Freddy vs. Jason vs. Pinhead: Gladiators of Hell
Disclaimer: I own nothing (unfortunately); all characters and films are owned by their respective creators and studios. This is just purely for fun, I gain no profit from this so please don't sue.
Note: This chapter is special, as it's my lovely girlfriend's birthday today, and I know that she's been looking forward to reading more of this story and others as well. To my love and inspiration, Laura.
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Chapter 4: Calm After the Storm
Freddy bolted up right, flailing his clawed hands around like a madman. His throat was rough and hoarse as he breathed heavily whilst trying to get a bearing on his surroundings. He was so on edge that it took him a moment to register where he was and what was going on around him, as things were quiet. He jumped when a low-pitched voice broke the silence. ''We were beginning to wonder if you would come to.''
Quickly, Freddy turned around to find the source of the voice coming from Kronzar, who calmly kneeled on the ground, staring off into the distance. Behind the demon hunter were the two angels. Sabner sat with his legs crossed and his fists coiled and pressed against each other whilst his eyes remained closed, like he was in a meditative state, shutting off anything and everything going on in the outside world as he settled into the fabric of his thoughts. Circe was standing close by, leaning against the rocky wall of their dungeon. Her eyes occasionally drifted to glare at Freddy suspiciously, before gazing over towards Jason.
The most pleasant sight Freddy had seen since he'd arrived here was looking at Jason chained up against the wall, preventing him from causing any kind of ruckus when no gladiator matches were going on.
That's when Freddy remembered, he remembered it all…his attempted duel with Pinhead, and how utterly humiliated he was in front of the crowd of Cenobites. He gritted his teeth and slashed against the wall, unable to contain his anger. ''I can't believe this.''
Circe huffed. ''Hmm, I believe the first thing you should be doing is thanking my merciful brother.''
''And why should I, tots?'' Freddy barked back at her.
''Because if it wasn't for him, you would have been surely executed by Xipe Totec.''
Freddy scowled and turned away, avoiding all eye contact with Circe, or any of the gladiators for that matter. ''I could have taken him…''
This time, a small laugh escaped from Kronzar. ''Is that so? Because from where we were standing, even with the help of your companion over there, you were completely out-classed.''
Not wasting a beat, Freddy marched over and towered over the still relaxed Kronzar, who hadn't even budged from his kneeling position. Freddy flexed a single claw close to the demon hunter's face. ''First, that walking tree trunk isn't my companion. Second, Pinhead only beat me because we are on his turf. If we fought again in my domain…''
''But this isn't your domain!'' Sabner said in a hushed voice. ''This situation you find yourself in may not be to your liking, but it is what it is, and we must make do and press on together.''
Circe straightened herself, standing tall and proud. ''He's right. The only way for us to make it through these gladiator matches is for us to work together, so we cannot afford for you to make anymore rash decisions.''
Freddy sneered, leaning back, he walked away from the others. ''Sorry, I'm not a team-player.'' He said mockingly.
Kronzar stared at Freddy. His calm demeanour replaced by a shadowed look casting over his expression. There was an angered look his eye, though from the way he slowly rose to his feet to face in Freddy's direction was slow and deliberate. Taking his time to wait for Freddy to return a look in his direction, his angered look was seemingly replaced with sympathy. ''Believe me, I know what that feels like. But if you want to survive, you're going to have to learn to trust Sabner's words.''
A cold chuckled rattled from Freddy. ''Listen here, I've never been good at listening to angels on my shoulder, or even the devil on the other side. I just do what I do. I'm a free spirited kind of guy like that. When I escape from here, and mouth Pin-cushion's head on my wall, it'll be on my terms.''
Suddenly, a thundering echo was heard, as Circe had punched the wall behind her so powerfully, it left a small crack in its wake. ''You are a pitiful, ignorant, selfish excuse for a mortal. You have the soul of a dark bastard of a man.''
''Really? Took you that long to figure me out, sweetheart.'' He replied sarcastically and threw a wink in her direction.
Fire burned in Circe's eyes as she charged at Freddy. ''I swear, I'll rip your shrivelled heart out from your accursed body.''
Freddy raised his claw threateningly. ''Do your worst.''
