(Hello, hello, hello! I'm back and full of apology for the lack of an update. Being a librarian is tough, guys; don't ever think otherwise! During October, I was responsible with bringing a literary inspired haunted house and hayride event together as a fundraiser for the library and it was a smashing success! I was even on the news. It's officially become an annual event!
Now, I'm going to give you a heads up about this chapter. I know what it looks like. I know. But is it? I know there have been some rooting for a Freddy/OC fic and those thanking who want it to be a straight forward slasher and final girl story. All I can say is, I can't make everyone happy, but I can make a compromise of sorts. Just hang in there, folks. Try seeing this out before you make up your mind and never read another word. There's going to be surprises along the way. Heck, even I didn't know some of the surprises that I've sprung on ya'll until I sat down and started writing. And on that note…)
[Songs suggested, used, or mentioned for Chapter 12: There's quite a lot of them for this chapter]
~ "Nightmares - + Random Impulse + Sway + Wretch 32" by Ed Sheeran (listen at beginning)
~ "Stand By Me" by Skylar Grey (I suggest listening to this during the scene with Kevin comforting Isabelle)
~ "Where the Monster Lives" by Steve Jablonsky {from the NOES remake; personally, I hated the remake, but the music ain't half-bad} (listen when the gang are all in Valerie's hospital room)
~ "Freddy's Coming For You" by Steve Jablonsky (listen when it switches from the group at the hospital to Freddy in the Dream World)
~ "Valerie" by Ghost of the Robot (you can listen to this anytime during the scenes Val and Izzy are looking through the newspapers and going to the library.)
~ "Dream On" by Aerosmith (listen when Charlie and Kevin meet up with Bianca. This can Segway into the scene with Valerie and Isabelle continuing their research in Valerie's dorm room and falling asleep.)
~ "He Will Break Your Heart" by Jerry Butler (it's mentioned when to listen to it)
~ "Sail" by AWOLNATION (listen during the Krueger and Valerie scene)
~ "Jesse and Kris" by Steve Jablonsky (listen during Isabelle's combat scene)
~ "What Kind of Man" by Florence + the Machine (listen when Valerie tries to go through the mirror)
Chapter Twelve
What Kind of Man
"How blessed are some people, whose lives have no fears, no dreads; to who sleep is a blessing that comes nightly, and brings nothing but sweet dreams."
~ Bram Stoker, Dracula
Isabelle barely recalled the questions the police had asked her. It was all kinda jumbled up together. All she could think about were those initials carved into the old woman's arm – the same initials carved into Valerie's skin. In her mind, she kept replaying the night she'd heard Valerie screaming and woke her to find those burns on her back. Those bruises… And now Valerie's refusal to even talk about him with her…
Isabelle jumped to her feet and hurried to where Bianca stood with a cop, answering his questions. She gripped Bianca's wrist and gave the officer an impatient look. "Are we done here?" The officer sighed, evidently annoyed by her interruption, but nodded. Isabelle dragged Bianca to the door.
"What's the rush, Iz?"
"We're going back to the hospital."
"Why?"
"Because Valerie needs to know what's happened and we're not leaving until she tells us everything."
Bianca bit her lower lip. "And – uh – just how long do you think that'll take?"
Isabelle shrugged as they got into Bianca's car. "Don't know. She's pretty determined to keep quiet."
"Mmmh," Bianca sounded distractedly.
Isabelle focused her attention on the red-head. "…Do you have a something to say about it?"
"…Well…Izzy…I have a photo shoot in about two hours."
"Un-freakin'-believable, Bianca!"
"Well, what do you expect me to do, Izzy!" she cried with exasperation. "Am I supposed to drop everything – including my career – for something we still don't even understand! I have to pay my tuition somehow, Izzy!"
Isabelle shook her head and slumped in her seat. "Just drop me off at the hospital. Wouldn't want you to be late."
Bianca put the car in drive and they drove for a few minutes in tense silence. "Look, I don't have to be at the shoot for another two hours. I can stay with you and Valerie for a little bit, but then I have to go." She glanced over at Isabelle to see if there was a visible change in her friend's attitude.
Isabelle's face was turned to the passenger window. "…Yeah, whatever."
Bianca winced and they continued the drive in silence.
….
Entering the hospital, the girls were in such a rush to get to Valerie's room that they would have passed by Charlie and Kevin without seeing them if Charlie hadn't called out. They spun around and grouped together in the middle of the lobby.
"Where's the fire?" Charlie joked.
Suddenly, everything began to wash over Isabelle and she felt her throat constrict to the point where she couldn't speak. Kevin, his eyes intently watching her, furrowed his brow in concern.
"Izzy? What's wrong? Are you okay?"
A choked sob escaped her and her vision blurred with tears. Kevin stepped forward and Isabelle went into his arms. The dam burst and all she could do was cry. Kevin made soothing sounds as he stroked her hair and back. He and Bianca made eye contact over Isabelle's shoulder. "What happened?" he asked.
Bianca looked suddenly uneasy. "…The librarian was murdered. We found her body."
"F.K," Isabelle managed to gasp in between sobs. "F. K was carved into her arm!"
Kevin went very still. He turned to Charlie but didn't relinquish his hold on Isabelle. He opened his mouth to speak but apparently Charlie was thinking the same thing. Charlie signaled to Bianca and the two made their way to Valerie's room.
Being held as she cried, Isabelle couldn't help but think back to her relationship with Marv. She tried to remember the last time Marv held her when she cried and came to the startling realization that he never had. Isabelle wasn't the sort to cry very often, only in extreme circumstances. There hadn't been very many moments that had brought her to that point, but Marv had been present none the less. He had made no move to hold her like Kevin was doing. The most he'd done was give her a half-hearted pat on the back and a mumbled, "It'll be okay."
Now, here she was – bawling her eyes out – and Kevin wasn't letting go of her anytime soon. He was holding her just as tightly and swaying their bodies in a soothing motion to comfort her. "I'm right here, Izzy," he whispered. She hiccupped and a light breath of laughter escaped him. Isabelle focused on the caressing motions of his hand on her back. Something told her that he wouldn't be the first to pull away. He'd hold her like this for as long as she wanted. She'd have to be the one to break the embrace. And that…that brought her more comfort than she expected.
