Chapter 9: Road Trip from Hell

Texas:

The Cashier's name was Jennifer Lullenberry. She was a simple woman, having lived all her life in the Texas countryside. Her only goals in life were to land a well-off husband and have as many kids as possible, a goal drilled into her head by her conservative parents. Even without that upbringing, Jennifer, or Jenny as she liked to be called, probably wouldn't have amounted to much in her life on account of her dropping out of high school to care for her younger siblings. She had no complaints though, she was a devout Catholic and figured the Good Lord would take her where she needed to go in life. That's why, on this cold Tuesday night, she didn't make a sound or even try to pray as four horrifying men entered the store where she worked as a clerk.

At first, she thought they were robbers on account of the mask on their faces. As they rummaged through the store's wares and she was able to examine them more thoroughly however, she found that this only applied to three of them. The man with the rugged sweater and fedora, the only one Jenny had heard speak so far, allowed his horribly burned face to show. Every time he faced the counter, even if it was only for a moment, Jenny would wince at the scar tissue making up his face. She shuddered to think what the other three men looked like under their masks.

A sudden crash grabbed Jenny's attention and steered it toward the candy aisle where one of the masked men, the one with the stitched-up mask and apron, had knocked down nearly every bag off the shelves. He whimpered like a lost kid with bags upon bags of candy in his hands. If she wasn't so terrified for her life, Jenny might have thought of the display as cute.

Behind him was another man, this one with a hockey mask and a serious skin problem if the back of his head was to be believed, was shifting his fingers through small toys lining the beginning of the candy aisle. It seemed that he was deciding which one to get and after several minutes, settled on a bag of plastic jungle animals. By then, his friend in the apron noticed what he was doing and quickly grabbed a similar bag for himself, this one with farm animals.

The sound of a toilet flushing could be heard as the final masked man left the restroom. His mask was white and expressionless, like some sort of ghostly statue. The man walked into a corner near the restroom entrance, turned to face the counter, and stared at Jenny. Try as she might, she just could not make out his eyes from behind the mask and this served to chill her even more. Of all the men in her store right now, she was most afraid of him.

It was only when she heard the customer bell ringing that she was able to snap out of her shell shock with a small but sharp yelp and realize that the man in the fedora was standing right in front of her. His beady green eyes glowed with amusement at her fear as he flashed her a grin filled with rotting yellowed teeth. "How much is gas?" He asked with a certain air to his voice that made it sound deeper than it should have.

"1-10 Bucks a gallon." Jenny managed to squeak.

The man smiled again as he reached into his pocket and took out a giant wad of bills. Jenny's eyes budged when she saw that it was made of nearly all hundreds. "This should cover the peanut gallery over there." He cooed as he walked out of the store, never taking his eyes off Jenny for even a moment before he was outside. As strange as it would seem, part of Jenny wanted the man to come back if only so that she wouldn't be alone with the others who, as far as she knew, couldn't even communicate. Gulping, she forced herself to face the front of the counter and see all three men staring at her, their eyes hard to make out from behind their masks.

"Um...W-Who's first?" She asked fretfully.

Meanwhile, outside the store, Freddy was engaging in the daunting task of putting the gas in. "I hope I still remember how to do this." He grumbled as he messed with the nozzle. His glove rested on the hood of the van so as not to interfere with the task at hand. The last thing Freddy wanted right now was to accidentally cut the line and douse himself with gas.

After a minute or so of struggling, his prior knowledge of filling up a vehicle came rushing back to him, and in no time at all, he was feeding unleaded gas to the van that was to take him and his fellow killers to Knowby Cabin. "It won't be long now!" He thought. "Soon, I'll have my powers back and the first thing I'm gonna do is knock out the competition." Freddy bared his teeth to the world once again with a sinister smile as the thought of destroying his enemies ran through his mind. Before long, however, Freddy's smile faded as he considered a possibility he hadn't before. "If there were at least three other assholes running around with my kind of talent that caught Vivian's eye, what's to say there aren't anymore," He pondered. "Or how many?" He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Once I'm done with these fuckers, I'll search for anyone else that would dare try to usurp my throne. This stinking world only has room for one slasher and that's me!"

