claw and wipe the white powder into her hands. After discarding it in the bin she cracked open one of the diet cokes and took a long refreshing drink. Her eyes darted to her right at the bed and ignored the idea of trying to go to sleep again. She would wait to tonight to confront him again.

X x x

From the very moment Michael and the others had awoken from their slumber, a feeling of excitement and optimistic gripped them. They all believed that there was a chance for them to stop Freddy. The fact that Michael, Glenn and Kincaid had severely injured him was evidence of this. Though they had pondered how would Krueger be if they faced him again, would he still be gravely injured?

Sandra handed out some mugs of coffee to them as she walked from the small kitchenette. "I know that you all feel motivated at what has happened. But still, you need to proceed with caution. And Michael, you need to talk to Katherine about it"

"She was there" Michael replied. "She said she fell asleep"

"Shit" Sandra muttered "Was he near her?"

"No" Nancy took a cup of coffee from Sandra, "Me and Kristen bumped into her in that power plant. She was wandering about the place on her own. She was surprised to see us"

"Kristen, did you not sense her presence when you entered the dream?" Sandra turned to the girl.

"No, I didn't. I was just focused on trying to sense where Freddy was. But for some reason I couldn't. When we entered the dream, the guys weren't even beside us!" Kristen responded, "It was like he had separated us!"

"There's something else too" Nancy sipped tentatively at her hot beverage. She looked nervously at Michael then continued. "When you all were attacking Freddy, she was ready to run over. I held her back. From the look on her face, she seemed a little concerned"

Michael's eyes furrowed slightly. "Concerned? Who for? You don't mean for that bastard?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Look, I'm probably just imagining it" Nancy tried to explain.

A feeling of dread gripped Michael and he placed down his mug of coffee, "Mom, can I talk to you outside?"

Sandra nodded and followed her son outside, closing the door behind them and wandered over to her car. "What is it, Michael?"

He sighed, "Do you think what Nancy said there is right? I mean, do you think Katherine may have been worried about him when we were attacking him?"

His mother gripped his shoulders lightly. "Listen, Katherine is confused. I have gone over her therapy notes at least six times. I'll even show them to you. When she was a little girl, she had such a strong affiliation with her father. They were really close when he was alive. From what I have spoken to her so far, it's like there is a part of her that wants that companionship with him again" she saw the look of doubt on her son's face. Then she explained. "I understand that the fucker has tormented her over the last few weeks since you both have arrived in Springwood. But when she was having that panic attack yesterday, I didn't see an eighteen-year-old girl. I saw the face of a young nine-year-old girl. There was so much fear in her eyes. You saw her that night in the boiler room, when the parents came? Do you remember the terror on her face, how she was like with him?"

"Yes, I do. She was so scared" Michael muttered grimly.

"Well, she was like that yesterday when she was having her panic attack. Her eyes were wide with fear. It was like she was when she was a little girl" Sandra sadly admitted.

"Do you think she's starting to change?"

"I'm not sure Michael" She confessed, "But you need to talk to her, show her the love and devotion she has grown accustomed to over the last few years she has been with you"

He nodded and then leaned against the bonnet of the car. "Mom, I must tell you something. It's like I'm afraid I can't be around her in a certain way"

"What do you mean?" Sandra took a step closer to her son.

His eyes were vacant, a flash of anger and disconcertment crossed his face. "What has happened with her and her father. I mean over the last two weeks. How he has touched her and slept with her. I'm afraid to get close to her, in an intimate way. Even like when I kiss her or hug her. It's like I am holding myself back" his hand reached up to quickly brush away a stray tear. "I don't want to push her away. But I'm so nervous. I know that she hated the sexual abuse when she was a little girl. We had talked about it a few times over the last few months" He paused, slightly weary "Mom, I wanted to be her first, to help her experience all the sexual intimacy as a young woman. You know in a normal, warm and loving relationship. Something she never had with him. To treat her the way she deserved to be treated"

"But you think that your chance has gone?" Sandra asked, saddened to see her son admit this.

