Chapter 16

Freddy cackled as he stumbled up the steps towards Jessie and Chris. The cracked and broken steps did not like the force of Freddy's weight. They threatened to fall beneath him as he ran, creaking and ricketing with every pound of Freddy's feet.

Jessie, exhausted and hurting from her wounded foot, collapsed against the door. Chris watched as Freddy rushed at them. He began pounding on the door as well, urgent to get in, to seek shelter, and to get him and his girlfriend out of this hell.

"We need to go!" Jessie screamed. "We need to go now!"

"I know, I'm trying! What else do you want me to do?" Chris, frustration setting in, finally gave up his pounding and searched for another way. They were trapped in the hallway, a narrow hallway nonetheless. It seemed as though there was no way out for them.

"I will lure Freddy," Jessie whispered. "You are the stronger one, so you may be able to get the door open when I can't."

"No! You can't do that. You can't risk your life trying to help a losing cause. You are just helping the fire for Freddy. If we both try to run away past him, he may be confused and not get either one of us!"

Freddy neared them in the hallway. He grew uglier every time they saw him, and like a bad omen, was around when anything bad happened. He was evil itself.

"You are trapped now. What are you gonna do? I know you're smarter than this, you may be able to survive if you use your smarts. But the odds are against you," Freddy growled. His grotesque teeth and lips, his burnt face, everything about him screamed evil.

Suddenly, flesh-eaten arms crashed through the door. Actually, upon closer inspection, Chris could see that that the arms hadn't come through the door but actually appeared to be inside the door.

The arms had grabbed Jessie, reaching and clawing for Chris too. He was out of reach, but he couldn't go to Jessie or he would be grabbed too. What should he do?

Freddy reached out with his claw hand towards Chris's face. "And you know what? I'm just fucking around with you right now. This isn't part of my plan, I wan't you to suffer a great deal more than what you are now."

Chris tried to sneak past Freddy on the side wall, wanting to find something that he could use against the evil bastard. Freddy, not preoccupied with Jessie, shot his arm out, slamming Chris against the wall. He was trapped now.

"Stupid boy. I said to use your smarts, not to act like a hero! Now you're both screwed, nothing to do but be trapped. You're at the mercy of me." Freddy flashed his clawed hand, nicking Chris on the left cheek and drawing a line of blood that dripped down his face.

Freddy let Chris go, and Chris dropped to the ground, temporarily stunned by the force of the wall on his head.

"Now, Jessie. Pretty little Jessie. What should I do with you?" Freddy licked his lips. "Does that position remind you of something?"

Jessie spit at Freddy, yelling, "You fucking sick pervert! Chris will cut off your burnt cock!"

"Woah, dirty talk makes me horny! Are you masochistic? I am!" Freddy raised his claw, and struck Jessie across the face, leaving five long lines of blood.

Jessie whimpered, trying to get free from the hands holding her down.

"Shut up, you stupid cunt. I should just kill you now, but I wanna play with you first." Freddy put his face so close to Jessie's that she could smell his putrid breath. He stuck his tongue out and licked the blood off her face."There. All better now?"

Jessie shrunk back as far as she could against the door, letting out heavy sighs. She was scared, scared of what Freddy could or would do to her. "Chris, get up!"

Freddy laughed again, the demonic laugh that he always gave up when something struck him funny. "He's down for the count, Jess. He won't help you. You are a lot stronger than I gave you credit for when I saw you the first time. Could it be that you love Chris?"

"I do love him. And I hope he knows it."

"Aw. How touching. It's too bad he won't be able to hear you say it anymore." Freddy, with no sign of hesitation, compassion, or any other characteristic of a human being, put his claws to Jessie's wrist and slashed it, and then the other. Not enough to kill her instantly, but she would bleed to death in a few minutes.

Freddy went to the motionless Chris lying on the floor, and slapped him hard. "You better wake up and spend your last few precious moments with Jessie. It'll be the last time you'll see her. And don't worry. I'll be back."

And with those final departing words, Freddy vanished. Gone, not even a wisp of smoke where he was. The hands were gone too, Jessie on the floor, a pool of blood puddling around her as she bled from her wrists.

Chris rushed to her, now awake from the hard blow received from Freddy. "We need to get you help, Jessie!" Chris tried to pick her up, but she resisted.

"No..." Jessie whispered. "By the... time we get... there," Jessie said in faltering breaths, "I will be dead anyways. Just... stay with me until I go." Jessie took a deep breath. "And Chris... I love you..."

Chris held her in his arms. "I love you too, Jessie!" he cried as he put his hands around her. He gave her a parting kiss. "I promise you I will kill this bastard and send him back to Hell!"

You have to go now

But I will see you again

As you leave me

I bitterly regret all the things I've done

If I had known you would go

So early in your life

I would have done what I should have

Much earlier than this

I feel like I've wasted

All of your life away

As you lay here in my arms

And fight for yourself

The strongest woman that I've ever met

I wish you would stay with me

But that is impossible

So you'll be in my dreams

And nothing will be the same

Without you

The last thing Jessie heard as she drifted off, drifted off, and died in Chris's arms.