Chapter 4: Jailhouse Bluez

Freddy awoke from his dreamless sleep to the sound of a guard banging against the rails of his jail cell. "Get the fuck up!" The man shouted. Freddy flexed his right hand, expecting to hear the clink of his finger blades which he would then use to gut the annoying guard. When he didn't, he suddenly remembered the situation that he was in and sighed heavily. With no other choice but to comply, Freddy stepped out of bed, stretched, and followed the guard to the washroom. After a rather pleasant shower, (Freddy hadn't had one in over 40 years,) He was given a white uniform to wear and marched into a large room, not unlike the one he had been in the day before.

Inside the room were nurses wearing strange masks with various symbols on them. Despite the mask not having any eyeholes, The nurses did not seem impeded in their work at all as they performed various check-ups on the prisoners. Freddy was marched to a nurse with a question mark mask and made to sit on the stool beside her.

"So, how much they paying you to play nurse for us psychos huh?" He asked, trying the lighten the tense mood with some conversation. It was for naught as the nurse did not answer him and instead simply pulled up a Gladstone bag onto the small table next to her. It was about a foot taller than the stool Freddy was sitting on. "Tsk, bitch." Freddy muttered under his breath, Of all the indignities and mistreatment he had to suffer since being caught, it would seem being ignored was the one that got the most under his skin.

The nurse gave Freddy a thorough check-up, checking his heart pressure, making him stand on a scale, and even doing a reflex test. Freddy couldn't help but feel like he was a little kid again, getting a check-up in a strong-smelling room with walls depicting overly-friendly animals. Freddy always hated those kinds of pictures. Animals were never that friendly and frankly, when he could watch TV, he would prefer the nature documentaries where he could see the animals for what they truly were, bloodthirsty killing machines.

His little trip down memory lane was interrupted by a shrill scream that filled the entire room. All eyes fell on the nurse trying in vain to wrestle her arm away from the lanky black-haired man keeping an iron-clad grip on it. The man clearly was a drug user of some kind, on account of his yellow teeth and the scratches on his skin, some of which were fresh enough to still be bleeding. His bloodshot eyes narrowed at the struggling nurse before him and with hardly any effort, he pulled her close to him.

"Easy does it doll!" The man grinned. "I just wanna see what's behind that mask of yours."

"Let me go!" The nurse with the exclamation point mask screamed as she repeatedly bashed her fist against the man's chest. The man simply smiled at this futile gesture and with his free hand, ripped the mask right off the girl and tossed it aside. Freddy, as well as several of the other prisoners watching the spectacle unfold, expected the mask to shatter upon impact with the ground and were surprised when instead, it simply bounced a couple of times before laying still. The woman's now exposed face, with her blonde hair swaying and her baby blue eyes watering, let out another shriek of defiance as the man holding her smiled hungrily.

"Now would you look at that! What business you got hiding a pretty face like that? Don't you got any matters?" He stuck his tongue out between his teeth as he began to pull on her pink nurse uniform, trying to tear the whole thing off in one go. "I wonder if your body's as pretty as your face."

"Noo! Stop it! Let me go!" The nurse demanded.

"INSURGENT BEHAVIOR DETECTED! CEASE IMMEDIATELY! FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN DEATH!"

Both the man and woman stopped in their tracks as the voice from the former's collar spoke. The man looked at his collar and pointed his middle finger at it. "The fuck you gonna do about it, you little Hall-3000 motherfucker!?"

"CONTINUED INSURGENT BEHAVIOR DETECTED! BEGINNING ELIMINATION PROCESS!"

"Beginning what?" The man's eyes grew wide and he began to sweat profusely. The nurse, who had been screaming and panicking this entire time, much to the shock of the watching prisoners, Freddy included, smiled widely at the man. He quickly noticed and slapped her over the head. "Bitch! You did this didn't you? Take this damn thing off of me right now!"

The nurse spat out a droplet of blood from her mouth onto the man and flipped him off. "Didn't they ever teach you to keep your hand to yourself in grade school, Needle Dick?"

"3...2...1!"

"You should have listened." The nurse blew a kiss at the scared man who began clawing at the device on his throat.