He nodded vehemently, "Yes, that fucker has ruined it. I had promised myself that no one would do that to her again. But Freddy has used her, pretending to her that I was asleep when I wasn't! Just so he could trick her into sleeping with him! I hate that bastard so much. Now, I feel that he has this hold over her now"

She grasped his arms and stared at him with concern, "Don't think like that! If you do, then it'll just play into that fucker's hands! Michael, please you must tell her this. But do it gently, don't scare her away. I know how much she means to you. The intimacy that you wanted with her; you can still have it. Don't let Freddy destroy the relationship you have with Katherine. You both love each other!"

His teeth grounded together as he seethed, "I know. I'm just so fucking angry at him, at what he has done to us! To her! We should have stayed in Central City, then we'd be safe, she'd be safe!"

"When you see her tomorrow, I'll arrange for you to visit her in the visitor's courtyard. It would be more private for you both to talk about this. If you want, I can be there with you both" she proposed.

"Yes, that would be a good idea" He smiled, "Thanks mom"

"Remember Michael, just be honest with her"

"I will" He nodded. "I don't want any of the others to know about this mom. Not yet anyway. Do you think she woke up okay?"

"I'm sure she has" she followed him as they ventured back to their motel room. "I'm going to have a few hours' sleep. Today has been a long day"

"I'll wake you up at 6am"

Westin Hills – 6.30am…

Standing at her window Katherine blankly stared at rising sun from behind the large stone wall and trees. The last few hours had dragged in. She had found to her dismay that the portable radio Michael had brought her was no longer working. Just like in her dream, the batteries were melted. She had spent the last few hours aimlessly wandering about the room, running her deliberations repeatedly in her exhausted mind. The words of her father echoed in her mind.

Can I trust you?

All she ever wanted was his trust and now he was taking it away from her, even when he woke her from the dream she was disgusted, annoyed. Why was he trying to push her away?

Taking a deep aggravated sigh, she walked over to the bed and picked up her art pad. She flicked it open to the next drawing she had started an hour before. It was of him, her father. But it wasn't completed. His brown fedora hat was titled down over his brow, his burnt, rutted scars were visible beneath as his lips were drawn into a menacing half smirk and his ice blue eyes were uncaring as they loomed up from the page. All the burns were colored in deep red and browns. Only the top half of sweater was sketched. She would finish it later.

Her right hand ran over the page, trailing down the side of his face and with a cry of rage and disgust she threw the pad across the room. It slammed against the wall and soon she began to sob, "Why don't you trust me daddy? All I want is your trust…" she murmured, "your love"

Slowly her body began to sag against the edge of the mattress, and she climbed upon the bed. A fleeting thought of going to sleep entered her mind, but she pushed it to the side. There was no point was there? He would probably keep her at bay, out of his reach. Her bottom lip pouted slightly at this thought. It was like she was a little girl again. Maybe her mindset was changing, distorting into the way she was a little child. Wanting her father's attention. It was something that she loved as a little girl, the trust they shared. The deep bond they had, that no-one could break.

Twisting around on the bed she grabbed the plump white pillow and gripped it firmly in her hands, her knuckles began to turn white as she fumed silently. Oh, she had been angry at her father before when she was going through her therapy as a little girl in the Care Home and two years ago, as she discussed all the ways he had controlled her and how she had despised it, and in some way him. But now the rage she had was how he could not trust her to keep quiet. She had fucking kept quiet about what had happened between them both from Michael and Sandra, the sex and the time he had pleasured her in the boiler room. Was that not a good enough reason for him to trust her?

Maybe she should tell on him, just to spite him. But did she really want that? Despite all the fury that was engulfing her at this very moment, she still yearned for him. How he would feel proud of her, just like he did when he was alive.

She lifted her right hand to idly wipe at her face, as a few wandering tears that fell from her eyes. Soon, her face went docile as her brown eyes went into a trance, affixed upon the art pad. The minutes soon ticked by and as the clocked hit 8am, she finally broke her daze and blinked wildly. Perhaps the Valium tablets were still in her system, effecting her concentration.

She shifted off the head and trotted over to grab the art pad, closing it and then placed it inside her grip bag. After changing into fresh underwear, then jeans and white blouse she opened up her last can of diet coke. Her attention was soon caught as a set of footsteps approached her room. Turning towards the door she saw Sandra enter the room.

"Sandra, what are you doing here?" she asked, surprised.

