A Nightmare on Elm Street: Harvest of Souls

Chapter Three: Revelations

By: Fernando Rangel



Spike walked into Chris's room.

Eric sat in a chair, looking out the window.

"She had a freak out in psyche class," he said slowly and walked over to the bed. Eric slowly turned his head, "Where is she?"

"She wanted to change clothes. What about John and Jen?" Eric stood up, walked over to Chris's dresser, and looked at the photos, "The same," he said.

Spike stood up, walked over to him, and said, "We'll be OK, what if it's just a nightmare."

"I have to know."

"That you're not crazy," he finished.

Eric blushed and said, "I hate that you know me so well."

Spike smiled at him and said, "We'll be fine. I promise. Even if this is real, I'd never let him take you."

"Sappy much," he turned to Spike and then said, "but sweet."

Spike smiled and kissed him.

* * * * *

Chris walked up the stairs with cokes in his hands.

What were they doing here?

In his house, with people he didn't know, except for Spike, and Karen who was coming later.

What was it with this town?

He officially hated this place. Not to mention his skin was always crawling in this fucking house. How was a guy supposed to call a place home, when the whole time he's getting the Wiggins?

He climbed the stairs and slowly walked into the room calling, "OK guys, I got cokes for us." he was cut off at the site of Eric and Spike kissing in front of his dresser.

"Oh God," he said and turned around and continued, "sorry, I should," he took a breath, "go." He started walking out.

* * * * *

Spike and Eric pulled apart and jerked back into the wall. Shit, Eric thought. They watched as Chris's surprised face turned around, his back to them. "Oh fuck," Eric said.

*Sorry Eric, * Spike thought and watched as Chris started out and called after him, "Chris! Wait!" Chris took a step back and cautiously turned around. "W-what just happened here? I thought you hated him."

Spike put a hand over his forehead and sighed.

"No, not hate him," he walked over to the still scared Eric and cupped his hand, "love him."

Chris looked away slightly, and Spike said, "Does this bother you," he said letting go of Eric. Chris saw this and got alarmed, "Oh, no! Don't.I'm not all 'ew', but."

"But?" Eric finally said.

"What about Karen?"

Eric looked down and Spike looked away.

"She doesn't know," Chris said, confirmed by the silence. "I'm not disgusted, or anything like that, so don't worry. But I am disappointed in you Spike."

Spike's head jerked up and exclaimed, "What?!"

"Yeah," he smiled at him, "you should have told me. You're my cousin, were you afraid how I'd react?"

"Kind of, and cause." he looked at Eric and back at Chris. Chris nodded his head and mouthed an "oh." He walked over to Spike and said, "And you choose now to listen to him? We all know you don't do what you're told." He smiled and said, "We're family, and family sticks together. I don't care that you're gay, I wouldn't care if you were a seven foot ogre, covered in slime, you're my cousin, and at the risk of sounding corny, I love you."

Spike chuckled a bit and said, "Thanks."

Chris turned to Eric and said, "Look kid, Spike likes you; so I guess I could give you the benefit of the doubt, so friends?" He held out his hand for Eric.

Eric waited for a long while and took it, "Friends." He smiled at Chris, who added, "Don't worry you guys. Your secret is safe with me."

Eric let out a sigh of relief.

Chris walked back and to get the cokes and handed them each one, "But right now, you guys have to stay away. The others will be coming soon, and Eric doesn't want them to know right?"

Eric nodded.

"OK, no smoochies until later."

* * * * *

"What the hell are we doing here?" John said a bit anxious. He wasn't too thrilled with the fact with the schools' new crazy psycho kid was there. And the fact that they were in his house, where he could kill them all in a blood bath that would tear the town apart, and no one would get the rights to his movie if he died, it'd be about the new psycho kid Chris.

He sighed to himself; he had trust issues, and probably crazy too.

Eric looked at him and said, "To talk."

"And what, the Mall wasn't good enough?" He said and straightened his back, and then a burst of pain filled his abdomen. "You Ok?" Karen asked.