Kevin was a great guy – like, a really, really, reeeally great guy. During the latter months of her relationship with Marv, she'd sometimes entertain little daydreams of being Kevin's girlfriend. She'd crack jokes just to see those tiny dimples appear. He always praised her talents and encouraged her to pursue whatever goal was on her mind at the time. Why hadn't Marv ever been like this? Why hadn't he been there for her? Why was he such a freakin' loser! Why – oh…
Isabelle felt her breath hitch. Marv was dead and here she was dissing on his memory! And in the arms of another guy! True, she'd broken up with Marv before his murder – but still! Taking a deep breath, Isabelle willed herself to let go of Kevin and stepped back. Kevin's hands slid from her back, down her arms and gently took her by both hands. "You okay?" he asked.
Isabelle sniffed and nodded. She tugged one hand away from his grasp and used the back of it to dab at her eyes. "Wait, here; I'll be right back," he said and walked towards the nurses' desk. Isabelle turned away and tried to nonchalantly use her sleeve cuff to wipe some snot from her nose. She really needed to start carrying a packet of tissues with her.
A tap on the shoulder. She surreptitiously rolled up her sleeve cuff to hide any evidence and faced Kevin. He held a box of tissues. "Thought you might need these." Laughter bubbled out of Isabelle at the dopey grin he gave her.
"All of it?" she questioned him with a lifted eyebrow.
He nodded with false seriousness. "All of it. Every tissue, you river-crier, you."
Isabelle chuckled through the last of her tears and gratefully reached for the tissue box. "Thanks, Kevin." Their fingers brushed as the box exchanged hands. Isabelle felt her skin flush with heat and she lowered her gaze to the box to avoid eye contact.
"You ready to talk about it now?"
Izzy inhaled deeply. "Yeah. But I want everyone to hear it. Let's meet up with the others."
Kevin nodded. "Okay. Let's go." He extended his arm and allowed her to start walking first. Once she was by his side, his arm wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her in for a side embrace as they walked the hall together.
…
The triumph Valerie felt after having a Krueger-free three-hour nap didn't last very long. The mood in the hospital room was very bleak after Bianca and Isabelle's news. "So, this F. K. dude," Charlie began after a moment of stunned silence. "He's not really dead?"
"Either that or his ghost is carving people up," Bianca answered with a hint of sarcasm.
You're not far from the truth, Valerie thought.
"I don't think he's dead," Isabelle said.
"Great," Charlie groaned. "We've got some old psycho serial killer bopping around, getting knife happy."
"I don't think he's alive either," Isabelle added with hesitation. She caught the sharp look Valerie fired her way.
Charlie, Bianca and Kevin all stared at her, perplexed. "'Lucy, you got some 'splainin' to do,'" Charlie said in his best Ricky Ricardo accent.
Isabelle opened her mouth to do so when Valerie slapped her hand down on the bedside table with such force, the 'bang' caused Bianca to jump. When everyone's eyes were on her, Valerie's gaze was still fixed on Isabelle. "…No."
"Why not!" Isabelle exploded with frustration.
"Because you have no idea what's going on and it's safer for all of you that way!" Valerie fired back.
"Dr. Robert said something similar," Kevin noted. "What's this all about?"
"Fred Krueger, that's what," Isabelle said.
"Izzy!" Valerie snapped.
"He's the one who carved those letters onto Valerie's back and he's the one who killed the librarian!"
"Izzy, please, don't –"
"I'm not going to let you keep quiet and get yourself killed, Valerie Loraine Snider!"
"You're going to get yourself killed if you don't let this go!"
"Too late!" Isabelle snapped. It got very quiet as she and Valerie stared each other down. Eventually Valerie's eyes began to water, and she looked towards the window, shaking her head. "You don't know what you're doing, Izzy. Now you all know his name and it's too late."
Kevin ran a hand over his face in frustration. "What the heck is going on, Valerie?"
A shuddering sigh escaped her. "I guess at this point telling you about him would at least prepare you. Even if you think I'm crazy."
"It can't be any crazier than Izzy's ghost theory," Charlie chuckled. Valerie gave him a level stare. "…then agaaain…" he added, uneasily.
Valerie took a deep breath and began. "Back in the 60's, there was a killer known as the Springwood Slasher…"
…..
It had been so long since he'd felt the distinct tingling sensation along the back of his skull that would occur whenever new people were made aware of him. The more people, the stronger it felt. Krueger could almost sense the invisible tethers that limited him begin to loosen. It caused a sly grin to appear on his face as he lifted his eyes upward. "Thanks, dollface." He briefly wondered, since she was a lucid dreamer, if she could somehow sense his presence here while she was in the real world. If she could pick up his twisted gratitude. Not that it mattered. He'd show his appreciation to her in person soon enough.
His grin deepened into a smirk as he recalled his little discovery about Valerie when he peeked inside her mind. Usually he only focused his attention on the parts of the mind that contained his victims' fears, but in Valerie's case – her fear being of sexual intimacy – he needed details that would sweeten the fear and in order to do that he went digging around in other areas and oh – ho – ho, what a delicious surprise he'd uncovered. He'd have to wait for the perfect moment to bring it into play. He almost couldn't wait to reveal it to her; the turmoil it would wreck on her once she found out. Krueger clicked his knives together in anticipation. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this eager. With his new scheme and the knowledge he now had, things were gonna get interesting real quick.
A distorted chuckle rumbled from his throat as he dragged a knived index finger along the catwalk rails. "Let's have some fun, Valerie. Come to Freddy."
…
The detectives stopped by just as Valerie wrapped up sharing what she knew with her friends. Because she and Ms. Hemming both had the initials 'F.K' carved into their skin, the detectives wanted to question Valerie about any possible connections. Her friends were asked to wait outside in the hall. Charlie looked like he was about to explode from the interruption but kept quiet as he and the others went out into the hall. Detective Rogers closed the window's blinds to give them privacy.