"Morning, I thought I would check on you before I start my shift" she closed the door behind her and walked over to her, "Michael told me what happened. That you fell asleep"

"Yeah" Katherine took a slug of her drink. Soon the lies began, "I tried my best. I took two of them tablets. Is everyone okay?"

"Yes. But I did tell Michael what he did was very foolish. Putting them all at risk like that" Sandra sat down on the bed.

Katherine did likewise and considered briefly whether to disclose what she knew. The dangerous trick that he was playing. Should she…? Her hands tightened around her can and she took a quick sip, then closed her eyes for a moment. No, she wasn't. All she wanted was her father's admiration, his trust and to say he was proud of her. Did that make her wicked, corrupt? Maybe it did…

"What did they say when they woke up?" she asked.

"You know Michael can be, he was enthusiastic about it. Kincaid was too" Sandra leaned back on her hands, "It's just strange though. I know I haven't been here the last three weeks. I do know from Michael that your father has murdered at least twelve people. But how did he lose his powers?"

Katherine's gaze was unyielding. God it was like being a child all over again, the lies. "I'm not sure. Something must have happened to him"

"But what?" Sandra asked, "Do you know anything? Have you noticed anything in your dreams that may shed some light on all of this?"

"What?"

"He visits you the most Katherine" Sandra explained.

"No, I haven't noticed anything" Katherine shook her head. More lies. More deceit.

"Okay. Hopefully we'll get to the bottom of it all. I told Michael and the others not to try anything like that again" Sandra declared, "So what happened in your dream? How did you fall asleep?"

"I'm not sure what time it was. I was just drawing on the chair and then the next moment I was in the boiler room, wandering about the place. Then I bumped into Nancy and Kristen" Katherine took another sip of her drink.

"And you never saw your father? Not until you and the girls went to the main area of the boiler room?"

"Yeah, that's right" Katherine felt her stomach grumble. She soon changed the subject. "Is the canteen opened? I'm a little hungry"

"I'll bring you down"

Picking up her tennis shoes, Katherine quickly slid her feet into them and followed Sandra out of the room into the quiet corridor. "Is Michael and Nancy coming today?"

"It's just going to be Michael today. I'm hoping to bring you both out to the visitor's courtyard"

"Really?" Katherine smiled, "It'll be good to get out of here again for an hour" she then mused silently, "I know you must give Sims a brief overview of what our sessions are like tomorrow. What are you going to say to her?"

"Don't worry I'll think of something. I'll do some notes tonight" Sandra pulled opened one of the security doors for her. "She did mention to me about starting you on the medication. You know the ones she had recommended yesterday?"

They turned into the next corridor, nearing the area where the canteen was located. "Shit" Katherine mumbled, "Do I have to take them? I mean, they may make me drowsy"

Sandra stopped before her and gently rubbed her shoulders, "I'll find out what ones she will be giving you, if she does start them in the next day or so. I'll let you know what the side effects are"

"I don't know why I have to take them, I'm NOT crazy!" Katherine grumbled.

"I understand Katherine, but if you don't take them, then she will force you to take them. But look we will deal with that if it happens" Sandra explained, "I am going to put forward that cognitive therapy would be the best approach for you"

She nodded then asked, "Are you really helping other patients in here?"

"Just mainly joining in on therapy sessions with other doctors. Attending meetings. Providing any advice or input that I can share. But to be honest, many of the psychological disorders that the patients have are a little out of my league. Make sure you eat a good breakfast today. I'll come to your room before 2pm and bring you down to meet Michael"

Later…

After her breakfast Katherine had hoped she would have been left alone in her room, but unfortunately Sims had asked Max to escort her to the patient's games/recreation room. He had explained that Sims was adamant that she shouldn't be spending so much time on her own, that it wasn't good for her mental well-being. And so now she had found herself sat in the corner of the recreation room, by the large window. There were a few board games laid out on various tables at the back of the room where numerous patients had sat. A few of the patients were sat in three rows before a small portable TV that played an episode from the TV show MASH.

Katherine glimpsed briefly at the room and then averted her brown eyes to stare pensively at the picture she had started that morning, particularly at her father's eyes beneath the rim of his fedora. She reached over to her right and grasped her white plastic cup of water and took a slow sip, then placed it back. Grasping a grey pencil from the table before her she lightly began to sketch the line down the side of his sweater, creating his lean frame. Then she placed the tip of the pencil at different sections of the body and drew it across, creating the lines of his sweater. Putting down the pencil, she grabbed a deep red one and deep green colored one. Then meticulously began to shade in the colors of his sweater.