"Yes, thanks for asking," he said looking at the others. Spike rolled his eyes.

"Look, how have you guys been sleeping," Eric blurted out.

"Like a fucking rock, what's it to you?" John said on the defense.

"John come on, we're friends here," Eric said to try to calm him down.

"Friends? Since when did Twiddle Dumb and Dee become our friends?" John exclaimed angrily looking at Spike and Chris.

Chris sighed and stood up, John took a step back, and Chris looked away. "Eric, maybe this is a bad idea. I don't even know what it's about, but it seems your friend here doesn't like me, so you guys should do this."

John winced.

Damn it when did you become ice hearted?

"Look sorry. It's just, my abs are killing me."

"Did you put something on it?"

"This morning."

"Did you not learn anything in health? Come on, I'll put something on it," Chris said going into the kitchen. John followed behind and Chris threw back, "You guys start without us, we'll be right back."

* * * * *

Eric turned back to the others, who were waiting for an explanation as to why they were here.

He smiled and said, "I think we should wait for them," and watched as Jen and Karen rolled their eyes.

* * * * *

Chris walked over to the right hand cabinet and searched through the items, and finally he brought out a blue tin first aid kit. He turned around and placed it onto the counter and said, "OK, pick up your shirt a bit."

He opened the box, and pulled out some hydrogen peroxide. He grabbed a cotton ball and dipped it in the ointment.

He turned around, and waited while John took off the bandage slowly; making a face each time, he pulled the bandage slightly, as the tape pulled at his skin. Once the bandage was off, Chris saw the large gash, and slightly gasped. His lips parted a bit and said, "That's a pretty big cut." He watched as John chuckled a bit, and winced as his wound bled a bit more.

Chris grabbed a towel and stopped the blood from falling on the floor, and dabbed John's abs.

He turned back, and grabbed the cotton ball and looked at it. *It'll have to do, * he thought and began to dab the area, and watched as the white foam began to show after he dabbed the cotton ball.

"See, don't clean it for a while and in comes the infection." He grinned, when he was little he remember he wanted to be a doctor. Those were happy times with.Ben.

The glint in his eye dimmed a bit, and then he came out of it.

He grabbed the ointment and again put some on the wound. "You guys really don't like me, huh?"

He looked up as he spread the cold sticky goop of medicine, carefully making sure he didn't hurt John.

"Look, I said I didn't mean it. My abs remember?"

Chris looked up at him and gave him a half smile, "I know when I'm being lied to, or when someone doesn't mean something," his brows shifted up, "you did."

John looked away and defeatedly said, "Yeah, I really did. It's nothing personal."

"Oh yeah, me not being liked, yeah, that's not personal."

"That's not what I meant. Look, I don't much like change. In fact, I hate to think about graduation. It's two years away and getting closer day by day. As it is, things are changing as we speak.

"I don't like that feeling.

"Like I'm not going to make it.

"I like things the way they are, and sometimes I just wish time could stop, y'know? Maybe it's cause I'm safer here with my friends, with my family, and I won't be alone.

"I'm not good with being alone, which amazes me because I've been alone forever. But, when I'm with my friends.I feel, I don't know, less alone?

"Does that make sense? I know it's a bunch of babble, and I tend to do that a lot. And I'm shutting up now."

Chris let out a big laugh, he dropped onto one knee, and laughed some more. John watched and said, "Something funny?"

"I-I'm," breath, "sorry," breath, "it's just," breath, "I haven't heard," breath, "someone talk like that in a long while."

He stood up, finally able to compose himself.

"I know what you mean. I don't like changing things either. I mean, this is new for me. Sort of, but anyway, I know what you mean is my point."

John smiled, "I'm glad, I thought I was the only one." Chris grabbed a piece of bandage and taped him up. While he was doing so he said, "And I get the loneliness part too."

He looked up and said, "Finished."

He closed the box and walked out of the kitchen.