"Soooo," Kevin began. "…Is anyone else wanting to write it all off as a bad nightmare but can't?" He looked around. Charlie wordlessly raised his hand. Bianca intently studied her nails to avoid eye contact. Isabelle found it hard to swallow.
Fred Krueger killed Marv… But how could the detectives arrest a killer who existed only in dreams? They'd never believe it, though. They'd keep looking for someone made of flesh and blood in the world of reality while the real killer roamed free to murder others in their sleep.
"If what Valerie said is true…" Charlie huffed a single, mirthless laugh. "Then that means that this is the same guy who murdered my cousins." The realization could physically be seen dawning on his face as it grew more solemn.
Bianca rolled her eyes. "Come on, people," she chastised. "It's not real. Valerie's a lucid dreamer, right?" She waited until Isabelle nodded. "There you go then! For someone like her, a nightmare must be like a living hell. She's had one too many nightmares and it's knocked a few screws loose in her."
"How do you explain those carvings on her back?" Charlie asked.
"Dr. Robert already explained –"
"It was full of crap, Bee," Kevin argued. "He was hiding something – I could see it in his eyes."
"You're a human lie detector, now?"
"I was there too, Bianca," Charlie reminded her. "I could tell he wasn't believing his own theory."
Bianca frowned as she looked at each of her friends, then back at Valerie's room window. "It's too nutty. Way too nutty. Were you actually listening to Val? She believes that a dead serial killer from the sixties has come back to life – oh wait, my bad," she gave a sarcastic chuckle, "Not back to life, but 'reawakened' in the dream world – and can only kill those who are aware of his existence. That he's some kind of a dream demon responsible for nearly wiping out the Springwood population several years ago, but that the town managed to suppress him and have kept him a secret all these years...Seriously?"
Isabelle threw her hands up. "I know, okay – I know! I know it sounds insane! I know it sounds like something from an eighties' horror movie! But I also know that Valerie has woken up with wounds on her body ever since she started her report project. I know that the librarian was murdered, and Krueger's initials were carved on her just like Valerie. And I know that Valerie is one of the most genuine people I have ever met, and she doesn't crack after something as simple as a bad dream! Maybe some of the details have gotten a bit jumbled up, but I for one can believe that there is someone out there trying to kill Valerie."
Kevin's brow furrowed as he looked up from his shoes. "Except he didn't."
"What?" Isabelle asked, turning from Bianca to look at him.
"Krueger hasn't killed her. He's hurt her badly, yeah, but he hasn't killed her. Why?"
Isabelle thought back to when Valerie woke up with burns on her back. "Val, told me he wanted her to do a job for him. She didn't understand what he meant."
"He must need her alive until she does whatever it is he wants her to do. Something only she can do?" Kevin thought aloud.
"Well if he can only spread to other people's dream if they know about him, then that would kinda leave her as his only option, wouldn't it?" Charlie said off-handedly.
Kevin snapped his fingers and zeroed in on Charlie. "That's it. Valerie woke him up, she's his only resource. That's why he's keeping her alive. Maybe he wants her to spread the word about him."
"That might explain why she was so tight-lipped about it," Isabelle acknowledged.
"Something else isn't right. I don't mean to sound so callous but hear me out. He could have killed her and left those carvings on her corpse and gotten his message across just as well, right?"
Isabelle shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe he didn't want to leave it to chance. A live girl refusing to talk about some mysterious carvings on her back is has more impact than a dead girl who can't say anything. Valerie's done her research about him, she knows his story. Who better to spread the word about him?"
Bianca rolled her eyes and checked her phone. "Look, I've got to go. Tell Valerie 'bye' for me." She slung her purse onto her shoulder and swiftly walked away, her heels clacking along the floor. Isabelle glared daggers at the back of her head.
"Hey," Kevin called softly to get Isabelle's attention. She reluctantly met his gaze. "You can't blame her for finding this hard to believe. I'm still having some issues with it myself."
"But you're at least willing to entertain the possibility that it could be true," Isabelle countered.
Kevin gave her a small smile and shrugged. "Maybe it's the storyteller in me." He ran a hand through his hair and bashfully looked away. "I've always felt like I've got one foot in the real world and one in fantasy. I've constantly got ideas for films running in the back of my mind. I know that when you grow up, you're supposed to stop believing in fairytales and magic, but I just…can't. There's a tiny part of me that thinks, 'hey, the world is full of surprises. Fairytales and myths got started somehow, right?'
"So, yeah. I understand that looking at this situation from reality's point of view; it's impossible. But looking at it with an open mind…Either way you look at it. You can't deny something dangerous is going on."
Isabelle gave him a grateful smile and pressed her forehead to his shoulder. "Thanks."
The door to Valerie's room opened and the detectives stepped out. "You can go back inside now," Detective Hamilton informed them. The group rushed past her without a moment of hesitation.
"What did they –" Isabelle began.
"Hold it!" Charlie interrupted, his head sticking out the door as he watched the detectives walk away. Everyone kept still. When the detectives stepped into the elevator at the far end of the hall and the doors closed, Charlie ducked back inside with a, "All good," and closed the room door behind him.
"What did they ask you?" Isabelle tried again.
"They wanted to know of any connection I may have had with the librarian. I told them the truth –"
"What!"
"That Ms. Hemming had helped me look up some newspaper articles for a research paper I was writing, and that's it."
"Anything else?"
"They asked about the subject matter, I kept it vague enough. They also wanted to know the dates and times I saw her. Then they got a call from the coroner that put Ms. Hemming's time of death around Thursday night."
Isabelle paled. "The same night Marv was killed?"
"Yeah. They remembered the alibi I gave them for that night, so they didn't have to ask me the same questions about my whereabouts."
"So you didn't mention anything about Fred Krueger?" Charlie asked.
Valerie gave him a look. "What do you think? I'm having a hard-enough time convincing you guys. Plus, the less people who know about him the better. At least Dr. Robert believes me."
Kevin's eyebrows lifted nearly to his hairline. "Say what?"