The bell at the top of the doorway chimed and Freddy turned to see the others leaving the store, various snacks and drinks in their hands. Freddy couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that there was no blood on his comrades or their snacks. Even if they had left their weapons inside the van, he figured at least one of the would have taken care of the bitch at the register. He sighed. "Some things you gotta do yourself." But alas, there was no time for that as far as Freddy was concerned. There was no telling what lengths Vivian would go to to get him and the others back and so it was in their best interest to leave for Tennessee as fast as possible. The sooner, the better. Figuring the tank was as full as it could get, Freddy pulled out the nozzle and turned to set it back in its place.

Michael, however, was standing right behind him. He grabbed the nozzle and shoved the snacks in his hands into Freddy's arms. Among them was a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. "Didn't take you for a smoker, Myers." Freddy mused as he entered the car along with Jason and Leatherface, grabbing his glove off the hood in the process. While Freddy technically knew how to drive, his memory was a bit foggy due to spending decades in the Dream Realm. Michael, on the other hand, had plenty of practice and so was deemed the designated driver. Thus, Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface waited as Michael finished putting the gas nozzle back on the machine.

At least, that's what they all thought he was doing at first.

"What the hell is taking Captain Kirk so long?" Freddy voiced out loud. Neither Jason nor Leatherface heard him however as they were too busy playing with the various plastic animals they had dumped onto the floor of the van. Freddy had no desire to join them but did feel a slight smirk appear on his face as the grown men played with the toys. "Five bucks say ol Leatherface gets one of those cows stuck in his nose." Freddy began one of his trademark laughs, only to be silenced by the scent of gas. Feeling just the tiniest bit unnerved, Freddy looked around for the source. Was Michael dousing the van with gasoline with them inside? Did he plan on blowing it up? Freddy quickly scrambled to the passenger window, half expecting to see it covered with green, oily gas. To his surprise, and relief, he saw that while Michael was spraying gas on something, it was not the van but rather the entrance of the store, the woman nowhere to be seen. None of the slashers would ever know it but she had gone into the restroom to pray, to thank God for protecting her from those strange and dangerous men that invaded her store.

Michael made a trail of gas from the doorway to the gas machine and finally hooked the nozzle back up. He entered the driver's side, picked up the pack of cigarettes, and offered one to Freddy. It took the Springwood Slasher a few double takes to realize what was going on but once he did, he smiled and took a cigarette. "Well now Mikey, I never took you for a firebug." He placed the cigarette in his mouth and allowed Michael to light it. After taking a few puffs and enjoying the flavor, he rolled down his window and tossed the cigarette toward the doorway. "But hey, you know what they say, cigarettes kill!"

Michael slammed on the gas and sped out of the parking lot as the cigarette fell into the gas. The resulting flame rushed toward the gas station just as Jenny was coming out of the restroom. She only had time to realize it had gotten hotter than usual, turn to the parking lot and gasp in horror at the inferno in front of her before it hit the gas station and exploded, taking her and the store with it. From the road, Freddy howled in laughter at the fireball climbing higher and higher into the sky. Leatherface, on the other hand was frightened by the sudden loud noise and sought Jason for comfort. The two had become something akin to brothers in the short time that they had this van.

"Burn baby, burn!" Freddy sang wildly as the van continued on its way toward the cabin and toward the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis.


Arkansas:

"Crap! This is getting boring!" Freddy muttered. There were still 200 miles or so separating the slashers from the cabin and while tensions weren't exactly running high, they were certainly on their way. As Freddy had predicted, Leather did indeed get one of his plastic farm animals stuck up his nose (although it was a pig rather than a cow) and had spent the last few hours crying from the pain, even after Jason had managed to get it out. While the fellow simple-minded killer had more patience with the cannibal, Freddy and Michael were calling upon every ounce of willpower that they had not to kill Leatherface and end his wailing reign of terror. As Freddy replayed killing Leatherface in his mind for the 18th time, the Texas-born killer's cries abruptly stopped as they were replaced with another sound, that of a growling stomach.