Red.

Green.

Red.

Green.

Onwards until the last stripe of his sweater was shaded in red.

She then inspected his face, noticing that it needed a few more finishing touches and lightly skimmed the red coloured pencil over his chin, then cheeks. Making the burns a darker red. After a few more minutes she pulled her gaze to his eyes once more, becoming entranced and then suddenly his eyes blinked, making her gasp and jerk her head back in alarm.

"Who's that?"

Katherine twisted abruptly in her seat to the owner of the voice.

Mary.

The woman was looming over her shoulder, her countenance staring inquisitively at the drawing of Freddy. Katherine instantly shut her book in dread and jumped to her feet, collecting her pencils. "You shouldn't have seen that!"

Mary titled her head to the side, still curious and followed her out of the room. "But it's only a drawing. Who is he? Do you have dreams of him?"

She spun back to the woman, "Mary, just forget you ever saw that picture!" she begged. The last she wanted was her father invading this woman's dreams. "Please just forget about it!"

The girl was about to retort, but Katherine had hurried away leaving her a little confused, but yet still curious.

Katherine held the art pad tightly to her chest and rushed into her room. Perhaps finishing the drawing in that recreation room was a stupid idea. Closing her eyes, she prayed that nothing would happen to Mary, she didn't want another person's death on her conscious. She quickly placed her art pad and pencils back in her grip bag, then her lip pouted out in confusion. Had she really seen that? Had his eyes really blinked? If she was starting to see things when she was awake, then that was all she fucking needed.

She lightly touched her busted lip from yesterday with her tongue and grimaced. It still stung a little. She knew that she had to cover it up some more, nearly every few hours she had been applying concealer to hide it from view. Stepping again towards the grip bag she lifted out the concealer and applicator and began to hide her wound once more. Once it was covered, she placed her items away and stood in the doorway of her room, waiting for Sandra to arrive.

It was a little over twenty minutes later when Sandra came into view. She smiled warmly, "You ready?"

"Yeah"

"Maybe bring a light cardigan or jacket. It's a little chilly outside"

She ran back into her room and then appeared with a long-sleeved white cardigan. They then strolled through the corridors and down a set of stairs to the main area that led to the visitor's courtyard. There were two sets of security doors that Sandra quickly unlocked with her security card. Katherine saw Michael as he lingered at a set of doors that led outside. She smiled excitedly at him, and he returned it.

As they met, Katherine threw her arms around him in an embrace. Sandra glanced at her son as he hugged her back, albeit not with as same level of enthusiasm. She motioned with her hands to become more affectionate, and he slowly tightened his grip around her waist. Katherine leaned back and smiled, "I'm so glad you are okay"

"Did you wake up okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did" she lied.

"How about we go outside?" Sandra nodded at the double set of doors behind them.

They moved towards the doors and Katherine held her out for Michael, which he entangled with his. Although she noticed it wasn't with much sincerity. She frowned and asked, "Are you okay Michael?"

"Yes, there's something I need to talk to you about"

Once outside, Sandra led them past a few occupied picnic tables to a vacant one at the back of the small yard. There were a few decorative rose beds dotted here and there, along with a small octagon stoned walled fountain in the middle. As they settled in their seats, Katherine interestedly stared at her boyfriend as he sat to her left. "So, what is it?"

Sandra leaned forward in their seat facing them and reassured her son, "Michael, just tell her why you told me. She needs to know"

"Know what?" Katherine glimpsed between them both with concern.

"I feel…" Michael started, then took a calming breath. "That what has happened between you and your father, has caused me to feel uncomfortable around you"

"Uncomfortable?" Katherine raised her brows in uncertainty. "You mean, is it because I slept with him? And what he did to be before that? How can that make you uncomfortable?"

"You know that I love you, Kathy. It's just I think that my chance with you has gone. He's destroyed it" he whispered sullenly.

"Your chance? What do you by that?" a flash of bemusement appeared over her face.