"Someone help me! I'm sorry! Please hel-

There was a sound that rang through the entire room. Freddy, and well as a few of the fellow inmates recognized the sound as a steel blade cutting through flesh and bone. Blood flowed all over the device as the man blinked repeatedly, some blood flowing from his mouth as well. After a few seconds, he fell to his knees, the shift in movement causing his now disconnected head to fall off of his shoulders and roll toward the nurse's discarded mask. After another second more, the body fell forward and leaked blood onto the floor.

There was hardly any screaming, even from the other nurses. But there was fear and plenty of it. Freddy rubbed his fingers over his own collar, painfully aware of the cutting sensation he felt on his neck. Now he knew what they were and what they were for. What would happen to Freddy if he even tried to go out of bounds. And without his dream powers, he was just as vulnerable as the rest of the riffraff here.

"Tsk, men." The blonde nurse scoffed as she walked toward her mask and the man's head. Once she stood over the two, she nonchalantly kicked the head aside and picked up the mask. She pulled a strange blue bottle of something from her dress pocket and sprayed the inside of the mask before putting it back on.

Freddy turned back to his own nurse and asked. "The fuck's that stuff?"

And once again, the nurse did not answer.


A few more hours passed before the check-ups were complete. During that time, four men in gas masks were called in to dispose of the dead man's body and head. A cleaning lady in a gas mask was then sent to mop up the leftover blood. As for the blonde nurse, despite being quite the damsel in distress earlier, she simply went back to her job checking up on the other prisoners. Of course, most likely helped by the horrible fate of the druggie, none one made any attempts on the nurses and the check-ups continued without incident.

After the check-ups were done, the prisoners were lined up out of the room. As Freddy waited for the line to move, the nurse with the question mark mask walked past him. Before he could even acknowledge her, she quickly slipped a piece of paper into a pocket he didn't even realize he had. He reached for it, remembered that there were guards surrounding him and the line from all sides, and let his hand fall back down again. He would have to wait until just before lights out to see what the paper said.

"Maybe it's her phone number." Freddy fought the urge to laugh at his own little joke but couldn't keep from smiling. This did not go unnoticed by a guard who hit Freddy in the face with the back of his gun.

"The fuck you smiling for creep?" He shouted.

Freddy growled at the guard but said nothing. At least the guard didn't seem to know about the paper.

The prisoners were led to yet another large room, this one clearly a cafeteria with tables all over it and an array of lunch ladies at the back. Freddy only now realized how hungry he was and long it had been since he had eaten. "Still not used to feeling hungry for anything besides souls." He thought. "Oh well." The line was marched toward the lunch ladies and soon Freddy found himself seated on a cool gray table with a tray of food in front of him. The meal consisted of two small Salisbury steaks, a helping of mashed potatoes, and a cup of mixed vegetables, all of which Freddy could tell was microwaved not five minutes before. Nevertheless, he grabbed his fork and dug into one of the steaks, savoring the taste of beef on his tongue. "Bon Appetit, bitch."

As he munched on the processed steak, he looked around the room and took in the faces of his fellow prisoners. They were all male of course. Some were fat, some were skinny. Some were tall, some were short. Some were black, some were white, a few were Hispanic and Freddy was sure the man sitting at the end of the room was Asian, of which country he could not tell. What really caught his eye, however, was the hulking figure sitting on the table to his right. This man had grey skin and gave off the scent of flowers, most definitely artificial. Maybe perfume or shampoo? Whatever it was it was strong, strong enough to fill the whole room with its annoying fragrance.

"Wait...that's not..."

The grey man happened to glance sideways at Freddy, most likely feeling himself being watched, Even with the burlap sack over his head, Freddy was able to tell at once that this man was his enemy, Jason Voorhees.

"Hockey Puck's here? How!" Freddy's confusion turned into anger as he remembered everything he went through due to interacting with Jason. and that it was partly the undead being's fault he was here in the first place. Robbed of his power. Robbed of his dignity. Reduced to some bitch's guinea pig all because of that Hockey Puck. With a growl of frustration, Freddy got up from the table and approached the masked man. Jason seemed to have shared Freddy's thoughts to the letter because he got up as well and the two killers found themselves standing off from each other.

"So these Black Rose motherfuckers got you too huh?" Freddy asked, not expecting an answer. Of course, he didn't get one and the ever-silent Jason simply continued to glare at him. "I suppose we can assume that Captain Kirk might be here as well. I wonder what he looks like without that mask."

Jason felt confused for a few moments as he didn't understand Freddy's reference before realizing that he must have been talking about Michael. The man who matched Jason in almost everything. His new rival. Part of him hoped that Michael was indeed here if only because, as much as he hated him, The Shape was still better company than Freddy.