It mere moments, they would be engaging in just a bloody fight as any from the gladiator arena. Kronzar prepared himself to step in between them to prevent this from happening, however, before anyone could even blink, a blur of white and blue shot right past Circe from behind and stopped in between her and Freddy. The two bitter challengers were forced to halt any squabble they had, as Sabner stood in the middle of their line of fire and held out his arms in both directions to stop them. ''That's enough!''
Hell itself seemed to freeze itself at that moment, as the usually quiet and respectfully angel unleashed a bellowing warning that had even Freddy intimidated a little. His eyes flared in a blinding white light, with smoke drifting out of them. Circe looked at her brother in shock, finding it difficult to understand his perspective as he stared back at her with such intensity, she was forced to look away. Her anger settled…somewhat. ''You should have let the Cenobite execute him.'' She hissed before walking away into the corner of their dungeon.
Before Freddy could throw out another comment, Sabner glared at him, the level of strength in his stare doubled when looking in the dream killer's eyes. ''This endeavour of yours to challenge anyone within arm's reach is pointless. As long as the Agony Callers are inside us, we are under the Cenobite's rule, and will only fight when ordered to by them. However, if you step out of line again with any of my comrades, I will break your arms and legs faster than the Agony Caller inside me will be able to reach my pain receptors.''
Either from the threat that was tossed his way, or from the realisation that he wasn't going to get far in his current predicament, for once, Freddy chose to button his lip and turn the other way. ''Can't make any promises, doc.'' He called out as he walked towards his own little corner.
With the situation now under control, Sabner's eyes returned to their normal state and he lowered his arms. Kronzar stepped closer to the angel. ''He's a wild card. They both are after the stunt they pulled in the arena. Perhaps Circe is right, it might have been a mistake to keep them alive.''
''Fred Krueger's temperament is a damaging asset, that much is certain. However, their display against the Aracnicks shows they have potential. The battles are becoming more difficult. Without more allies, we won't last much longer.''
Suddenly, the gladiators heard a loud clanking, and a beam of light blinded them, as the wall beside them seemed to split open. The group were unsure of what to make of this unusual development. It very rarely happened that one of the Gash would actually come down to their level, unless it was of the upmost importance. Sabner, Circe and Kronzar had a feeling of dread and worry sweep over them, whilst Freddy didn't have a damn to give.
A tall figure walked through the ray of light, and as the group took a moment to let their vision adjust to the brightness, Angelique became clear for all to see. She peered around the dungeon, eyeing up all the gladiators one at a time, trying her best to hide a sneer. Before long, she fixated on Sabner. ''Xipe wants a word with you, angel.''
Circe stiffened and turned to her brother, who didn't turn away from Angelique, a look of smugness plastered on her face. Kronzar was the one who stepped forward on his comrade's behalf. ''What's this about?''
''None of your concern. Xipe wishes to speak with the one named Sabner Aura, and him alone.''
The thick air of tension was sliced open by a dark chuckle coming from Freddy. ''What? No fan mail for me? Come on, admit it, I put on one hell of a show.''
Her knowing smirk didn't falter as her eyes narrowed when glaring at Freddy. ''I beg to differ. Xipe had no difficulty in humiliating you in the area. You and Voorhees were defeated quite comfortably. And you both should be grateful that the Hell Priest was merciful towards you.''
''Hmm, yeah, looks like Pinhead likes me more than you.''
That got under Angelique's skin. Her grin slowly disappeared as she momentarily lost control of the situation, evident by the wink Freddy threw her way soon after.
Before anything else could happen, Sabner stepped forward towards Angelique. ''Very well, I shall go with you.''
Angelique forcefully peeled her death glare away from Freddy and at Sabner. After staring at Sabner's calming exterior, as if he had nothing to fear, she felt the anger inside her drift away and chose to ignore Freddy's little taunt at her ego regarding her feelings for Xipe. She beckoned for the angel to follow her, into the blinding light and through the large door. He didn't face any of his comrades, not even his own sister, who couldn't hide a look of dread that crawled across her face. She watched as his silhouette disappeared into the light, before the walls pushed back together and sealed tightly.
''Oh no,'' Freddy remarked cynically. ''Now he's gone, he was the life of the party.''
''Don't you ever shut up?'' Kronzar questioned. Circe was too worried for her brother's sake to even bother with Krueger at this point.