"He knows about Krueger –" Valerie broke off suddenly and pressed the call button.
"Uh, Val; care to fill us in here?" Charlie asked impatiently.
"It's a long story." She threw on a smile at the nurse who came into the room. "Could I speak with Dr. Robert, please? It's kinda urgent."
"I'm afraid he's a bit tied up, is there something I can help you with?"
"It's gotta be Dr. Robert. If you let him know I'm asking for him…"
The nurse nodded. "I'll give him a call."
"Thanks."
No one spoke until the nurse was out the door.
"What's going on?" Isabelle asked.
"Dr. Robert's encountered Krueger before – not like I have, I mean. He's been faced with Krueger's murder sprees before. He gave me some dream suppressant drugs called Hypnocil. You guys are going to need those pills too."
Isabelle claimed the chair next to Valerie's bed. "Okay, Val, we did a lot of guesswork outside in the hall, but we need you to clear this up for us. After that, you tell us how Dr. Robert knows about Fred and these drugs."
"Or I could do that for her."
Charlie flinched back a couple of feet when Dr. Robert suddenly spoke up behind him. The older man gave an apologetic smile and gripped Charlie's shoulder as he passed by. "Sorry." Charlie nodded at him but waited until his back was to him before placing a hand over his rapidly beating heart.
"That was fast," Isabelle commented.
"Given the nature of Miss Snider's situation, I've made her my top priority patient." He took the chair opposite of Isabelle's and observed everyone in the room. "I only caught snippets of what you were talking about, but I can assume they know?" he asked Valerie.
"I wouldn't leave it alone," Isabelle answered. "She only told us everything after it was too late."
Dr. Robert sighed and lifted his glasses to rub at his eyes. "What's done is done."
"They need Hypnocil," Valerie said.
The doctor nodded but didn't seem in any hurry to leave the room. "It's not that simple, sweetheart. A few years back, there were some shady tests being conducted with those drugs. I believe the plan was to produce enough for the whole population of Springwood. How they planned on administering it to everyone, I'm not sure, but there was a large supply of it."
"I hear an 'unfortunately' coming up," Charlie said.
"Unfortunately," Dr. Robert went on.
"There it is," Charlie said with false cheer.
"The last time that Krueger was active, the Hypnocil supply was destroyed. The little that was left over was distributed to those who needed it most –"
"People who knew about Krueger's existence," Valerie commented.
Dr. Robert nodded. "Yes. Because of the difficulty in explaining to drug manufacturers and suppliers why we have such a high need for a drug that's still classified as experimental, it's been slow going to get our stock back up. If I were to try sneaking some from our cache, it would be noticed within minutes- that's how little of it we have."
"But you managed to give Valerie a whole bottle," Kevin pointed out.
"That's from my own personal stash." Valerie made a tiny noise of protest, her mouth slightly agape. She grabbed the bottle and started to hand it back, but he waved it away. "I have enough to last me until the next shipment. Don't worry."
Valerie looked at the bottle in her hands. "How much is in here?"
"Enough to last one person a month, but split amongst four people –"
"Five," Valerie corrected, then realized Dr. Robert had based his count of the people present. "Where's Bianca?"
"She had a photo shoot," Isabelle answered curtly.
"Those pills would only last the five of you six days," Dr. Robert informed them.
"When's the next Hypnocil delivery?"
"Two weeks from today."
"How effective is it if we only take one pill instead of two?"
"Not as reliable. Usually it's ability to suppress dreams fades within an hour or two."
Valerie sighed and opened the bottle, tapping out four pairs of pills. She held out her palm. "Everyone take these before you go to sleep tonight. Could one of you take these to Bianca?"
"I'll do it," Charlie volunteered.
"I'll go with you," Kevin offered.
Valerie caught a glimpse of the dimming sky outside her window. "You better get going." Charlie took the pills and pocketed them then he and Kevin left the room. "Dr. Robert, is there any way you could give me an early release? I've got to get back to my room to my research. There's got to be something there to help us stop Freddy."
Dr. Robert stared at her for a long time. He looked sad and resigned. And why wouldn't he? He'd seen this all happen before. But this young woman had something about her that made him want to believe that maybe – just maybe, she could put Krueger away for good. Dr. Robert stood from the chair and headed for the door but paused. "If the detectives call, I'll tell them there was a miscommunication amongst the staff and you were given permission to leave."
…..
Forty minutes later, a cab dropped them off in front of their campus dorm. Forgoing the stairs for the elevator due to Valerie's injuries, they went straight to her room. Valerie instantly went to the pile of newspapers while Isabelle hung back, uncertain how to proceed.
"What are we looking for?" she asked.
"Dr. Robert mentioned there might be some survivors from Krueger's attacks."
"Did he give any names?"
"Nope."
"Great," Isabelle squealed with fake excitement, even going so far as to raise her hands in the air like a cheerleader. She approached the stack of newspapers and began to comb the articles for any clues.
About an hour in, the two managed to compile a list of names of the children Krueger had murdered when he was alive. Valerie shook her head. "This is getting us nowhere. Dr. Robert said the survivors were teenagers. He said something about the eighties."
"Then we need to find the newspapers from the eighties," Isabelle said, getting up.
Since it was growing dark, they took Valerie's car to the library and spent fifteen minutes trying to find a parking spot. "I hate campus parking," Isabelle grumbled.
"Ditto," Valerie agreed, tightly gripping the steering wheel in frustration.
When they finally parked and went inside the library, they wasted no time and headed straight for the check out desk to ask for access to the newspaper records. They followed the librarian assistant to records room and Valerie had to nudge Isabelle when she saw her bouncing impatiently on her toes as the assistant searched for the correct key on the keyring. "Make sure you sign out at the front desk before you leave," the assistant reminded them before she left.
"Will do," Valerie promised. They waited until the assistant was gone before diving into the eighties section.
"Dr. Robert didn't happen to mention what year in the eighties, did he?"
"Nope."
"Super!" Isabelle fake cheered once more.
"Wait a minute, Charlie's cousins were killed by Freddy. Call him and ask if he knows what years they were killed."