* * * * *

Eric watched as Chris sat down next to Karen, and watched as Karen smiled a big grin, and watched as she eyed Chris over, and almost giggled. Finally, she had met a guy that could give her that something he couldn't give her.

Something that made her burn inside.

The way he felt about Spike.

He had a sudden urge to hold Spike's hand.

"Ok," he said, "let's get started. Ok, I know you guys aren't going to believe me but I have to say this. And I think we're in a lot of danger."

"From what?" Jen asked.

Eric looked at them very seriously.

He swallowed a bit and thought, It's now or die. "From Freddy."

He watched as the others looked at him with wide eyes, except for Spike.

* * * * *

Marsha Collins sat in her desk in her classroom at Springwood Elementary. She looked at the mountain of papers that needed to be graded, and she grinned.

So, she was a square.

So what?

She liked grading papers.

She liked kids. It was only natural that she became a teacher. She chuckled to herself and wondered what Chris was doing. She looked back at the stack of papers when Rachel, the secretary paged her to the office. She got up, and looked back at the huge pile of un-graded papers and thought, They're never going to get done. She walked over to the office and Rachel gave her the phone. "Hello," she said.

"Hello, Mrs. Collins?"

"Yes?"

"Have you talked to your son lately?"

"Yes."

"So then he told you what happened in his biology class."

"No, did he do something wrong?"

"Oh, no it's nothing like that. He's been a good student. I've heard only wonderful things. However, this distresses me. Is your son a cutter?"

"Excuse me?"

"A child who cuts himself. It's nothing to be embarrassed about Mrs. Collins, there are many cases in which."

"No, my son is not a cutter." She sunk down as the office attendants looked at her. She turned her back on them and said, "What is this about?"

"Well, I didn't mean to upset you, it's just.well, he was in his biology class as I said, and he well, fell asleep."

"I'm sorry, but what does that have to do with my son being a cutter? Not that he is, cause he's not." She whispered.

"You didn't let me finish. As the biology teacher attempted to wake him up, he started to scream and shout and woke up.

"His arm had been terribly cut.

"There was no way he could have gotten cut it in class. I don't know how he could of hurt himself." The voice chuckled a bit and said, "It sort of reminds me of the old town legend about teenagers who claimed that the boogie man was killing them in their sleep. I know it's nothing to find amusing, I'm sorry. I'm sorry again. I was just worried. And I wanted to let you know, in case he needs psychiatric help."

"T-thank you." She said a bit alarmed. "Thank you, Mister.uh, I'm sorry what was your name?"

"Oh, my students, and their parents are free to call me Freddy."

"Well, thank you Freddy."

Marsha hung up the phone and rushed to her office.

* * * * *

Jen and Karen ripped into roaring laughter. "Freddy?" They couldn't believe their ears. "Freddy!" They shouted again. "What the hell?" Jen asked. "You expect us to believe that? C'mon sweetie, give us some credit, we are smarter than we look." Karen said.

"Yeah!" Jen said and sunk back into her seat at the couch next to John, and snuggled up to him a bit. Lucky for her he didn't notice her slight snuggling.

John and Chris had been silent, both thinking opposite things.

John thought long and hard.

The man had fucked him up.

He was scared shitless.

What else could there be?

The fucker was real and this time, he was after them.

But why?

Was there something about them that screamed 'kill worthy?' He sighed and said, "I believe him."

It was the only way to explain things.

Chris looked at them all.

Who was this guy that brought laughter to the girls? And what was there to believe?

Who was this person named Freddy. He waited a beat and said, "Who's Freddy?"

They all turned and looked at him. "Are you serious?" John asked shocked.

"Yeah, you've never heard of Fred Krueger? Mr. Oogity Boogity Man? Mr. Night Stalker?" Jen asked with a grin on her face.

Karen looked at her and laughed.

Eric and John watched as they teased him and John, because they didn't believe it. Of course, nothing had happened to them yet. Emphasis on YET.

"Guys, come on. He's new." Eric said. He looked at the others who nodded and Karen turned to him. "Fred was this skanky old timer back in the like Stone Age."

