(Hello, Dear Readers! I apologize that this chapter is shorter than usual. I wanted to post a longer one, but October is a busy month for me – pandemic or no pandemic – and then Hurricane Zeta resulted in my power being out for a couple of days and my WiFi gone for longer. But I wanted to make sure that you got a Halloween treat. I hope you enjoy it!)

[Songs suggested, used, or mentioned for Chapter 13]

~ "Novacaine" by Fall Out Boy (I would suggest listening immediately after 'What Kind of Man', but depending on how slow or fast a reader you are, I'll just say to listen to it when Valerie says, "Try to wake up, Izzy!")

~ "Supermassive Blackhole" by Muse (listen whenever you want at this point)

~ "Irresistible" by Fall Out Boy & Demi Lovato (or the version without Demi, whichever)

~ "A Man Named Fred Krueger" by Steve Jablonsky

~ "Mr. Sandman" by SYML (Shout out to PrettyRecklessLaura for suggesting this song)

Chapter Thirteen

Honey and Vinegar

"Even if she be not harmed, her heart may fail her in so much and so many horrors; and hereafter she may suffer – both in waking, from her nerves, and in sleep, from her dreams."

~ Bram Stoker, Dracula

Valerie imagined the door at the bottom of the stairs to be a portal from Isabelle's dreams back to her own. It swung open by itself, and Valerie dived through, aware that the wind she felt at her back came from Krueger slashing at her and missing by a hair as he followed at her heels. Instead of the boiler room that she'd come from, the door had opened into the sky high above the college campus. Valerie felt her stomach flip as she realized she was plummeting to the ground. They free fell in the air as she tried to figure out what to do next.

With the wind roaring in her ears, Valerie almost didn't hear the grunt Krueger let out as he maneuvered himself to swerve by her and swiped his knives at her. He knicked her, but just barely. He readied himself to try again but this time Valerie was ready and landed the heel of her shoe in his face. He spiraled away – too far to reach her.

Krueger glanced down and cackled as he held his fedora tightly atop of his head. "Don't forget to stick the landing, doll face!" He was gone just like that. No subtle vanishing act, no puff of smoke, just gone.

The ground was fast approaching. As the air whooshed by her ears at a deafening volume, Valerie thought of the campus pool at the gym. She watched in awe as her dreamworld altered itself so that her trajectory lined up with the glass rooftop of the campus gym. She angled her descent with both legs below her, keeping them straight and close together while crossing her arms over her chest and tucking her head close to her body. Her feet crashed through the glass, and she splashed into the deep end of the pool.

Swiftly kicking her legs, she swam to the surface and sucked in a lungful of air the moment her head breached the water. Her eyes quickly scanned the room for any sign of Krueger and found none. But it wouldn't be that way for long. She swam to the ladder at the side of the pool and pulled herself out.

Looking over her legs, she saw a gash on the back of her calf. It hurt like hell, but Valerie wouldn't allow herself to worry just yet. She was curious. Could she…?

She focused on the cut and within seconds her skin knit itself back together. Valerie's mouth dropped open. She glanced up at the hole in the ceiling, lifted her hand and watched as shards of glass began to shimmer into the air and converge until it was whole again. She felt her clothes rapidly start to dry. A grin worked its way onto her face.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this."

Jogging out of the gym, she looked around her to see the campus completely devoid of any other human beings. She needed to stay ahead of Freddy long enough for Isabelle to wake her up; if she was able to wake herself up first that is. And if Krueger hadn't doubled back to finish Isabelle off. She had to keep his attention fixed on her, completely unaware that she needn't have bothered. She already was his sole focus.

"Hey, Freddy!" she shouted into the night sky. "Did you fail to stick the landing?"

Something buzzed in the air, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Krueger didn't appreciate the jab. Instead of waiting around for him to appear, Valerie made her way to the road that separated the campus gym from the dormitories. She wished there were a quicker way to get back to her dorm, but she was starting to feel too drained to conjure something up.

What was taking Isabelle so long? Or did it only seem that way in a dream?

She tried one last time to make some sort of transport appear before her and nearly jumped out of her skin when the sound of a small engine roared from behind her. Tires screeched to a halt and a rider-less motorcycle idled by her side. She'd never ridden a motorcycle before, but seeing as how she could do things in her dreams that she never could in reality, she wasn't about to say no. She threw a leg over the seat and seized the handle grips. Looking over her shoulder for any sign of Krueger but still finding none, Valerie kicked up the stand, reeved the engine and yelped in surprise when she unintentionally popped a wheelie then zoomed onward.