Freddy turned to see Leatherface whining silently to himself as he rubbed his stomach. By now, almost all of the snacks the group had pilfered from the store in Texas were gone, most of them already having been eaten by Leatherface. Freddy felt a degree of annoyance with the apron-wearing hillbilly but was more preoccupied with his own stomach which began to growl in tandem with Leatherface's. Freddy wasn't used to this feeling as he hadn't felt it for decades. Being human really was a bitch.

"Hey Myers." He groaned. "You hungry too?"

Michael, of course, did not respond verbally nor did his stomach growl but he did offer Freddy a curt nod. Having a human body meant Michael still needed to eat from time to time, a need he usually satisfied with whatever unfortunate animal happened across his path. Behind him, Jason cocked his head in confusion. Ever since rising from the grave that fateful stormy night, he hadn't felt hunger or thirst. That remained true even now.

Freddy opened the compartment in front of him and took out a white box with a green top. FOR GREENVIEW CHURCH was scribbled on the side with permanent marker. Freddy removed the top and peered inside. Dozens of stacks of dollar bills covered the floor of the box, all hundreds. Freddy picked up a stack and ran a finger through the money like a bunch of flip notes. "We really hit the jackpot with this couple." He thought. "Someone down there likes us." Freddy turned to the passenger window and noticed that Michael was now driving through the business district of yet another town. His eyes caught sight of a yellow building with orange trim on a lot nearby. It had been years since he visited one but he was still able to recognize it as a drive-thru.

"Let's say we grab a bite to eat." He suggested while pointing to the restaurant. The other slashers noticed it at once and Leatherface let out a confused grunt, having never eaten from such a place before. Jason felt melancholy upon seeing the building as it brought forth a memory of his mother taking him to a similar place when he was a child. They had the entire east section to themselves because no one wanted to get near him. Despite this, it was a day he looked back with fondness as the image of his mother's smiling face filled his mind.

Michael wasn't too sure about Freddy's suggestion. It had been quite a while since he had eaten fast food and to be perfectly honest, he'd rather hunt for a stray dog or cat right about now. But at the same time, he could see Freddy's point in all this. Getting food from this place would eliminate the need to stop somewhere to eat since they would be getting their food in the van. This would also save the hassle of having to kill someone although Michael wasn't sure if that could be counted as a plus. Regardless, he decided to go along with Freddy's plan and pull up onto the lot.

The line at the drive-thru was thankfully short, with only two cars in front of the van. Even more convenient, the menu was hanging right next to their spot in line. A female voice spoke up from the intercom. "Hi Welcome to Yum Burger! Can I take your order?"

"Just a minute!" Freddy called out, realizing in horror that he was the only one in the group that could actually speak. "Shit." He turned to Jason and Leatherface. "Alright, how about you both get a kid's meal?" He asked quickly. Leatherface giggled and nodded. He was not sure what Freddy had just offered but he could tell that he was going to be fed at least. Jason simply shrugged, not entirely sure he could even eat in the first place but assuming he could always give his meal to Leatherface if he couldn't. Freddy turned to Michael and asked him what he wanted. The Shape responded to his inquiry by pointing at the menu. Freddy had to lean over to Michael's side to see it better but was able to tell that Michael was pointing at the combo meal in the first box. "Number 1 huh?"

Michael nodded.

"What the hell, I'll have that too." Freddy decided.

Just then, the intercom spoke up again. "Are you ready to order now?"

Freddy cleared his throat. "Yes. We'll have two number 1 combos and two kid's meals!" He stated.