Sabner didn't utter a word or make any kind of sound as he obediently followed Angelique through the hallways of the Labyrinth. Even with they were joined along their way by the demon princesses' faithful Skinner, the pair never locked eyes. This uneasy silence was driving Angelique to boredom, so she decided to prod. ''You are awfully co-operative to our demands for one whom was regarded an enemy of the Cenobites.''
Finally, Sabner spoke with the same level of calmness as always. ''The Cenobites and Enkeli were never enemies in my eyes. Merely beings with different Gods and practices towards those Gods.''
''It's funny you should say they are not enemies in your eyes, as if you concede that there is animosity between the two within the masses.''
His gaze lowered as they continued to walk. ''My opinion may not be shared with the rest of my people. But I hold true to my views.''
''And does your sister? Or is she blindly following you into an abyss?'' She mocked.
''She is free to make her own decision.''
''I doubt that.'' She paused for a moment. Because she was walking in front of Sabner, leading the way for him, he couldn't see or read her expression, but he could tell there was something about the tone of her voice that made her seem more thoughtful with her next sentence. ''You would be surprised the lengths some would go to follow the ideals of ones they look up to, or want to continue to be with.''
For once, he wasn't sure how to respond or even what he would be responding to. Was she giving him a warning? Or was it just more of her mind games that she was infamous for? So instead he kept his lips sealed and followed on, doing his best to ignore Skinner gradually moving closer to him after he had began conversing with Angelique. The newest addition to the Cenobite clan was certainly doing his best guard his Queen. One wrong move from Sabner, and that would be a potentially limb lost from Skinner's weapon.
It wasn't much longer until Angelique had pushed open a large, marble double-door that lead to what appeared to be a banquet table of some kind. However, instead of any kind of gourmet or edibles, on the table lay a single glass cup containing a strange red liquid. Standing at the far end of the table with his back turned was Xipe Totec, a glass cup of his own held in his hand.
He didn't even need to turn around to acknowledge their presence. With a slight nod of his head, he commanded towards Angelique, ''Leave us.''
''As you wish, Favoured Son of Leviathan.'' She bowed before him before taking her leave along with Skinner, dutifully following her and closing the doors behind.
Once he was certain that they were alone, Pinhead turned around to face Sabner, an unreadable on his face. Not one of anger, joy or even curiosity. More so a look of waiting…waiting for Sabner to make the first move, perhaps? So the angel did just that, questioning what was happening. ''You wished to speak with me?''
''Indeed. You must suspect what this discussion is about.''
A slow nod came from Sabner. ''You are wondering why I stepped in for Freddy Krueger.'' It was a statement, not a question.
''We have known each other a very long time, so I shouldn't have been surprised that you would decide to spare them. But then again, you don't know the man that Frederick is, not like I do. Or even Voorhees for that matter.''
''And what kind of men are they?''
A self-satisfied smirk appeared across Pinhead's face. ''The kind that breed carnage and death. They only live for the pleasure of killing, Krueger in particular is quite…destructive.''
''I noticed.'' Sabner conceded. ''However, he had found himself as a comrade of ours now, Jason Voorhees as well. We will fight together, and I will not abandon them. I can keep them in check for our battles, until our freedom.''
Pinhead titled his head, inquisitively looking at the angel. ''You still believe you can win your freedom?''
''I believe in many things.'' Sabner said defiantly. He stopped, looking hesitant to continue with what he was saying for a moment, eventually he continued. ''Including the chance for peace between our people.''
This time, Pinhead lowered his gaze, staring down into his cup. Miraculous, his grip was so still, that the liquid didn't ripple, leaving a clear reflection to look back into his cold, black eyes. ''You must give up that foolish endeavour. Even if I were to agree, Leviathan is my God, my word, and what he says is eternal.''
''You follow a blind God.'' Sabner ridiculed.
Like a blur, Pinhead angrily slammed his cup onto the ground, the glass shattered in different directions and the Cenobite rushed towards Sabner, grabbing him by the throat. ''Do not dare speak so low of Leviathan in his domain.''
''Why not?'' Sabner forced himself to speak through Pinhead's tightening grip. For some reason, he didn't lift a muscle to fight back or defend himself, baring the pain of being forcefully chocked. ''Unlike you, I have no one to answer to, or surrender my free will to.''