"That's a bit callous, isn't it?"
"You got any other ideas, Izzy?"
Isabelle looked at the collection of newspapers before them then pulled out her phone.
…..
"Izzy?"
"Kevin? Why are you answering Charlie's phone?"
"He's driving and he asked me to. We're about five minutes away from Bianca's photoshoot. What's up?"
"Valerie and I are following a lead about some possible survivors from Krueger's attacks in the eighties. We just don't know where to start." There was an uncomfortable pause on Isabelle's end.
"Izzy, what's wrong?"
"I was hoping to ask Charlie this himself. It's about his cousins."
"Ah. Got it. Hang on." Kevin held the phone to his chest. "Hey, man. Izzy wants to ask you something that's personal, she doesn't feel right asking you through me."
Charlie took the phone and pressed it to his ear. "Izz?"
"Okay, I hate asking you this, but it could really help us out."
"Shoot."
"When did your cousins Tina and Mark get killed?" Isabelle asked softly.
Charlie swallowed the lump in his throat and took a deep breath. "1984 for Tina. 1989 for Mark."
"Alright, thank you, Charlie."
Charlie gave a single nod. "Sure." Isabelle hung up first, then he did and handed the phone back to Kevin. He was grateful when his friend didn't ask any questions about the call.
Kevin pointed to the studio building to his left. "That's it up ahead."
Charlie let out a low whistle at the building's fancy appearance and the closed gate and guard hut. "Think they'll let us in?" he half-joked. A man well over six feet tall extracted himself from the guard hut and waited with muscular arms folded over his thick chest.
"Nope," Kevin replied.
…..
"Got it!" Isabelle cried excitedly. "Tina Gray!" Valerie hurried from her side of the study table to Isabelle's and looked over her shoulder. Sure enough, there was Tina Gray's name splashed across the front page along with her picture. "There's three names mentioned as her friends; Nancy Thompson, Glen Lantz and boyfriend, Rod Lane. Charlie said the police suspected it was the boyfriend who killed her and that he committed suicide while in jail, so we can rule him out as a survivor. That leaves Nancy Thompson and Glen Lantz."
"Wait, you said Thompson?"
"Yeah."
"That's the last name of the sergeant who was involved in Krueger's arrest."
Isabelle looked up at Valerie. "Think it could be a coincidence?"
"Maybe. The sergeant's name was Donald Thompson. Does it mention her dad's first name?"
Isabelle skimmed the paper then froze. "…Holy crap. 'Sergeant Donald Thompson'."
Going with her gut, Valerie grabbed the list of Krueger's victims' names and looked for any kid's with the same surnames as Lane or Lantz. "There's a little girl with the same surname as Rod's."
"His sister?"
"Possibly. Look, we've got our start with 1984. Let's try tracking down Glen and Nancy."
Their search for Glen Lantz ended with the following week's issue.
"So that leave's Nancy," Valerie commented. "You keep looking for anymore grizzly deaths that sounds like Krueger had a hand in it. I'll try looking up Nancy Thompson online."
Valerie came back twenty minutes later and slipped into her chair with a glum expression on her face. "Killed about four years later," she said in answer to Isabelle's questioning gaze. Valerie pushed a list of names towards her. "She was a dream researcher at Westin Hills. She was helping a group of teens who claimed to be having nightmares about a burned man with knives for fingers." She shook her head. "Most of them are dead. There's three names left in the group that weren't listed to have died around the same time as the others."
Isabelle could see that following Krueger's path of destruction was taking a toll on Valerie. "You want me to take over the search and you just look for Mark's obituary?"
Valerie quietly nodded. "I'll make some copies of the articles we've found so far first." She gathered the newspapers in her arms and Isabelle watched her friend trudge over to the copy machine. Isabelle looked at the list of names in her hand, thought of the man who'd taken their lives and the havoc he was wrecking on her friend. "You bastard," she whispered.
…
Charlie was just about to complete level nine of the game app on his phone when he heard Bianca's familiar voice ask, "What are you two doing here?" He was nudged to his feet by Kevin and he exited out of the game. Looking up, he felt his jaw drop open as Bianca strutted her way down the hall in nothing but a flaming red bikkin, an open sheer black robe, and stiletto heels.
Charlie choked and put a hand to his chest. "Be still my heart!" he gasped dramatically.
"Eyes up here," Bianca reminded him with the weariness of a woman used to the attention her breasts caused.
"Could you at least close the robe? Not that it'll cover up much, but dang, gurl!" Kevin elbowed him in the ribs to get him back on track. "Ouch! Right, um…" He dug the pills out from his pocket and held them out to her. "You need to take these."
Bianca let him drop them into her palm and she eyed them critically. "What are they?"
"It's called Hypnocil. It's a dream suppressant."
Immediately Bianca's face clouded over. She scoffed as she grabbed Charlie's hand and pressed the pills back into it. "No thanks." She turned to go.
"Bee, wait," Kevin called.
Bianca stopped but stomped her foot like a child. "You're acting so dumb about all this, guys." Her frown naturally made her lips pout, which being dressed in a skimpy bikini, did nothing to help Charlie's focus on the main issue.
He gave Kevin a pat on the back. "You take this, I'm gonna sit this out."
"What?" Kevin asked in disbelief.
Charlie sat back down on the waiting sofa, keeping his eyes firmly trained on the floor. "Dude, I can't look at her. She stomped her foot and all I could see was that she jiggled in all the right places. Guy friends don't notice that if they wanna stay friends." He jerked both thumbs emphatically at his chest. "I'm totally fine being in the Friend Zone." An index finger was aimed at Kevin's face. "You got this."
Kevin rolled his eyes, took the pills from Charlie, and approached Bianca. "Look, Bee, I know you don't believe. I totally get why. But for our peace of mind, please take the pills." Bianca kept her face turned away. "…Please. Valerie's never asked you for anything, Bee. She's begging all of us to take these pills so we can be safe. That's all she wants. To make sure we'll wake up safe tomorrow morning."