It's not as easy as you'd think waking up from a dream even though you know you're dreaming. Isabelle was coming to find that out the hard way. After Valerie and Krueger's dramatic exit from the room, Isabelle had stared at the door for nearly an entire minute just trying to wrap her head around it all. Valerie had been right all along! Freddy Krueger was a real monster that hunted people in their dreams. Her face screwed up in revulsion as it suddenly hit her. She'd just been in a freakin' makeout session with that piece of burnt toast!

"Huagh!" Izzy gagged, doubled out as vomit threated to escape her. "Huagh! Oh, that's so wrong! Huagh!"

Get a grip on yourself and figure out how to wake up!

Allowing herself one final moment of disgusted flailing of the hands, Izzy hurried over to a mirror and locked eyes with her reflection. "Okay, Izzy. Time to wake up!" Nothing happened. "Come ooon," Izzy urged. Still nothing. She slapped herself hard enough to feel the sting but there was no change.

Letting out a frustrated groan, Izzy looked about the room for inspiration. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon…" What if she couldn't wake herself up? What if she could only be woken from an outside influence? She'd be screwed! No, she had to find a way.

What usually made her wake up from her dreams? Her alarm clock usually did the trick, but on weekends, when she'd sleep in, what roused her from sleep? Izzy wracked her brain. Unfortunately, she wasn't one of those people who could always remember what she dreamed so once again she drew a blank. Valerie was counting on her – she had to come up with something!

Gripping her makeshift staff in hand, Izzy cautiously approached the door and peered out into the hallway. Empty. But that probably meant jack in the dreamworld when some dream demon dude could appear and disappear anywhere he wanted. Isabelle glared at the empty corridor. That wasn't going to stop her from venturing out; not when her friend was in danger.

Izzy took several quick, psyching breaths then darted into the hall. She had no idea where she was heading but hoped that maybe an idea would present itself to her on how to wake up.


The wind whipped at her long hair; objects flashing by too fast for her to accurately make out. She was moving faster than an ordinary motorcycle would. A flash of red and blue lights caught her eye in the sideview mirror. A police motorcycle? "Can't resist being theatrical, can you, Freddy?" Valerie mumbled and gunned the engine. At least she had his attention.

He was in two places at once, remember. Just because he's chasing you here doesn't mean he's not with Isabelle too.

Worry slithered within her at the thought. But when Izzy had begun to fight back, Krueger had left Valerie to handle Izzy without any distractions.

Then I guess I'll have to be the biggest distraction here.

The police bike began to close the distance despite Valerie's hand never easing up on the accelerator. Only when they were neck and neck did she toss a glare at the driver. "Pull over!" a police-garbed Krueger ordered. He opened his mouth to no-doubt deliver a darkly witty comment, but she beat him.

"I'm sorry, officer; was I speeding?" Valerie shouted with biting sarcasm, then rammed the side of the bike into his.

It caught him by surprise – the anger behind her actions. She was done crying. She was ready to give him hell from now on. A pissed-off lucid dreamer wasn't in his best favor. She rammed his side again and managed to deliver a swift kick to his ribs before pulling out of his reach. Easing off on the gas just enough to fall back, he maneuvered the bike to her other side. She glowered at him, those green eyes sparking.

"Hey, Valerie!" He grinned maliciously and pointed a knived finger up ahead. "Always keep your eyes on the road!"

Head whipping around, Valerie's eyes widened at the sight of six spike belts in her path. Not just any spike belts. These were monstrous in size, the moonlight reflecting off their blades with a wicked glint. She reduced speed but her momentum carried her on. The blades sliced into the tires. The bike bucked and lurched beneath her and suddenly Valerie was thrown off.

It happened so quickly she didn't have time to think about slowing her fall as she sailed towards the deadly spikes, but by instinct she crossed her arms over her head in an effort to protect herself. Some sort of metallic plates sprouted from her arms and began to cover her body like a shell. The moment her body made impact with the road, it suddenly crumbled and dissipated, too weak to sustain itself for much longer. But it had taken most of the impact and for that Valerie was grateful. She rolled to a stop at the side of the road, where the grass turned into a steep ditch with a water tunnel at the very bottom.

Still a bit dazed, Valerie attempted to get to her feet, but swayed so far to her right that she unbalanced herself and went rolling down to the bottom of the ditch.

Krueger, police uniform now gone, parked his motorcycle at the spot Valerie had crash landed and laughed at her prone form. "Feisty bitch," he admitted under his breath. Movement. Krueger's green eyes narrowed as he dismounted the bike and moved closer to the edge to get a better look. She was slowly sitting up, her movements stiff, like she ached all over, and took a moment to get her bearings.

When she shakily rose onto unsteady legs and turned round to look at the road – their gazes locked…and she promptly flipped him off. Oh yeah, she was feisty. Whether that trait would be beneficial to him later or not would be decided when the time came.