"The stone age?"

"Yeah, like the seventies, and eighties, and early nineties."

"Oh," he said.

"Anyway, he was like this gross old skanky child killer. He would take them back to his icky boiler room, and cut them up." Jen said.

Karen nodded, "Yeah. And then this skank-of-a-bitch, started saying he was back in their Nightmares, after the Elm Street kids, cause the parents had torched the fucker. So for like ten years or so, these kids started dying off and blaming the fucker. The town lost half the population, and went all psycho. They like wouldn't think. They'd gone crazy. All talking to themselves and shit."

"Yeah," Jen said. " It was Rain Man with out the brother, or the actual talking to others, and being good at math, or witty charm."

"So how is that like the Rain Man?" Chris said to Jen.

Jen scowled at him and said, "Shut up. That's totally not the point dumb ass, the point is: this is town legend. Stuff of pretend. Nothing is true. I mean the fucker died forty fucking years ago right? Or something like that? I mean, come on Eric you're talking crazy." She turned to Eric and he stared back at her, and said, "What did he look like?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"Well, what if I said I could tell you what he wore. Would you believe me then?"

"Yeah, right. I'd believe you then." Jen said rolling her eyes.

Eric looked at them. He let out a breath and waited until they all focused on him. "He wears a dirty green and red sweater," he said slowly, "and a dirty brown hat. He's horribly burned," Karen, John, Jen, Chris, and even Spike looked at him in horror.

Karen hugged herself a bit and he continued, "And he has these knives. On a glove. On each finger. They make this horrible screeching noise, like nails on a chalkboard."

They all stared at him with terror in their eyes. "W-where did you hear about this? D-did someone tell you what was going on in my nightmares?" Chris said shakily.

"No," Eric said. They turned to him and they said, "You too," in unison. They looked at each other.

It was real.

Not just some story that old folks ranted about.

Not something to play pretend with when you're little.

This was real life.

And they were in real danger.

And they had do idea what to do.

* * * * *

Chris sat there alone and shocked.

Was this real?

Could he really be dead the next time he fell asleep? He watched as Eric and Karen talked, he couldn't hear them, everything was going in slow motion. Suddenly it dawned on him. "What the fuck!" They whipped around and looked at him.

"I know what this is about. None of this is real. You're just so fucked up that you've created a new inventive way to get the new kid."

Eric looked at him and said, "What?"

He looked at the group and said, "'Make Fun of The New Kid Club' huh?" He shook his head, "That's fucked up Karen. I trusted you, and you go and tell your little boyfriend? God, and to think I started to like you."

He turned to Spike and said, "And you? We're family! And you do this to me? What's up with that? God, you are such an asshole Spike!"

They all looked back at him with wide eyes. Finally, he took off upstairs and yelled, "Get out of my house! Now! And that means you too Spike!"

* * * * *

John stood up and said, "Boy, we've done some pretty messed up things, this club of ours. I guess once you've done things like that before, it's hard to believe us huh?"

"What? That made no sense what so ever." Spike said harshly.

"What I meant was, if I were him, I wouldn't believe us too."

They stood around and waited for a few minutes. Finally, Eric said, "Let's leave him alone. I think that's what he needs." Spike watched as Jen and John started off, and watched as Karen walked over to Eric, and wrapped her arm around him.

Spike's stomach clenched.

"You guys go." She said.

Spike did a double take, had she actually said for them to go. Or was that his hopeful ear, "What?"

"Well, since you and Eric are best buds now, go spend time together. I'll check on Chris, seeing as how he blames me for this. And for what it's worth Eric, I believe you. I'm sure we all do, even Chris. He's just afraid. I'll see if I can talk to him."

"No, I don't know I think you'd be the last person he'd want to see right now," Spike said, trying not to look too eager to be alone with Eric, "I mean we're family."

Karen looked at him sincerely, "He thinks you betrayed him too. And it's worse when you're betrayed by family." Spike nodded slowly and said, "Fine. Just make sure he's OK."