Bianca sighed and peeked over her shoulder at Kevin's proffered hand and the little pills nestled on his palm. She 'tsked' in reluctance but took them from him. "If these things make me sick, you'll be paying for my doctor's bill."
"Fair enough."
"I have to get back to the studio. They're waiting for me."
"Okay. Thanks, Bee."
She gave him a stiff nod 'good-bye' and gave a chuff of laughter at Charlie, who nearly tripped over a waste basket in his attempt to not look at her. Once they were out the double doors, Bianca crossed the waiting room, righted the waste basket and tossed the pills inside it.
…
It was after 2:00 am when Isabelle realized her eyelids were drooping. She and Valerie had stayed at the library until it closed, then moved their research to Val's dorm room. They'd had a brief break for food, then went right back to it. She sat up with a start and looked around. Valerie wasn't in the room. "Val?" she called. From the open space between the bathroom door and the floor, Isabelle could detect light. Moving closer to the door, she could hear the shower going.
Isabelle ran a hand over her face and went to the min-sink below the overhead microwave and filled a cup of water. She dug around in her purse for the sandwich bag that held her Hypnocil pills. She was on the cusp of falling asleep, no sense in fighting it. She may as well take them now. The problem was, she couldn't find them. Hadn't she put them in her purse? Or had she let Valerie hold on to them for safe keeping until she could find a sandwich bag?
Heaving a sigh of frustration, Isabelle tossed her purse aside and walked towards the bathroom door. She rapped her knuckles against it. "Hey, Val? Do you know where I put those pills?" No answer. She tried again. "Val?" Still no response. The water may be drowning out her voice, it often happened. She gave another warning knock and opened the door. "Hey, Val, I –" She gasped when she realized the room she'd entered wasn't the bathroom she and Valerie shared. It bore a very strong resemblance to a boiler room.
….
Valerie let out a loud yawn and swatted her cheeks to keep from falling asleep. "I'm going to go get some coffee," she told Isabelle. "Want some?"
"Like, do you really have to ask?" she joked. She dug a ten from her back pocket and handed it to her. "You know what I like."
Valerie playfully snatched it from her fingers. "That I do. Be back in a flash."
"Got it."
Valerie stretched as she stood from her desk and walked towards the door. "Oh, hey, Valerie?" Isabelle called just as she'd twisted the doorknob. She turned to face her. A cruel smirk twisted Isabelle's mouth as she twittered her fingers at Valerie. "No running in the hallway."
Valerie's brow furrowed in confusion. Maybe the late hour was getting to her. "Um, yeah. Okay."
She pulled open the door and walked straight into the power plant.
"Vaaaleriiie," Krueger's voice echoed off the metal walls.
Valerie gripped the sides of her head, angry enough to tear her hair out. How could she allow herself to fall asleep before taking the Hypnocil!
"Vaaaleriiie…"
She forced herself to take a calming breath and release the painful clutch she held on her scalp. "Izzy will notice I'm asleep. She'll wake me up. Any second."
Krueger stepped out from behind a boiler. "You sure about that?"
Valerie faced him head on, fists clenched at her sides. "What did you do?"
Krueger gave a sly smile, his head tilting to the side as he looked at her. "Sleep depravity's a real pain in the ass, ain't it? Especially when you've gone days without it." He took a step towards her and Valerie jumped back, not letting him get any closer. "It messes with your head. Makes it hard to tell what's real and what's not…" He pointed his knived index finger at something behind her. Valerie had barely turned her head to glance when Krueger was suddenly standing two feet away. She didn't even get a chance to scream. His ungloved left hand grabbed her by the right arm and pulled her towards him. When she collided into him, he spun her around so that her back was flush against his chest and his left arm wrapped around her chest and arms to restrict movement. All efforts to struggle ceased when he grabbed a fistful of her hair, wrenched her neck to the side and pressed a knife to her bared throat.
….
Isabelle was jolted from her sleep by a hand on her shoulder, jostling her awake. She instantly got into fight mode, fists swinging.
"Whoa! Izzy, it's me!"
Her blurry eyesight cleared and Kevin's anxious face swam into focus. "Oh, geez, Kevin. I'm so sorry!"
"Nah, I should be sorry. I tried to call but you didn't answer and considering the circumstances, I got worried and didn't want to wait until tomorrow to talk."
"Fair enough." She glanced around. "Where's Valerie?"
"She was just leaving to get some coffee and let me in."
Isabelle sniffed as propped her elbows on the table and leaned her forehead on her palms. "Yes, coffee. Good idea."
Kevin's brow furrowed. "You okay?"
"It's this research," she huffed, gesturing to it. "Each lead we follow ends up being a dead end and –" she broke off suddenly and shook her head. "I don't wanna talk about it, okay? It's like seriously driving me crazy."
"Okay, okay," Kevin said soothingly. His hand touched her shoulder and rubbed soothing circles. "How about some music, huh? I could turn on the radio."
Isabelle nodded eagerly. She felt so off-kilter. Her head felt fuzzy and she was aware how fidgety she must appear to Kevin. Everything felt weird. Even her movements. She rubbed at her eyes, trying to dispel the oddness but it lingered nonetheless. Kevin went to Valerie's radio and switched it on, adjusting the volume until the tune of a 1960's song could be heard.
"He don't love you, like I love you, / If he did, he wouldn't break your heart…."
Kevin returned and sat in the chair vacated by Valerie. He mirrored Isabelle's elbows on the table posture and puffed out his cheeks. She couldn't help but chuckle. "Much better," Kevin remarked, grinning.
"Thanks."
"How're you holding up?"
Isabelle expelled a breathless laugh. "I'm a mess, heh. I feel like I'm out of sync, ya know? It's barely been a full twenty-four hours and I'm just…" She trailed off and stared at him hopelessly.
"Anything I can do to help?"
Isabelle smiled softly and gave his hand a squeeze. "Just make sure I don't lose my mind. Promise?"
Kevin squeezed back. "Promise." Their hands remained touching. Isabelle held her breath as he tentatively threaded their fingers together.