"Two number 1 combos and two kid's meals?" The voice asked

"That's what I said!" Freddy replied, a little bit annoyed that he had to repeat himself.

"Very well, sir! Your food will be right out!" The voice chirped as the intercom went silent. By then, the last car before them was already leaving, allowing the slashers to pull up by the pickup window. Freddy fixed himself back into his seat and handed Michael the stack of cash he had taken out earlier.

"Just toss it to the bitch once you have our food." He demanded.

Michael didn't like the tone Freddy spoke to him with and at any other time, most certainly would have snapped his neck right then and there, but decided against it for the time being. There would always be next time. After a few minutes, the window opened and a chubby black teen appeared with the meals on a tray. "Good Afternoon sir, that will be..." She trailed off as she caught sight of the masked man staring back at her from the van. The man grabbed the tray, allowed his even stranger-looking friend to take the food off, placed a stack of cash on the tray and shoved it back toward the girl before speeding it off. $42...50..." She finished as she watched the van vanish among the traffic. Slowly, her gaze gravitated toward the stack of Benjamins sitting on the tray. Making sure no one was watching her, she grabbed the stack and stuck it inside her apron before closing the window.


As the van drove on, the slashers began to eat their meals. Leatherface devoured his somewhat meager meal quickly but it seemed to be enough to fill his stomach, The fact that it came with a new toy, a plush octopus, helped to keep him content. Jason also ended up enjoying his food after all, his taste buds still intact enough to appreciate the flavor of the burger. Like Leatherface, he too had gotten a toy with his meal, an orange cat. Michael set his food on his lap and ate as he drove, periodically grabbing a fry and sliding it underneath his mask into his mouth. Every so often, he would do the same to his burger, causing his mask to bulge. Freddy found the sight quite hilarious and almost choked on his own burger laughing at Michael.

After several minutes, the last morsel of food had been eaten and the killers were only two miles away from the city limits. As they turned a corner, however, they happened to pass by a movie theater. Michael noticed this and pulled up into the lot, much to the confusion of the other killers.

"Hey Myers? Why are we stopping?" Freddy asked.

Michael didn't respond. Instead, he parked the van and stepped out. Freddy followed him out and asked him again. This time, Michael pointed to the theater. More specifically, he pointed to one of the film posters. It depicted a stitched-up doll wielding a bloody knife while laughing manically. The title overhead read: Chucky Goes Psycho

"Ah, A horror movie buff, eh?" Freddy prodded. Michael offered another curt nod in response. Truth be told, Michael just liked any movie that promised horrible violence and with a poster like that, that movie couldn't be anything but. Jason and Leatherface took notice of the poster as well, the latter letting out a small squeak of disapproval. This went unheard as Freddy sighed. "Alright. I suppose we've earned a break. It has been a while since I've been to the movies after all." With the matter all but decided, the slashers made their way to the ticket booth.

The ticket vendor was shocked to say the least when four strange-looking men approached his booth. "Four tickets for Chucky Goes Psycho!" The only man not wearing a mask demanded and the vendor obliged fretfully. The snack vendor inside had a similar reaction, forcing herself to stifle a scream as she first laid eyes on them. Freddy paid for the popcorn and sodas as well as the individual snacks the other three got a hold of. Once everything was set, the group headed toward the second screen where the movie was just starting. As they walked down the pathway through the seats, they could hear the murmurs and hushed whispers of the other film-goers.

"I hear it's based on a true story." A man said. "They even use the same doll found at the scene of the crime."

Freddy couldn't help but laugh to himself. "A killer doll? Yeah right!"

Eventually, the killers found four empty seats next to each other and claimed them as the movie moved past its opening credits. As the past hour and thirty-eight minutes went by, each of the slashers had a different reaction to the film on screen. Freddy simply found the whole affair funny. He came to identify with the killer doll and to appreciate the quips he made before and after every kill. If this Chucky actually did exist somewhere in the world, Freddy was certain they would get along just fine.