She gave him a warm smile and said, "Of course."

She watched as they headed out the door, and thought, *I just hope it was a dream.*

* * * * *

Chris flopped on his bed. So much for making friends. They played him like a fool.

He hated it here.

And Karen!

Oh, how he hated her right now. He just wanted to.leave. Go away.

He could kill Karen. He'd actually confided in her. And God, she seemed to have liked him.

Why the hell did this always, happen to him.

He hated it. He always fell for the wrong girl. And he knew deep down, that despite his anger, he couldn't hate Karen.

He liked her too much.

It was pathetic really.

And he was a bit ashamed. The first time he let down his guard, and the wall that he built, for a girl, and only to be played like a dumb kid.

He turned on the radio and listened to the song. God damn it. It was a depressing song. Figures, he thought. He lay there and listened to the words as he let his thoughts wander on. It was the perfect song to describe this moment.

What was he going to do now? Was he just going to walk into to school friendless?

No family either.

Spike.

How could he? God, and to think I was there for him. He turned back and heard a rap on the door. "Go away," he said. The person walked in anyway.

"Chris we need to talk."

Chris turned around and said, "About what? Oh I know, how about how you're a crazy, maniacal, snotty, pretentious, back stabbing, cold hearted, cynical."

"Coming off with a lot of adjectives much?"

"Bitch," he finished harshly. She looked away and said, "I didn't tell him anything. I swear."

"Why don't I believe you?"

"Because you have trust issues?"

He thought for a moment and then said, "That's besides the point."

"Because you're afraid."

He was silent.

"Because you think that they're going to think you're crazy, and they're going to send you back there." She walked over to him, as he slumped into his chair.

"How do you know me so well?"

"I don't know. I just.I just can read people sometimes. It's like a sixth sense. Sometimes I'm dead wrong, that's most of the time, but.you, it's as if we were together in another life or something. Destiny." She chuckled. "Do you believe in destiny?"

"Um.yeah I guess. I believe some things are supposed to happen, and when they do it's for a reason."

"Yeah, me too." She looked out the window. He saw how the sun reflected off her brown hair, showing glints of red, and he saw how the soft rays of sunlight beamed on her skin, and watched as she moved a few strands of hair behind her ear.

She was.perfect.

If he hadn't forgiven her already, he did now.

What was it about her that made him weak?

He stood up and said, "Thanks for coming." She smiled at him, "Of course," she said. She looked behind him at the radio when a song came on. "Oh, I love this song."

"'I'll Remember You?' Are you for real?"

"I know it's an oldie, but it's really sweet."

"No, I mean I love this song too. It's one of my favorites."

She smiled at him. Suddenly he was filled with a sudden urge to grab her. "I don't want to seem weird," he said, "but would you like to dance? Every time I hear it I just feel like dancing with a beautiful girl."

She blushed, and said, "Me?"

"No, the one behind you. Of course you." She walked over to him, and he put his hands on her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and looked him in the eyes. "You are so strange. I've never met anyone like you before. You're not like other boys," she said.

He smiled at her as they danced and waited for a beat and said, "Yes I am." He searched her eyes, and slowly, he moved in for a kiss. She didn't put up a fight to stop him. Suddenly there was a door slam, and someone yelled, "Chris," from downstairs, right before their lips touched.

He desperately wanted to kiss her, but if this wasn't fate telling them something, then it was just a case of God fucking with them.

He pulled away, and took a step back and said, "You better go. My mom will blow a gasket."

"Yeah, I-I should." She slowly picked up her purse, and headed downstairs, passing Marsha, who rushed upstairs.

"Chris what the hell is going on?"

* * * * *

Karen slowly walked outside and crossed the street to her home.

What had just happened? Sure, she liked the guy, but that wasn't supposed to happen.

She was with Eric. She shouldn't have let him.almost kiss her. She should have put up a fight or at least pulled away before the crashing doorbell of fate rang. She thanked God that Mrs. Collins came home when she did.

She leaned against the beam and put her hand on her forehead.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

She and Eric were supposed to be high school sweethearts.