Valerie briefly considered the water tunnel entrance looming before her and jogged towards it. Out in the open, with no place to hide; she'd have no chance to recover her senses. But if she could hide for a few minutes, at least Krueger would have to track her down first. Once she reached the entrance, Valerie chanced a backward glance. Krueger was descending the hill with inhuman agility.

She quickened her pace but felt her stamina depleting at a rapid rate. She'd used her newfound ability too much too soon without training herself. She was tiring herself out.

Izzy, please hurry.


Izzy stared apprehensively at the clouds of steam below from where she stood, tightly gripping the catwalk railing. She'd never meant to go to Krueger's power plant or whatever this place was. One moment she was descending the stairs of her dormitory building and then the next set of stairs were suddenly made of metal and the air was sweltering. She didn't waste her time trying to figure out the logic of it. She was here now – deal with it.

What she was contemplating was whether jumping over the rails would startle her awake. She may not have been able to recall her dreams with clarity, but she could remember nights when she'd jolt out of a deep sleep because she'd suddenly experienced the sensation of falling. But those had been her own dreams. She was in Krueger's playground now and there was no telling if the idea would actually end up killing her or work.

Izzy wanted to scream. What the heck couldn't she figure this out?! She didn't have Valerie's crazy dream powers! All she could do was tell when she was dreaming…or she used to. Krueger had thrown all that out the window.

She'd felt the pain when she'd slapped herself. She'd tasted the – haugh! – the smoke when she'd kissed Kevin – and if she wanted to retain her sanity and not dissolve into a grossed out, puking, flailing mess again she would force herself to believe she'd been kissing Kevin!

Stealing herself, Izzy set aside the curtain rod and climbed onto the railing. She wobbled a little at first but managed to gain her balance as she gazed down at the billowing clouds of steam. "Okay." She took a deep breath. "One…two –,"

"Freddy's coming for you," Krueger's voice echoed to her right. Izzy flinched and nearly toppled over the rail but thrust her weight back and fell onto the catwalk. She snatched up her staff and scrambled to her feet. "Three, four; better lock your door…"

Izzy ran in the opposite direction of Krueger's voice and hid behind a large pipe. What was she going to do now! She'd wasted the time Valerie had given her!

"Izzzzyyyy…"

Isabelle froze. That was Marv's voice…

"Izzy, babe, where'd you go?"

She pressed her back against the pipe and shook her head. It wasn't Marv. It wasn't Marv calling her, it was Krueger.

"Izzy? Babe, I'm sorry I was such a slug."

Isabelle's eyes blurred with tears and she covered her mouth. It's. Not. Marv.

"But now that I'm gone, you're free to move on to someone else, right?"

Guilt stabbed at her. Metallic footfalls moved achingly slow in Izzy's direction.

"You sure had no issues with kissing someone else when I'm not even in my grave."

Izzy's bottom lip quivered. Marv had been a terrible boyfriend, and she had ended things with him before he died, but it still hurt.

"You little slut!"

A slime-covered hand suddenly whipped around the pipe and slammed its fist against the metal mere inches from Izzy's head. She cried out and stumbled back, only to trip and fall on her back. Her eyes widened. Marv loamed above her, his body dripping with green, translucent slime and blood seeping from a gash encircling his neck. His eyes were a glowing green – no irises, just green – and slime dripped from his mouth as he smiled cruelly at her.

Izzy let out a horrified scream as he reached for her – and then she woke up.


The water had long since soaked through her shoes and socks, adding weight to her feet. The sound of water sloshing behind her alerted Valerie that Krueger had entered the tunnel. She tried to push herself, to unlock some hidden reserve of energy; but there was none left.

A growl from behind, then a heavy weight collided with her back, dragging her down and making Valerie crash into the ankle-deep water. "You really like playing 'hard to get', don't you, Valerie?" Krueger grunted as he flipped her onto her back and straddled her stomach. "Well, I got you all to myself now, doll face."

"Screw you!"

"Sounds fun." He grabbed a fist-full of her shirt and pulled her close enough that the tips of their noses touched. Valerie recoiled at even such a small contact. "Change in plans, Val. I got another job for you and this time – we'll have to work together."

Valerie stilled at his words. "…What?"

"Those powers of yours could be beneficial to the both of us."

Valerie renewed her struggles to be free. "Screw that!"

"Don't tempt me!" He gave her a rough shake to emphasize his words. She met his eyes – full of suspicion, anger, and – no, he wasn't imagining it – curiosity. "…You could be immortal, kid."

Valerie's face screwed up in distaste. "What like you?" she asked, "Phft! I'll pass."

Krueger shook a knived finger close to her face. "Don't be so hasty, Val. You've got some untapped potential in you. Ain't seen a lucid dreamer catch on as quickly as you." A wicked grin worked its way onto his face. "These powers, kid, they're not just limited to the Dreamscape. If you gain enough power, you can affect reality." Something in Valerie's eyes shifted at his words. He had her attention. "I used to be powerful enough I could step out of dreams and into the waking world without effort."