Michael also enjoyed the film but solely for the carnage and misery, Chucky brought upon his victims. The black comedy as well as the sex appeal of Chucky's partner, Tiffany was lost on him. Jason didn't care for Chucky all that much. As far as he could tell, this doll wasn't trying to avenge anyone close to him by killing. He was just a senseless murderer like Freddy and the quips didn't help either. He felt like throwing his machete at the screen when Tiffany's nude scene came on. As for Leatherface, he was simply scared of the entire affair. This doll was killing people and not even eating them? What a waste! He spent most of the movie covering his eyes and whimpering.

Once the end credits started to roll, the group got up from their seats and headed out the exit door. Freddy briefly considered massacring the movie-goers just for shits and giggles but decided it would be too risky as it would attract the attention of the police. He needed to be able to reach Knowby Cabin as soon as possible. As he was about to leave the theater, however, he thought he could feel eyes on him and turned to see where they could be coming from. There were still quite a lot of people rising from their seats but none of them seemed to be looking at Freddy. Chalking it up to paranoia, Freddy followed the other slashers to the van. They drove for about another hour or so, before reaching the state line. During that time, they never once noticed the black car trailing behind them.


Tennessee:

It was almost over. Soon enough, they would reach Knowby Cabin and find the Necronomicon-Ex Mortis. Once they did, Freddy would finally be able to reclaim his lost dream powers and the first thing he wanted to do was to return to Springwood and exact a fresh round of vengeance against the swine that sent him to Black Rose. Oh how he ached to slice into some flesh with his steel blades. How he yearned for the sound of teens screaming as he cut them down. How he wished to get back to slaughtering the innocent as fast as possible. And from the look in his fellow slasher's eyes, he could tell they felt the same. In a way, killing for these men was a drug and they needed a hit and soon.

"According to the map," Freddy growled. "We only have one more hick town to go through before we find the cabin and then we'll be playing with power!" Freddy opened the compartment in front of him and took out the money box. "And we still have plenty of funds. Those walking liver spots may not have had the strongest screams but boy were they loaded. Hahaha!"

Leatherface laughed along with Freddy although he did not understand why. That was how it usually was with his brothers Nubbins and Chop-Top as well. He recalled the days when the three of them would work together to prepare their latest victim for the dinner table while Drayton yelled over them. A single tear fell from his eye as he allowed the sentimental memories to run freely through his head. This went unnoticed by the other slashers as they neared a stop sign.

"Feh! Stop signs! Who needs them?" Freddy complained as he waited for Michael to resume driving. As he waited, Freddy heard voices speaking from out of his window and turned to see two teenage boys walking down the sidewalk on the other side of the street. Neither of them seemed to notice the burned man watching them from the van across the street as they continued their chatter.

"I'm so excited for this rave man!" The first boy beamed. "You don't have any idea how long I've been waiting for this!"

"I know, right?" The second boy agreed. "I hear all the hot girls are gonna be there, including Jessica Manson!"

The first boy whistled in response. "That's one ass I'd like to see shake on the dance floor, no pants included!"

Both boys burst into laughter as they continued to make their way to the rave. By this time, Michael had pressed the gas and the van was once again moving. "Did you hear that?" Freddy asked his fellow murderers. "Those little piglets are heading to a party with even more piglets! Now I don't know about you assholes, but I'm feeling pretty antsy right now." He started flexing his blades. "I could stand to cut loose a little, you know?"

Michael offered a curt nod and slowed the van down to a crawl, allowing the teens to walk past them and turn the corner. Once they did, Michael slowly followed suit, making sure to keep a safe distance away so that they would not get suspicious. This did not matter, however, as the teens were far too engrossed in their theories as to what the female student body looked like sans clothing to notice the van following them.