"The handsome guy that you've been dating, / Whoa, I've got a feeling that he's gonna put you down…"
He stood and tugged on her hand to join him. Isabelle did so with a questioning look. When they were standing in the center of Valerie's room, Kevin placed his free hand at Isabelle's waist and began to sway to the music. The tiny shiver that raced down her spine made her wonder if her sense of being off-kilter had something to do with how she was starting to view Kevin. What was so great about Marv that made her blind to a guy like Kevin?
"He uses all the great quotations
He says the things I wish I could say
Whoa, but he's had so many rehearsals
Girl, to him you're just another play…"
"Izzy…"
"Yeah?" She tilted her head up to look at him but found he'd lowered his to do the same and they were inches apart. The breath caught in her throat. How had she never noticed that his eyes were the same shade of grey as rain clouds?
"I know that it's been really crazy around here, but…" He lifted a hand to brush some strands of hair away from her face. "When we get a moment to ourselves, would you like to go out with me?"
"When he takes his bow and makes his exit
Oh, oh, I'll be there to take you home 'cause
He don't love you, like I love you
If he did, he wouldn't break your heart…"
"Yes."
A grin quirked his mouth. "Tomorrow?"
A similar grin worked its way onto her face. "Tomorrow."
Kevin licked his lips and Isabelle's heart skipped a beat when she saw his eyes dart to her mouth. When he lowered his face to hers, she closed her eyes and waited for him to kiss her. When their lips met, Isabelle was a bit surprised to find he tasted like smoke.
….
"Look, Valerie," Krueger commanded, gripping her chin with his gloved hand and forcibly moving her head to look forward. Valerie finally noticed the giant mirror that took up a large portion of the wall. Its reflective surface rippled and shifted from their image to reveal Isabelle and Kevin in Valerie's dorm room. There was music playing and they were standing close together, slow dancing and kissing. Finding a lack of her own sleeping form at the table, Valerie quickly concluded that Krueger was showing her Isabelle's dreams. Isabelle smiled as Kevin cupped her cheek and pressed his forehead to hers.
Krueger chuckled evilly. "I still got it."
'I still got it'? Why would he say 'I'… Valerie's eyes went wide with realization. That wasn't just a dream illusion dancing with Isabelle. "Izzy!" she screamed.
Krueger adjusted his left arm so that he could reach up and clamp his hand over Valerie's mouth. "Shush, shush, shush, shush." He removed his hand and resumed his tight grip on her body. The knives slid sensuously along the column of her throat. "Don't ruin the moment, dollface," he growled.
….
"Wow," Kevin said. "Marv's not even in his grave yet and already you're moving on."
Isabelle pulled back and found a cruel smirk adorning Kevin's features. "What the heck, Kevin?" she asked, floored by his remark.
Kevin shrugged and casually wrapped both arms around Isabelle's waist. "Hey, I get it. Marv was a slug and Kevin's greener pastures."
"Okay, first of all," Isabelle tried to twist her way out of his embrace. "That was a total douche thing to say. Marv and I may have parted ways before he died, but I stilled cared about him."
"Which drove Kevin crazy to no end. Fess up, Izzy, you liked seeing Kevin pine for you." Kevin seemed to have no intention of releasing Isabelle. His fingers hooked into her beltloops and pulled her lower half closer so that they were intimately pressed together. The teasing glint in his eyes took on a leering effect. The music seemed to be getting louder.
"He don't love you, like I love you…"
"Second of all," Isabelle continued, "Stop referring to yourself in third person!"
Kevin lifted an amused eyebrow and shifted his head closer to her. "That's an easy fix."
In the blink of an eye, Kevin's appearance transformed into an older man with severe burns covering his face. His grey t-shirt and red button-up were replaced with a worn red and green stripped sweater and a fedora. Isabelle's heart logged in her throat. She couldn't tear her eyes away as she struggled to pry herself out of his arms. She'd fallen asleep! That's why she felt so off-kilter! She was dreaming!
A low, gravely chuckle rumbled out of his throat as he continued to smirk at her. "Would you have let him screw you tonight, too?"
….…
Valerie trembled as the cool metal continued to caress her skin and Krueger's left hand glided along her curves. His green eyes shuttered as he slanted his nose to the juncture between her neck and shoulder and inhaled deeply. His whole body quivered as he let out a low groan. Valerie's breaths quickened to the point that she was in danger of hyperventilating.
Too close, too close too close. Don't touch me like that – please, don't touch me like that!
She could feel herself seizing up, becoming immobile with terror as his touches grew more hedonistic and he paid less and less attention to the mirror. He pressed his pelvis closer to her backside and physical indicator of where his thoughts were going made its presence known. Valerie felt her lungs constricting. She was torn between watching Isabelle's predicament and getting out of her own nightmare. Yet, even as fear was clawing its way into her heart, a different sort of red flag was waving in her head.
Why was Freddy focusing more on feeling her up than killing her? She'd obviously done her part to bring him others, albeit unwillingly accomplished. He had no other use for her. He didn't strike her as the type to keep toying with his victims past a certain point. Every time she'd entered the dream world, he'd attacked her, kept the fear of him present with the promise that he would kill her at the first opportunity he'd get after she carried out her task of making others aware of his existence. He got what he wanted, didn't he? So why wasn't she feeling that intention to kill coming off him anymore. She could tell he still meant her harm, but the bloodlust was…diminished since she'd last encountered him. It put her on edge even more than when he'd been chasing her through the powerplant because she didn't know what to expect now.
Krueger's arm wasn't keeping Valerie tightly pinned to his chest anymore. Though his arm remained wrapped across her waist, his left hand had trailed its way down to her right hip, his fingers teasing the hem of her shirt up so that they could skim her bare flesh. It made Valerie want to scream and thrash around, but she forced herself to remain still. Krueger's chin lowered itself into the crook of her neck and she flinched. He tipped his head in the direction of the mirror. "Kind of a rush, isn't it? Watching their fear?" The tip of his nose skimmed along her shoulder in such a mockery of tenderness that it made Valerie's flesh crawl.