After his sudden outburst, Pinhead relaxed but didn't loosen his grip. ''Free will is an illusion for you. At this very moment, you are imprisoned and forced to fight to the death for the pleasure of souls lost or damned to the lingering memory of time. Pain and suffering is no illusion. The word of Leviathan is no illusion. You sprout ideals that change nothing. If there is a single soul within this realm who has no free will, it is you…fallen Enkeli.''
''I. Am. Not an Enkeli!'' He retorted harshly. His voice broken into fragments because of Pinhead's continued vice grip around his neck.
After what felt like an eternity, Pinhead let go and calmly folded his arms behind his back, whilst Sabner coughed and tried not to pass out. A smirk returned on the Cenobite's face. ''No, you are not. And you only have yourself to blame. Despite our very different paths and motivations, I have always admired you. But you sought what no Cenobite or Enkeli had before…peace between our kinds. Tell me, what did your Gods do when you suggested this proposition of peace?''
Sabner tried to stand tall, but between gasping for air after Pinhead's tremendous clutch around his neck and the memories that led him to his downfall, he couldn't remain strong forever. He was betrayed as a defeated and dejected look lingered, and he couldn't look Pinhead in the eyes. ''They banished Circe and I.''
''Who truly has free will?'' Pinhead questioned.
With one final bit of determination, Sabner returned a gaze towards Pinhead. ''With no thoughts of Leviathan to question your judgement tell me the truth…do you believe there could have been peace between us?''
The unreadable expression from before returned to Pinhead. ''We are finished…''
''I know you can be convinced. I know of the human you spared and made a deal with before.''
''We. Are. Finished!'' Pinhead silenced him with a booming voice. ''You had best prepare your comrades for their upcoming battle. I have heard it will be quite exquisite.''
''Something is wrong,'' Circe said, pacing back and forth as she eyed the wall that Sabner had exited earlier with Angelique. ''They should have returned by now. What do you think those barbarians are doing to him?''
''They would have no reason to hurt him,'' Kronzar reassured her. ''I am certain he will be back soon.''
In the corner, Freddy was perched against the wall, with his hands folded behind his head, his legs crossed over and his hat tipped over his face like he was relaxing on the beach. He tapped his clawed fingers against his arm over and over again, listening to what the other gladiators had to say and chuckling to himself. ''Maybe Pinny-boy is giving him a good spanking for being a naughty boy.''
Circe clenched her fist. ''One more word from you, and I will…''
She stopped mid-sentence as something caught her attention, a rattling noise. It wasn't coming from the parted wall, but instead beside her. She turned to see Jason waking up, trying to pull his body free from the chains that kept him locked in place.
Freddy lifted his hat to see what the commotion was about, and grimaced when he saw Jason struggling to get free. ''Oh great, he's awake. That's all I need.'' He turned around to lay on his side, facing away from Jason.
It amused Kronzar to see Freddy's action. ''Why act like a spoilt child?''
''Ha, if anyone acts like a child, it's fuck-face over there!'' Freddy bellowed, pointing with his thumb at Jason.
The hockey-mask wearing killer looked ready to tear Freddy apart limb from limb, continuing to struggle against the chains. Circe thought for a moment that the giant of a man might actually accomplish it. However, Jason felt a sudden surge of pain emanate around his whole body. The Agony Caller inside him forced him to stop struggling, and his limp body rested against the wall. It took much longer than usually, as Jason fought on and on to break free, even as it felt like he was being struck by lightning from the inside out. Finally, he stopped. Circe looked on impressed. ''You two must despise each other.''
A hyena-like cackle came from Freddy. ''You don't know the half of it, babe.''
Kronzar arched his brow. ''If you two hate each other so much, why were you brought here together?''
Becoming frustrated with the topic, Freddy shook his body and jumped to his feet, turning around sharply to glare at each of them, with Jason more than willing to glare back. ''Listen well, you big red pig! Jason was just a means-to-an-end for me. He just had to do what I say, but instead, he tried to hog all the glory of what were my children to kill. So we tried to settle things the only way we know how…by gutting and slashing until it's the last man standing.''
''You are both killers?'' Circe inquired.
''Ding-ding. We have a winner.'' Freddy responded. ''I am the Springwood Slasher, brought back with the demonic powers of invading the dreams of children. If I kill them in their sleep, they die for real. As for Jason over there? He chases happy campers in the woods because he misses his mommy!''