This went on for about 20 minutes before the teens led the slashers to an old warehouse on the outskirts of town. At first, it seemed abandoned and empty. Keeping an ear open for a few moments would allow one to hear the faint sounds of teens chatting away happily. The four murderous men watched as the two boys vanished into the decayed building and inched the van closer to the entrance. Freddy couldn't help but laugh at the thought of all the little kiddies he was going to cut up. Sure, due to his lack of dream powers, he wouldn't be able to eat their souls and sure, he would have to share this bounty of victims with three dumbasses who couldn't speak but right now, none of that mattered. What mattered was getting his blades wet with blood tonight and he could tell from the look in their eyes that all three of his companions once again shared his feelings.

With their weapons in hand, the four killers left the van and made their way to the building.


Randy Tyler was what most people would call an emo. This, of course, also meant he was considered a loser and a freak as well. None of this mattered to Randy, of course. While nowhere near as antisocial as his appearance would suggest, he wasn't exactly big on public groups. Hell, the only reason why he was in this shitty old warehouse, surrounded by many people who disliked him in the first place was that a pretty girl had invited him. He knew it was only out of pity but he still couldn't help but say yes. Oh, what was he thinking?

Ignoring the looks of disdain he got from some of the other teens, Randy walked up to the DJ who handed him a pair of white headphones. Cautiously, he slipped them over his ears and returned to his spot against the crumbling brick wall. A few minutes afterward, once everyone in the building had their own set of these headphones, the DJ flashed a smile and played the music. No MCR or BFMV was this but rather a strange techno melody interspliced with a "wub" sound in the background that seemed to get louder each time it sounded. Not much for dancing, Randy simply moved his head to the rhythm of the music while leaning against his wall, his eyes closed to better focus.

Every now and then, he would open them and see the other teens gain more enjoyment of the situation than he did. A boyfriend and girlfriend grinding against each other. A member of the football team groping the girl who had invited Randy with little resistance. A trio of girlfriends trying to pour beer into each other's mouths. Randy would be lying if he said he didn't feel just the tiniest pang of jealousy which would cause him to close his eyes again for a few minutes. Around the sixth to seventh time that he opened them again, however, his eyes fell onto something that didn't belong.

No, more like four somethings that didn't belong.

One wore a red and green sweater, a dark brown fedora, and a single glove on his right hand with four blades attached to it. The man next to him, if it could even be called that, wore a hockey mask over its face. It seemed to only have one good eye which glared with hatred at all the partying teens before it. Randy could see it grip the machete in its hand tightly. The man next to that was also clad in a white mask, this one covering more than the hockey mask and yet, somehow, even less human. Randy couldn't even tell if he was seeing his eyes or not, the eye holes of his mask were more akin to black holes than anything else, threatening to suck up all goodness and light. The last man was, in Randy's mind, the worst of the bunch. The "mask" he wore looked more like a human face that had been crudely ripped away from its rightful owner, the look of shock and terror forever frozen in place by death. In his hands was a chainsaw with dried blood along its bar.

As Randy watched, the four newcomers causally made their way to the dance floor, completely unnoticed by the raving teenagers. Once amongst their prey, they raised their weapons up and started slashing. The man with the fedora made the first cut, slicing his finger blades through a dancing girl's wrist as she held it up high. The severed hand flew across the dance floor and hit a boy on the head, causing him to falter and fall onto a couple nearby. All three fell to the floor as the girl screamed in agony and gripped her bleeding wrist. She turned to find the cause of her sudden dismemberment, only to get those same finger blades raked across her throat for her troubles. The man with the fedora laughed manically as the girl gripped her throat and fell backward to the floor, although thanks to the headphones, Randy could only hear rave music instead.

The other intruders wasted no time in catching up with their friend. The hockey-masked man charged toward the boy groping Randy's invite and with a clean chop of his machete, sliced both of his arms away from the rest of his body. As he fell to his knees and screamed, his blood splattered over the girl, blinding her as it hit her eyes. She screamed as well, trying desperately to wipe the blood from her eyes. No sooner had she managed this that the man in the white mask grabbed her from behind and slit her throat before stabbing her several times in the chest.