Michael took a deep breath, "I'm afraid to being intimate with you. To kiss you, to hold you"

Her jaw dropped in disbelief. "W-what? You're afraid to become close to me in a sexual way? Why?"

"Because that bastard got there first. He manipulated you over them two nights when you willingly went to sleep. All those words he was saying to you was just a trick to get you to lower your guard" he hissed. "He took advantage of you. I wanted to be the first man to share in those intimate moments with you, now that you are a grown woman"

Her body sagged despondently, and she choked back a sob.

Sandra saw the look of dejection on the young woman's face and hurried to her side, to lightly rub her back. To offer reassurance. She glanced over to Michael who was trying to fight back his tears. He futilely wiped at his eyes. But deep down he knew he had to share his trepidations with her. He couldn't lie to her. Their relationship was meant to be built on trust.

"I wanted to be the first man you would sleep with. But he took that away from us, from me, from you!" Michael raged.

"But I had to do it Michael. You must believe me he was going to kill you!" Katherine sobbed quietly.

"I hate him so much Katherine. At what he has done to us!"

"P-please…" Katherine pleaded through her sobs. "You can still be close to me. Just don't push me away…I-I can't…"

Sandra discerned the wheeziness of her breathing and gently took her right hand placing it on her chest just like the previous day in the therapy room. "Breathe Katherine. Come on sweetheart. Nice and easy, slow breaths"

After a few moments Katherine gathered her composure and straightened up a little, her eyes then locked with Michael, and he saw the affection that gleamed in them. "I love you, Michael. I don't want to lose you. I want to be intimate with you and I want you to feel the same with me! Please!

He grasped her hands and gave them a light squeeze. "But you can't let him do anything to you!"

"He hasn't!" she snapped, "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course, you are the best thing that has happened to me. These last three years have been the best years of my life. I just hate the way HE has come between us!"

Katherine raised the back of her hand and meekly rubbed at her eyes. "I know that he is trying got destroy our relationship. But he won't"

"When the time is right, we should leave Springwood. Get as far away as we can! We have an opportunity now, he's weak. You saw what happened last night, he has lost his powers!" Michael declared.

"But how can we leave Springwood? I'm stuck in this shithole!" Katherine moaned. "Dr Sims won't discharge me until I admit that I am a schizophrenic. Which I am not!"

"Unless you pretend to agree with her" Sandra suggested.

"What?" Katherine spun in her seat towards her. "Agree with her? But why?"

"I've been thinking about this" Sandra began, "If you start to come around to what she is saying, take the medication and even in our sessions I will say in your notes that you are coming to terms with your condition. That you are indeed creating these dreams. Then there is a chance you can get out of here. I can falsify the therapy notes"

Katherine shook her head, unsure. "But…"

"Katherine it may be the only way you can get out of Westin Hills!"

Katherine gave a small nod, "Okay"

"Good" Sandra smiled, then glanced at her watch. "I must go here. Try and talk more about things. You two need to talk more"

"We will" her son nodded.

"I'll come and see you before I leave this evening Katherine" Sandra gave the girl a supportive smile

Katherine watched as she left the courtyard and then took a deep breath turning to Michael, seeing him staring attentively at her. "We should have talked about this when it happened. Maybe it was my fault"

"No, it's not your fault. I should have said something after it happened the first time" Katherine accepted her mistake at that time. "I was just scared"

"About what I would think?" Michael asked.

"Yes. As you rightly said earlier, he took advantage of me"

"I'm going to ask you a question and please don't be angry with me" Michael knew that this was would hard to ask and even harder for her to answer, but he had to. He needed to know. "When your father was touching you, did you…?"

"Like it?" her eyes went wide in horror.

"Yes"

Her voice was thick with rage. "Of course, I didn't! I was fucking petrified! He had me cuffed to that bed Michael! He forced my body to behave that way, he forced me to have an orgasm. Would you really think I would let him do that to me if I wasn't handcuffed?"

But you did the other night, didn't you? A voice whispered in her mind.