"Speaking of masks, I see they got you a new one. Have to say, I think it's an improvement." Freddy burst into laughter at his own words. Jason felt somewhat insulted and wasn't sure why. Freddy was simply stating an obvious fact. He did have a new mask, one that mirrored the one he wore when he murdered Alice Hardy all those years ago. Maybe he just didn't like the way Freddy's voice sounded. He had heard enough of it to last a lifetime.

With a single hand, Jason grabbed Freddy by the throat and held him upward. The Springwood Slasher struggled in his grasp and kicked at his attacker's chest to no avail aside from hurting his own feet. "Shit!" He thought. "I forgot I don't have any powers! Shit! Is this really how it ends for me? Getting the Homer Simpson treatment from this undead chunk of retard!"

"INSURGENT BEHAVIOR DETECTED! CEASE IMMEDIATELY! FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN DEATH!

The choir of robotic voices sounded not only from Freddy's single device but from the five devices on Jason's neck, wrist, and ankles. Guessing how strong he was, they needed extra protection with it came to him. Both killers remembering the man in the check-up room, the one who only ever got the single warning before losing his head, broke off, Jason let go of Freddy's neck and backed away. Freddy caressed his burning neck and glared at Jason. Jason returned the favor and for a minute it seemed that the two killers would forever be trapped in a staring contest from Hell. But it did end and both killers returned to their seats.

During the time of their scuffle, two more men had sat at the seats opposite theirs. Sitting at Jason's table was the stocky man that Freddy had sat next to on the way here, he had a mask like Jason made out of paper, the eye holes lined with orange crayon and his lips lined with purple. Jason gave the man a quizzical look but shook it off and continued eating.

The man sitting opposite of Freddy also wore a paper mask, one that was completely featureless aside from two eye holes. Through these eye holes, Freddy was able to make out a familiar glare and after a few moments of trying to remember where he had seen it before, it hit him. "C-Captain Kirk?"

The man suddenly wrapped his hand around Freddy's throat and started strangling him as many of the other inmates, including Jason and his new friend, watched on. "Not again!" Freddy rasped as he tried to undo Michael's grip on his neck. "Where's that stupid device when you need it?"

"INSURGENT BEHAVIOR DETECTED! CEASE IMMEDIATELY! FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN DEAT-

Michael moved his hands up to Freddy's head and bashed it against the table. Then he returned to his meal as if nothing had happened. He knew he could not kill Freddy. Not in this place with the collar around his neck. But he could still knock him down a peg before the device acted up. That's what Michael was aiming for and as Freddy lifted his head from the table, blood dripping out of the new cut on his forehead, he was able to guess as much.

"Fucker."


Evening came and the inmates were led back to their cells. Freddy was sent to the nurse's office and was somewhat relieved to see the nurse with the question mark mask who gave Freddy some gauze for his head wound. With this gauze still on his head, Freddy headed to his cell and laid back down. It had been a long day and he was looking forward to sleeping or at least resting for the next few hours. How ironic that the King of Nightmares looked forward to a trip to Snoozeville. How very ironic.

As Freddy fixed himself under the sheets, he happened to dig into his pocket and fell the paper the nurse had given him earlier. Suddenly remembering how badly he wanted to read the paper, he checked his cell bars to see if any guards were watching. There was no one but him and it would remain that way until morning. With barely any daylight reaching the inside of his cell, he took the paper out of his pocket, walked up to the cell bars, and unfolded it to the best of his ability. After a few tries, he was able to make out the words.

I CAN HELP YOU ESCAPE. BUT YOU NEED TO MAKE PEACE WITH JASON AND MICHAEL. BUBBHA COMES TOO.

"Bubbha?" Freddy asked himself. "Who the fuck is Bubbha?" Freddy tried to think back to how he knew a Bubbha but came up empty. "Probably some hillbilly." Freddy returned to his bed and placed the note back into his pocket. "Why would this bitch want to help me escape and why do I need to play nice with those two bozos first? And who the fuck is Bubbha?" Freddy groaned as he placed the covers over himself. "I guess I'll have to sleep on it. Haha."