The man with the chainsaw had a later start than the others due to his weapon needing to be wound up first. Once he got it revving, however, he quickly caught up to the others in kills as he mowed down an entire line of party-goers, some of which didn't even realize that they had been attacked until they saw their limbs flying away from the dance floor. One boy, one of the ones who had unintentionally led the monsters here in the first place, was beheaded by the chainsaw. His head flew toward Randy and landed in his hands. As the terrified emo looked on, the head's expression changed from enjoyment to confusion, pain, and finally terror as it finally comprehended what had just happened to it. Unable to handle his fear anymore, Randy let out a scream of utter horror as he tossed the head away.

Luckily for him, his screams were drowned out by the screams of the other ravers as they finally began to realize what was going on. The DJ, who had also been wearing headphones this entire time, also noticed the bodies and blood on the dance floor but before he could react, the man in the fedora slammed one of his finger blades into his temple, killing him instantly. He then shoved the fresh corpse away from the mixer and started messing with the buttons himself, causing the music to distort. "This one's for the good folks in Springwood, Ohio!" He shouted although no one heard. As he continued to fiddle with the switches, his three masked friends continued to slaughter the rest of the ravers.

The hockey-masked man stomped toward the three teens who had fallen earlier, stomped them back down as they were getting back up and thrust his machete through their skulls. The man in the white mask grabbed another girl who tried running past him, slit her throat, and held the wound open to increase the amount of blood spraying from it. He aimed the blood at some of the other ravers trying to flee, getting blood in their eyes and even causing a few of them to crash into each other. Once the blood had stopped flowing, the man tossed the corpse aside and went to work on the teens before him, stabbing, slicing, and crushing them into oblivion. What few teens weren't butchered by either him or the hockey-masked man fell met their end at the end of the third man's chainsaw as he danced wildly across the dance floor. It would seem he had acquired a pair of headphones from one of his victims and rather enjoyed the music sounding from them, even as the man in the fedora continued to distort it.

Randy ran toward the entrance, nearly being knocked down by a jock with a missing arm. "Help me! Help me!" He pleaded as he slipped through the floor, gripping tightly at Randy's Invader Zim shirt. Randy pulled his shirt out of the jock's grasp and ran outside the building. He didn't stop running until he was at the police station and even then it took several minutes for him to calm down enough to explain what happened in detail. By the time the police would arrive on the scene, there would be nothing but bodies. Of course, Randy was seen as the number one suspect for a while but as the evidence to support this was virtually nonexistent, the case was dropped. With almost all the popular teens killed at the rave that night, Randy would find himself near the top of the pecking order of the high school hierarchy once the dust settled. He would eventually make more friends and even gain a girlfriend in the deceased Jessica Manson's younger sister, Alice. All in all, it would seem that awful night turned out the be blessing in disguise for dear Randy.

Now if only he could stop waking up screaming every night.


Hmmmm...the scent of blood...they're coming..."

The wind blew open the doors and windows of the old Knowby Cabin. At one time, this had been a place of peace and comfort but now was the very shelter of evil incarnate. That evil took the form of a tome that rested inside its cellar, its cover depicting a face twisted in agony and in hatred.

I cannot let the Dream Demon become my Master...I cannot let him read my pages...

The damned tome flipped open to its middle pages and recited the words inked in the parchment. Besides the unholy text, a picture of a demon with an enlarged head rested.

I know he won't like it...he only cares for vengeance...but ever since that witch borrowed my power, he's become bound to me...So I call forth thee...destroy those unworthy to read me...leave nothing left but blood and bone...

Outside the cabin, the first drop of blood hit the decayed roof, followed by another and another. Before long, a torrent of blood was raining from the sky. The trees and soil became soaked in the red fluid that had once flowed through the bodies of living humans. From the ever-reddening soil, a creature whose head vaguely resembled a pumpkin poked out and let out a frustrated growl.

(Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!)