She lowered her head briefly and lightly shook her head, trying to ignore that little voice. It wasn't her fathers; she instantly knew that. It sounded like a female, like her…

"I'm sorry that we haven't talked about this Kathy. But I need to know what happened the next time" he leaned forward and took her hands in his. "Please"

"Uh…" she lifted her face once more, "I had just finished my shower. I didn't realize I was asleep until I ended up in my father's old bedroom. He pinned me to the bed, he pulled away my towel, leaving me naked. He used his glove to restrain me to the mattress. I knew that if I struggled, he would have cut me. I didn't want any of it! Please believe me!"

Michael nodded, "I just wish you would have told me"

"I was just so humiliated" she whispered. "Then when he slept with me, it was different"

"Different? In what way?"

"He changed for me. He transformed himself to when he was alive. The father I knew from when I was a little girl. He told me he would make it easy for me, that's why he changed back to when he was alive. He knew I would be more comfortable with him being like that" she saw his eyes widen in alarm. "But I didn't feel anything when it happened"

The next time though, you did. You moaned so fucking loud in ecstasy…

Katherine bit down on her tongue and again disregarded that little voice and beseeched. "Please you have to believe me, I only did it to save you!"

His right hand broke away from hers and reached up to stroke her face with tenderness, "I do, I believe you. But you can't let him do anything else to you. You must fight against him. Stand up for yourself. Just like you did when he started to enter your dreams when we first arrived here"

She nodded vehemently, agreeing. "I will. Michael, I do want to be intimate with you. I always have"

"And mothing else has happened?"

"No"

He gave a curt nod and watched as she leaned forward, shifting close to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt his hands curved around the small of her back and she latched her lips onto his and they leisurely began to kiss, their bodies pressing gently against each other and with a few seconds they deepened the kiss. Their lips parting as their tongues battled each other for dominance. Slowly, they eased their passionate embrace, both of them panting softly. They smiled lovingly at each other, and she finally spoke, "I love you Michael"

He ran his hands up and down her back lightly, "I love you too. The sooner you can get out of here, the better. Do you need anything brought up tomorrow?"

"More caffeine drinks. Maybe some more fresh clothing. Do you think your mom can get some of my clothes cleaned?"

"Yes, there is a laundromat across form the motel we are staying at. I can bring them over tomorrow morning" he replied and helped her to her feet, and they wandered to the double doors.

"Thank you. I'll have them ready for your mom when she comes to my room later" She saw that Max was lingering in the doorway and gave him a small smile.

He returned the smile and looked at Michael, "Nice to see you again. I'm just going to bring Katherine back to her room"

Michael squeezed her hand tightly and gave her a long soothing kiss. Then turned to Max, "Look after her for me please"

"I will" Max replied.

X x x

6pm

Katherine looked up from her art pad as she heard Sandra enter her room. The older woman appeared in the doorway and smiled, "So, how did your talk go with Michael?"

"It was good. I'm glad that we shared our feelings with each other. I told him that I wanted to be closer to him in an intimate way. And what happened with my father meant nothing. It was forced pleasure; he forced my body to react. It was my body; it wasn't my mind. Do you understand me?" Katherine revealed.

"I totally understand. Your father had tricked you; you had no control over the situation" Sandra agreed, "But remember you have to be honest with Michael. If anything else does happen then you have to tell us!"

Katherine nodded quickly then stepped over to her bed and snatched a white plastic bag that held her dirty laundry. "Would you be able to get my clothes cleaned for me please? It's just some underwear and some jogging bottoms"

Sandra took them off of her and then reached into her bag, taking out a few bottles of water and a few caffeine drinks and placed them on the bed. "Do you still have them tablets?" she looked at the chest of drawers.

"Yeah, they're in my bag. I had to hide them in case Dr Sims came in" Another question answered with a lie.

"Good thinking" Sandra chirped, "I'll see you in the morning. I'll be here at 9.30am"

"No problem, I'll see you then"

As Sandra left the room, Katherine closed the door behind her. She then quickly changed into a pale pink pair of cotton/polyester PJ's and pulled on a pair of white ankle socks. Her hands ran through her wavy hair, the fingers raking through the locks as she pulled it back into a high ponytail and she tied it with a black hair bobble. She began to take deep, calming breaths and closed the navy curtains on the window and soon the room was plunged into darkness. Making her way back to the bed she climbed under the covers.

Hopefully what had transpired today, the lies and deceit would finally make him put his trust in her. He would finally be proud of her.

x x x

I do not own any of the songs used in this chapter.