There was a shift in the atmosphere. She couldn't detect any changes to their surroundings, they were still in the powerplant, but something had altered close by. Perhaps her hyperawareness of his proximity was what made her notice the difference. The feel of him. His fingers caressing her skin. They felt different. The scorched damage to his skin caused from being burned alive had been lightly scraping her, but she couldn't feel that distinct sensation anymore. His fingers felt smooth.
Lowering her gaze to his hands, she felt her heart skip a beat. The left hand, the one unadorned by knives, was perfectly normal. She could still feel the slight roughness that came from callouses gained through hard work, but not a hint of the horrible, disfiguring burns.
He could tell when she noticed. There was a catch in her breath. Good. He resumed his current appearance just as she craned her neck to look back at him. Lifting his glove, he splayed the knives threateningly near her face and grinned. "Your place or mine?" he asked. The panic and revulsion that came over her face elicited a guttural laugh from him.
…
"Valerie wake me up!" Isabelle screamed.
"Valerie can't help you, Izzy. She's got troubles of her own."
Isabelle bared her teeth in anger at the implied threat and twisted to the side so she could effectively ram her elbow into his throat. He gave a pained choking sound and released her to reach for his neck out of reflex, taking a few stumbling steps back. Without wasting another second, Isabelle jerked the curtain rod off the window and wielded like a quarterstaff weapon. He lashed at her with his glove and she pivoted to the right, ending up behind him, and dealt him a blow at the small of his back which made him take a knee and she quickly hit his at the back of his head. He didn't stay down very long but it gave Isabelle plenty of time to run to the door and discover it locked. She whirled around to see Krueger was already getting to his feet. He looked at the curtain rod then at her with a hint of surprise.
"Stage combat classes, douchebag! All you have to do is throw out the rules of not hitting your opponent and replace it with the sole purpose of smoting your brainpan."
A chuckle of what could have been amusement escaped him. "Theatre kids," he grumbled, splaying his knives and primed for the kill.
Isabelle readied her weapon. "Best be fearin' the drama, bitch."
…..….
"Hmmm," Krueger sounded, watching the scene unfolding before him in the mirror. "Looks like this might need all of my attention after all." He looked down at Valerie. "It'll be quick. Then we can have some fun." He shoved her with such force that she fell and rolled several feet away. When she came to a stop and braced herself to look up, she found him staring at her with an eerie smile. He doffed his fedora at her then turned and walked towards the mirror. He went through effortlessly and the Freddy attacking Isabelle appeared more solid than before.
Valerie jumped to her feet and ran for the mirror, not stopping. She leapt forward and closed her eyes in preparation for the brief resistance that might occur when traveling from one place to another by mirror. The pain of her body colliding with something solid and the distinct sound of glass shattering that accompanied it were a bit of a shock. She collapsed on the ground, the wind knocked out of her, and a bit dazed. She lay there, gasping for air until bit by bit she regained the ability to breath and think properly.
Stiffly she sat up and gaze at the spider-webbed cracks that overtook the whole of the mirror. Little distorted glimpses of Isabelle and Krueger fighting could be made out. Scrambling to her feet, Valerie stepped up to the mirror and placed a hand on its shattered surface. Krueger had gone through. Why couldn't she? She'd been able to alter his creations before, so why was this any different? She adjusted her focus to look past the cracks and concentrated on the two figures within. That was her friend in there fighting for her life! She needed to get to her!
Valerie pressed her palms to the glass, willing it to let her through. It remained unyielding. She banged her fist on it, felt the tiny prick of sliver of glass. "Come on! This is my dream –" She stopped and looked, really looked, at the mirror. This side of the mirror was her dream. Krueger had traveled from her dreams to Isabelle's. No wonder it hadn't worked for her! She was using her powers as if she were manipulating her own dreams, not someone else's! Could she do it though?
Focusing on the fragmented glass before her, Valerie spread her fingers wide on its surface and poured all her concentration onto repairing the mirror. It shuddered beneath her hands then with an almost metallic whine, the cracks began to mend – starting from her hands and working its way out. Once the mirror was whole, Valerie jogged back several feet and glared at Krueger's image on the other side. "Here comes the fun, Freddy." She sprinted forward, not allowing herself a moment to hesitate. She thought of the mirror as a doorway, not one that could take her from one room to the next, but as one that could transport her to a room in another place altogether. She blocked everything else out, focusing only on that thought as she hurdled herself through the mirror and landed feet-first on the other side.
"Krueger!"
His head whipped around so fast that Isabelle was sure it would have snapped the neck of a human being. She turned to look towards the door as well not quite understanding what she was seeing. Valerie stood in the now open doorway, anger radiating from her. How could Valerie be there in her dreams? It wasn't the real Valerie, was it? Was she another one of Krueger's tricks? Judging by the blatant, surprised, fury on his face, she'd say no.
"You can't possibly be that powerful yet," he hissed at Valerie. There was no way a beginner at lucid dreaming could manage traveling from their dreams to another's like he could. The 'Dream Warriors', as they liked to call themselves before their deaths, had only managed to pull it off with guidance and training. Valerie had had none before this! She couldn't possibly be a natural on his skill level!
"Oh, I'm full of surprises. Wanna find out what else I can do?"
Krueger lunged at her and Valerie took off out the door. "Try to wake up, Izzy!" she shouted over her shoulder. He knew she was purposefully leading him away from Isabelle. He wasn't blind. But he was angry enough to follow along and just give himself up to the chase. If Valerie was as powerful as he thought, his plans had just taken a major leap forward. If he could just get her alone to himself long enough. She'd either be a gift or a curse to him. There was no room for it to end up being the latter. He needed her. Good thing she was easy on the eyes.
(Can you guess why Krueger's changed his killing tune towards Valerie? Please leave a review about what you thought of this chapter! I got sooo little input from the last one that I'm not sure if I did something really right (as in people were left speechless with my mastery of the writing craft…kidding, guys, kidding!) or really wrong (as in people were left speechless with my utter mauling of the writing craft). Now I'm not one to nag about reviews, but ya gotta throw me a bone here, guys! What's your take on this? I really hope you'll stick around for more. Take care, Dear Readers. Until next time.)