Even with his mask, Freddy could see Jason narrow his eyes.
Taking the brief backstory in, Kronzar grinned. ''Hmm, then perhaps when we are set free, you shall be my next bounty.''
''Don't bet on it, tiny. When I get out of here, nothing's going to stop me. Not even the high and mighty Cenobites.'' Freddy returned to his original position, lying down against the wall and trying to get some shut eye and ignore Jason for as long as possible.
Kronzar's grin didn't leave. ''You have high goals. That's admirable, even for a demon.''
Circe huffed. ''I disagree.''
''Well, it's my job to think like a demon. It helps better to track them and destroy them.''
Slightly interested at that little exchange and thinking back to Kronzar's remark about the two slashers being captured together, Freddy thought of something else. He shifted his body around and stood back up. ''Okay, so tell me this. How do two angels and a demon bounty hunter end up stuck in this hell together? I share my backstory, you have to share yours.''
''You don't have to answer him.'' Circe said to Kronzar.
He merely raised a hand, signalling that it was okay. ''I was tracking down a particular demon on Earth. However, it got the better of me and I was left a battered and broken shell. My life was dwindling away. I thought for a moment that I would burn in the Flames of Damnation. That is until Sabner and Circe came across me. They asked me if I wanted to try to survive and live on, or peacefully and painlessly pass onto the next life. I wanted to live. So they helped me, and healed me. How long did it take again?''
''You were in very rough shape. It was at least three months before you could even muster enough strength to lift your head.''
''Oh yeah, that was a very disheartening time for me.'' He mumbled, as if amused by the memory. ''Soon enough though, they helped me. I owed them a life debt. So when I discovered that they had been captured by the Cenobites, I naturally rushed in to help. As you can see, I didn't do a splendid job.''
''You shouldn't have come for us.'' She told him.
''Yes I did. You would have done the same for me.''
An over-exaggerated barfing sound was heard coming from Freddy as he rolled back over to look away. ''Forget I asked. Why don't you lick each other's ass's while you're at it.''
Instead of feeling offended like Circe was by Freddy's foul language, Kronzar's entertained grin grew larger. ''I believe he's starting to come around to appreciate us.''
''Screw you!''
Peace and quiet returned soon after. With nothing more to say, Kronzar sat in his own thoughts, recollecting the past and how the angels had helped him. Though a painful scar was reopened without his intention, the mention of the demon that put him in such a devastating state. He could still remember the demonic face, and shriek of horror like it was being echoed in the dungeon around them right now. Just the thought of the creature caused his body to tense.
A tender hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked up to see Circe staring down at him, offering a hopeful smile. It was a comforting gesture, one that put him more at ease. He rested a hand over hers to let her know he was all right.
Circe then turned her attention to Jason. Though she didn't want to admit it, Freddy's story had gotten to her. Jason surely couldn't have been as bad a person as Freddy was? Could he? She wanted to find out. She approached Jason. The mute killer didn't seem to regard her in anyway. ''Jason, I wanted to offer my thanks for your assistance in the arena earlier. You fight well. You will be most helpful in our future battles.''
Jason lifted his eye to face her, the shadows masked his eyes, making it impossible for the angel to read him. A few seconds later, Jason looked away, giving her no indication as to what he was thinking.
Another call came from Freddy. ''I'd give up if I was you when trying to talk with momma's boy. You're better off talking to the wall, it'll have more chance of opening up to you.''
Without warning, the wall at the far end split in two, causing everyone to jump. They stepped forward and waited for what was about to happen. They relaxed when they saw it was only Sabner returning, the walls quickly closing in behind him once he had fully returned. Circe rushed over to embrace her brother in a soothing hug. ''They didn't do anything to you? Did they brother?'' She questioned frantically.
''I am alright, dear sister.'' He assured her with a gentle smile. It faded quickly though as he addressed the others, even Freddy and Jason seemed interested in what he had to say. ''We have to be prepared. Xipe said that our next battle will commence very soon.''
Freddy punched his fist into the palm of his other hand, pumping himself up. ''Bring it on. I can take on anything.''
''You will need that spirit of yours Freddy,'' Sabner said darkly. ''Because for our next battle, we will be fighting Cenobites.''
To Be Continued…