A/N:Reviews, commentaries and critics welcome. i don't own Steven universe or A nightmare on Elm Street.
I thank the Beta reader Ivy Rain for helpping out in this story.
The three of them stood there watching the factory. Sadie was holding her spear, ready to pounce. To her right Connie stood holding her sword. Steven on the far right with his shield in guard position. At the front of them was Freddy looking more and more amused by the second. They were ready for anything until they heard 2 voices at the same time.
"STEVEN! CONNIE! WAKE UP!" The voices yelled. Soon after they heard ""SADIE! DID YOU FALL ASLEEP WATCHING MOVIES AGAIN?" The three of them stopped to look at each other confused by this. The first to break the silence was Sadie.
"That one was Jenny. WHOA!" Sadie realized. Steven and Connie could not contain their surprise as they saw Sadie vanish from existence in front of them.
"SADIE! What did you do to her?" Connie asked to Freddy; tightening the grip on her sword
"Me? I'm afraidthat wasn't me. Yet." Freddy said as he made a good-bye signal with his claw hand. It was that moment when Steven and Connie noticed that they were disappearing from existence too.
"Steven, Connie. Wake up sleepy heads. It's time to workout!" Said a very enthusiastic Amethyst shaking Steven who was still in his bed.
"Hummm? What? Oh no, Connie!" Steven said while turning quickly to see where Connie was. He sighed in relief when he saw she was just in the other side of the bed. He quickly got to her side and straddling her he began to shake her, trying to wake her up. Eventually Connie began to stir.
"Ugh…Steven? STEVEN!" Connie raised her head fast. That turned out to be a bad idea,especially when Steven was so close to her face. Groaning in pain Connie collapsed back into the bed rubbing her forehead while Steven moaned and fell on top of Connie.
"Hmm guys. I am pretty sure that is not how you do it." Amethyst said trying to contain her laughter. The scene was too weird. There was Connie laying on the bed one hand rubbing her poor forehead and Steven moaning covering his nose on top of her. It was a shame that Amethyst did not have a camera in that instant.
As soon as Steven realized where and what was he doing he quickly jumped off of Connie. Meanwhile Connie could not stop herself from blushing profusely. They got dressed in silenced and then followed Amethyst, who was still giggling. Once they were outside they began their jog with Amethyst marking the route and now openly laughing.
"Connie, sorry for"
"Don't worry. It was an accident" Connie said smiling at the little faux pass of Steven's.
"Are you sure? It looked painful." He said jogging beside her.
"Well it hurt a little, but at least it wasn't my nose." She said turning to look at him
"Yeah, but still." there was another thing that still nagged Steven. "Connie do you remember the dream that we had?"
"Oh yes. The zombies. Sadie slaughtered them with a spear and"
"Freddy Krueger." Steven concluded while the sun was coming up over the horizon. "The Springwood Slasher. Welll now we got the name."
"And the place. So Springwood." Connie said frowning a little trying to pin point were that was. Steven suddenly blurted out. "Connie, I think I know what place that guy was talking about."
"Are you sure? Where is it then?" Connie asked turning to look at Steven. They neared the mark to turn and go back to the house.
"It's the town where…where my dad died." Steven finally said.
For a few minutes Connie didn't know what to say to Steven. she simply kept on running and after what felt like ten minutes they had the house in sight. It was then she finally spoke.
"Steven, I am so sorry. I did not want to" butshe was cut short by Steven who simply said.
"Its fine. Maybe it's a coincidence. But hey, we got the name and the place. We just have to search online." Steven finished smiling a little.
As they returned home Amethyst, who was way in front of them was getting the weights ready. There was a bench and a squat rack.
"Ok Steven. I programmed your routine according to the book and what I think is your one rep max." She said pointing at the weights as they were lined up. "Well we will begin with good old fashion push-ups. We'll need your help for this, Connie."Amethyst said pointing at her.
"My help? How?"
"You will be on Steven's back so he had an extra challenge." Said Amethyst as she transformed into a harness and put Connie on Steven's back. "Now Steven, drop and push!"