They were supposed to be Homecoming King and Queen every year. Prom King and Queen Junior and Senior year. They were supposed to go to college and still be together. They were supposed to be in love. Why wasn't she? Why did being with Chris feel so.right?

* * * * *

"Well?" Chris's mother said impatiently.

"Well, me and a few of my friends came to have a meeting thing.and we got in a fight, and well.we weren't doing anything!" He said.

"What? Oh, no not that!" She grabbed his arm, and rolled up his sleeve, "This!" Chris pulled away fast and rolled his sleeve down.

"I don't know. I got cut."

"Where?" She said.

"I-in class."

"How?"

"I don't know. I was asleep, and then when I woke up, boom cuts."

"You haven't been taking the hypnosil."

"Yes I have."

"Then why the hell have you been having nightmares in class?"

"How did you."

"A teacher of yours called me. Told me you had a blow out in class. They thought you were a cutter."

"Why would they think that?"

"You have four fucking cuts on your forearm, where the hell do you think they'd get that?"

"I am not."

"I know.but, you have to take the medicine. You know that when you dream, something awful happens to you. The last time."

"Don't go there. I've been trying real hard to be Mr. Happy Sunshine, but I can't take it. Something's going on with this town, and I have no idea what the hell it is." His mother looked away.

"Mom, is there something you're not telling me?" She was silent. "Mom?" Again, she was silent. Finally, he violently said, "MOM! Tell me what the FUCK is going on!"

"Don't you dare take that tone of voice with me young man, I'm you mother."

"Then tell me what's up."

She said, "Fine. Let me go change, and meet me downstairs. I wish it never had to come to this. But he has to know. She slowly walked outside the room leaving Chris confused.

* * * * *

Spike and Eric walked into Eric's home. "He was really pissed." Spike said as he flopped onto the couch.

"Why?"

"Oh come on, you know the rep you and your little Scooby Gang have. Torment the new kid, and then humiliate him. How the hell do you think he'd react to this? A cheap shot at him. He's not had an easy life like you have."

"Easy life?"

"You know what I meant." Eric sighed, "Yeah I guess you're right. What did happen to him to make him freak like that."

"His brother died. And someone tried to kill him," Spike said softly.

"What?"

"It's a long story."

"We got all the time in the world." Spike looked at him softly and said, "Fine. But if he knew I was telling you this, he'd kill me. Not to mention not trust me even more."

"I won't tell."

"Good."

* * * * *

"What the hell was his problem?" Jen shouted as she landed firmly on John's bed, as John sat on his desk chair. "How should I know? We have done some messed up shit. Like the guy with the clothes hanger. And the kid we said was prime meat for retention because the principal didn't like him."

"But, this time we didn't do anything."

"The boy who cried wolf."

"What?"

"We've done crap like this, and joke about it, not taking it seriously. And finally when we do, all that other shit bites us in the ass and no one believes us."

"Oh, well quit with the fucking allusion or whatever the hell that was."

"Whatever."

"God could he be more pretentious."

"No, he was actually kind of.sweet."

"Sweet?"

"Nice is what I meant. He really cares about people."

"Oh, well.that's great I guess," she said a bit wearily. *God, if he turns gay I'll kill myself. *

"Well, what do we do? Do you believe Eric?" John said looking at Jen on the bed.

"Don't fall asleep I guess. I mean how hard is it right? Just take coffee, or some fucking coke, and those caffeine pills 'Stay Awake,' or whatever."

"Yeah, I guess." He said a bit distractingly.

* * * * *

Chris sat in his dark and dank living room waiting for his mother to tell him whatever secrets she was keeping from him. He thought everything there was to know about his family. Just goes to show how little you know about people. Even family. He sighed and looked at the clock. It was late. His eyes began to droop, and become heavier, leaving it almost impossible for him to stay awake.

He stood up, and grabbed a coke from the refrigerator, and went to the pantry and pulled out a vile of medicine. He looked closely at the tiny bottle, that was labeled, "Hypnosil," and wondered why it stopped working. But to make his mother feel better, he took the medicine.