When he nearly whipped out the entire town… That had been a foolish move on his part. After a decade of sparse kills, he'd felt his powers waning. Traveling between dreams and reality began to have some difficulty. He had to resort to sending a teenager – whom he'd tormented to the point that his mind was all but gone, memory in fragments – out of Springwood in order to bring more souls to town. It worked, but complications arose… Katherine.

Another attempt to involve a 'partner' had ended disastrously with that hockey-masked freak. No sense, no self-restraint. Sure, Jason had succeeded in bringing up memories of Krueger to the older generation's minds, but Freddy's return had been short-lived. But Krueger knew he couldn't keep going on his own. Having to start all over again and again and again, regaining his strength, biding his time – the insanity of it all! And if Hypnocil was in the mix, he needed someone who would be willing to not take it, to let him in through their dreams, to provide a door that would allow him to keep coming back and never truly go away.

"Wouldn't you like to keep your abilities, Val? To be able to use them all the time and not just when you're asleep?" He brought his burnt lips to her ear. "I could show you how to do it."

Out of the corner of her eyes, Valerie could have sworn she caught a glimpse of pale red hair. When she twitched her head to focus on it, whatever had been there was gone. Krueger pulled back with a sly smirk, as if he knew he'd prevented her from seeing something.

"Think of what you could do…" His ungloved hand slid down her body. "What we could both do…All that power…"

Valerie's already fragile calm shattered to bits when she felt his fingers dip beneath the waistband of her jeans. "SOMEBODY WAKE ME UP!"

As if someone had heard her, Valerie's body vanished from beneath Krueger. "…No," he murmured. His eyes darted about the place on the chance that perhaps Valerie had reappeared somewhere else. He used his senses to search for her presence…she wasn't in the dream world anymore. "No!" Krueger shouted, jumping to his feet.

The overwhelming urge to tear something living apart with his bare hands was left unsatisfied as there was nothing else in the Dreamscape except him. He raged at the ceiling, sliced the air with his blades, kicked up sprays of water with his boots, all the while screaming his fury.

Valerie was far more powerful than he could have possibly anticipated. Each time she visited the Dreamscape, her abilities increased. If he didn't bring her to his side soon, she'd use those powers against him and quite possibly find a way to banish him forever.

What was it his whore of a mother used to say? Something about flies and honey…

"You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar," a woman's voice helpfully supplied. Krueger stiffened and clenched his teeth. Turning around, he leveled a hateful glare at the elderly woman standing calmly in the tunnel with him. The bottom material of her white nun's dress was wet from the water, but she didn't appear to mind. "I'm afraid that won't work," Sister Mary Helena – Amanda Krueger – informed her son.

Krueger bared his crooked teeth at her and stormed past. "It's worked before, slut!" he growled over his shoulder.

"You're referring to your late wife Loretta? She had no idea of the darkness within you. This young woman does. You can't fool Valerie, Frederick. She knows you for the monster you are."

"Gee, mom, I love our talks," Krueger said with obvious sarcasm, his knived fingers itching to strike as he kept walking.

Once he had feared his mother because she'd held a power that could keep him at bay. But after she'd managed to restrain him, he continuously fought with all his strength to free himself and eventually won. The struggle had left Amanda exhausted and too weak to go up against him again and now, a mere whisper of her presence remained in his dreamworld. She was no threat to him but presented a powerful annoyance. With no way to draw any energy to sustain her spirit, Amanda had slowly withered until she could only muster brief, sporadic appearances. Soon, she'd evaporate into nothing and move on to whatever stupid afterlife crap she believed in.

"Frederick," Amanda called, her voice wavering. "You once loved Loretta and Katherine and look what you did to them! It's insanity to think you can keep the same thing from repeating itself –!"

In the blink of an eye, Krueger's knives pierced Amanda's chest, straight through the heart, as he glowered at her. "I never asked for any motherly advice. You gave me up. So, stop butting in and just DIE ALREADY!" He pushed his glove all the way through, his hand clenching around Amanda's heart. Her mouth fell open with a gurgled gasp. With a snarl, he pulled out her heart and squeezed it before her eyes. It burst and splattered blood all over Amanda's pristine white nun's habit.

Freddy's lips pulled back into a cruel, sadistic smile. "Thanks for the heart to heart, Mom." Amanda's form slowly dissipated before him, yet it seemed that the look of anguish on her face lingered the longest. Krueger ignited the crushed remains of his mother's heart and blew the ashes out of his palm and watched them settle on the water.

It didn't matter if what Amanda said made sense. He'd find a way. He had to. He couldn't go on like this. It was time to come up with a different strategy and Valerie was the key to it all.

(Happy Halloween!)