"Ok Teddy. You can do this. It's just an old puzzle box. No need to worry." Teddy was sitting quietly in his office. Not on his desk but on the floor, his stubby fingers caressing the golden box in front of him. He had been at it for the past three hours, every once and a while making headway and getting a component of the box to pop out. The last time he had accomplished this was over 35 minutes ago and he was beginning to get sleepy. Nevertheless, he persisted, wanting to be finished with this puzzle before he retired to bed.

"I'm not sure why Professor Vivian wants me to solve some old puzzle box. It's not like any other task she's given me has borne any fruit. I was sent to look for Andre Toulon's puppets, but someone cleaned out his room before I could get there. I tried to track that urban legend killer from Pendleton University but the trail went cold. I even tried to summon the Candyman for her but no answer. Guess he was just a myth after all. I really don't see what she hopes to get out of this box."

As he said this, his finger happened to fix the final unsolved piece in place and the box jumped out of his hand. Teddy watched in amazement as the box's center extended itself upwards in, twisted, and came back down, giving the box the shape of a flower. His amazement gave way to fear as the room began to shake and the wall around him began to crumble. "W-What's going on?" He asked himself as the lights began to flicker and die. Almost as soon as they went off, strange new light flooded the room from the cracks appearing in the walls. With this light, Teddy was able to make out a being emerging from behind the shadows behind the box. The shaking stopped and the being nonchalantly picked the box up.

"W-Who are you?" Teddy stammered. The being ignored Teddy's question, opting instead to look over the box with great, almost perverse interest. When it finally fixed its gaze on Teddy, its black eyes seemed to stare through his very soul and Teddy found that he was frozen in place despite now feeling an intense desire to run.

"You opened the box and I came." The being finally spoke as it stepped over the frightened doctor. Once it was bathed in the strange lights oozing from the cracks in the wall, the already terrified Teddy almost screamed at the sight of the being's head. He had pins adorning his entire face, deep enough to pierce through his skull. Teddy's gaze lowered and bore witness to the strips of flesh hung queerly from his chest, interconnected to each other by hooks over a black cassock. "Theodore." The being whispered in a strangely soothing voice. "It is time you came with me."

"C-Come with you?" Teddy managed to choke out. "W-What for? How do you know my name? What do you want with me?"

"You opened the box and summoned me!" The being suddenly raised its voice, startling Teddy badly. "So now you must taste the pleasures of my world." With this, the being removed one of the pins from his face, bent down over Teddy, and forced his fingers into his mouth. Once his hand was halfway in, he pulled out Teddy's tongue and stabbed the pin through it. Teddy cried in agony and the being before him smiled gleefully, clearly enjoying his suffering. "And this is but a single sip of those pleasures, I assure you." The being promised. "We'll have eternity to know your flesh."

"Nuuuuu!" Teddy cried out as he tried to will his hands near his bleeding tongue to no avail. "I don't wanna go!" He thought. "Wherever the hell this...thing plans on taking me, I don't wanna go! I have to think of something fast! Come on Teddy, think outside the box...the box!" Scrambling to his feet, Teddy snatched the box out of the being's hands, catching it off guard.

"What are you doing?"

Sending you back where you belong!" The man thought as his mouth was too flooded with blood to speak. He quickly moved back the last slot in the puzzle box, forcing it to return to its original shape. The room once again began to shake and the strange lights began to flicker. The being looked around frantically at the chaos and then back at Teddy.

"What have you done!?" The being gritted its teeth. "Don't think that this is over Theodore! You cannot close the gates of Hell once you have opened them. We will come back for you with or without your help! You will taste our pleasures!"

The being screamed as the light around them intensified and then dissipated. The cracks were gone. The being was gone. The room's natural lights came back on and displayed a completely normal room. At its center, in front of the still-bleeding Teddy, was the box, once more in its unsolved state.

Teddy took a few seconds to comprehend what had just happened. Part of him wanted to believe that he had simply dreamt the whole thing but the rusty nail impaled on his tongue robbed him of that luxury. With a final sharp yelp of pain, Teddy ripped the pin out of his tongue and tossed it aside. He stumbled toward his desk, opened one of the drawers and pulled out and tissue box which he then placed on the table. He took out the first tissue and wrapped it around his tongue, blood and saliva immediately soaking it through.

"What the hell just happened?" He thought as he held the cloth around his tongue.

(Only now am I realizing the difference between a prison and a sanitarium. The worst part is, I can't go back and fix it as it would result in rewriting the entire story. Oh well. I never did claim to be Steven King. Please just bare with it.)