It had been a long day. And with all this going on with Eric and the others,.he didn't know what to do, or who to believe, or even what to believe. His mind was full of thoughts on everything, it was hard to think clearly.

He slowly walked back into the living room, where his mother was already waiting. He climbed into the couch next to her, and sighed. "So what's this secret."

"It's not so much a secret, but.why we're here."

"Cause dad got offered a job here."

She nodded her head and said, "This is going to be hard to explain."

He chuckled a bit and said, "Mom, just tell me."

"What do you know about this town?"

"Um.it's in Ohio. A hell of a long way from Los Angeles. Um.one thing I keep hearing about is this Freddy Krueger fuck, who cut up little kids back in the day, and some whacked out teenagers on crack said he came back to kill them in their dreams because their parents torched the fucker in his boiler room. What a lovely town you and dad chose to come live in."

She looked at him, "What else."

"Well.for a long while this place wasn't really a town after that. Some sort of psychos everywhere. No one was making sense, and then they were put in a home or something, right? And they started building the town again right?"

"Pretty much," she said direly.

"Mom, what's with the dire. Who died."

"N-no one. What else do you know about this Krueger person?"

"Well, just that he was a child murderer, and torched like I said."

"He had a daughter."

"Wow, fucked up kid. I'd hate to be his kid." He chuckled a little more.

"He's your great-great-grandfather."

Chris had to do a double take. He looked at his mother, and squinted hard. "My what?"

"When Krueger was torched, as you said, in the boiler room, they took away his daughter, and put her in an orphanage because he had murdered the mother. She was adopted, and moved out of this town. She got married, and had a son, and he had a daughter, who had two sons."

She had said it so coolly, so calm and collected. Who was she? Was this really his mother? Why had she said it so nonchalant? She knew about this place the whole time, and she didn't tell him? Warn him? "What the hell mom! Why didn't you tell me! Why did we come back here? Just so you could tell me that I'm the fucking offspring of a son of a hundred maniacs?"

"Where did you hear that?"

Where did I hear that? He didn't know. He honestly didn't. It just came to him. A little voice told him so. That scared him. A lot. "I don't know. I just sort of.knew."

"Sweetie I wanted to tell you, but that was a long time ago. And if you knew I thought that it'd just make things harder on you."

"Why cause I'd find out that lunatics run in the family? Gee, mom I'd find out eventually. I can't believe you and dad."

"Why did we come here then?"

"Your father wasn't given this position just recently."

"W-what?"

"When you were little, we got a call from the mayor. He wanted to revamp the town. He heard that your father was talented, and was in need of extra work. So he accepted."

"So he."

"Over saw, and built the plans for most of this new town. This town is your father's life work."

"I don't believe this. I can't."

"Honey, I know."

"Don't honey me. You knew about the nightmares didn't you? That this town was known for odd nightmares, with strange happenings. Like the stuff that happened back home to me. And you stuck me in that place? Where they told me I was crazy cause, I kept almost getting killed by some fuck in my dreams? He's real mom. Real. Granpappy is awful mad, and hungry. And it looks like me and my friends are the main course. I don't fucking believe you! You fucking killed me! I-I.hate you." He exclaimed seething with anger.

"Chris.please, I know I should have told you, but me and your fa-"

"No," he stood up and grabbed his jacket, "from now on I have no father. Or mother. I'm Chris. I live in a house with Marsha and Guillermo. That's all. I have no family here. It's just a living space."

"Chris, you can't be serious," she said frazzled, and afraid. She lost one son, she wasn't going to lose another. "He can't hurt you, he won't. He's dead, and you're family!"

"Well, he had a fucking ball when he cut me the fuck up!" He showed her his forearm again.

"Chris!"

"Don't." He stormed out shutting the door behind him with a giant slam, making his mother cringe, and fall to her knees. Tears streamed down her face and she collapsed and cried out in anguish, "I'm sorry!"