After Steven completed the first set of push-ups he immediately went to squats with what Amethyst said was the warm up weight, about 135 pounds. After completing the set using the upper part of the rack Amethyst got Steven to do some weighted chin ups. Using Connie as the weight of course. The whole cycle was repeated until muscle failure, which thanks to Steven'sGem biology took until the 6th set. Amethyst quickly noted to increase the weight next Monday, because Sunday was deemed rest day. Connie soon was put in a body weight routine because there was no way in hell that her mother would consent to her lifting weights at her age. Once the whole workout finished they entered the house to find Pearl finishing the touches of their breakfast. As they sat to eat they were reminded that by Pearl that they simple stunk.
"So, Steven, do you think that that guy was a gem?" Connie said from inside the shower.
"I don't know. I didn't see his gem." Steven said still wondering what that man or thing was. However, the fact that he said that he lived in Springwood or at least had some relation to the town still lingered. I have never met a gem monster that could talk yet.
"He did not look like a gem monster. He looked burned. Third degree if my mother's photos are any indication." Connie said as she got out of the shower, towel over her head but already dressed. "But…are you sure that you don't know him? He said that you just gave him everything that he wanted."
"I'm sure. Maybe he was talking about the three of us. Oh, SADIE!" Steven said remembering how Sadie suddenly disappeared. "Do you think he pulled her into his dream? Or maybe he is here in Beach City right now?" Steven said beginning to pace back and forth.
"Steven, calm down. We don't know if he is here. Somebody like him would be quickly noticed and as soon we finish eating we will search Sadie." Connie assured Steven as they went together to the kitchen and prepared themselves plates from what Pearl had prepared for them.
At the table was Garnet leaning close to the sink looking deep in thought, Amethyst was munching away on some chips and Pearl was sitting on a high chair waiting for Steven and Connie to arrive and eat what she had prepared for them. She also wanted to see if the recipe was as tasty as it said in the book. Not long and they were halfway done with breakfast when they heard the sound of somebody slamming their fist on the door. Steven and Connie watched each other thinking who could be here so early. While they wondered Amethyst was the one to open the door.
"STEVEN! CONNIE! OH, thank God you are alright." Said Sadie stopping in to check on them, looking like she got ready in a hurry. "After Jenny woke up I thought that I left you alone with that monster."
"Monster? Where? Were you two outside here last night?" Pearl said completely lost on all the new information.
"No. Well maybe, but not how you think we were." Steven tried to explain. "It's complicated." Steven finally said knowing that they needed to tell them everything from the start.
As they finish eating they explained what had happened yesterday. They explained how they entered Sadie's dream and how they helped with her Zombie problem. Then at the end how Freddy Krueger had appeared to them. For her part Sadie explained her dream, the strange man who appeared in her donut dream and then how it changed to the crooked forest. The horde of zombies that she nearly annihilated and the part when Connie and Steven appeared and helped her kill the last zombies.
"And that's what happened before you two entered my dream." Sadie explained to them.
"Well, but all that was only a dream." Pearl said. "Just part of your imagination."
"No, it was something else." Sadie said. "When Jenny woke me up so we could practice for our gig tomorrow at the party that Sour Cream had prepared. Which is NOT going to happen now." Sadie suddenly turned somber and from her jacket she pulled out a newspaper. She dropped it on the table and said "Onion is missing. He disappeared last night and what they found does not look good." She said.
Connie was the one who picked out the paper and read:
"Last night a resident of Vidalia Tail and Yellow Tail at 3:45 am, Onion, son of Vidalia and Yellow was reported missing. Reports of his brother Sour Cream said that he noticeda disturbance in his brother's bedroom and decided to investigate. Once in the interior of the bathroom there were no signs of the infant in question, no forced doors or signs of any forced entrance at the kid's room. The only signal of violence was blood marks in the mattress and what appeared to be human organs."
"That's disgusting." Said Connie, refusing to continue reading the description and speculation of what were the organs found in Onion's room. "Wait! Jenny did not know?"
"No. She came to me first to wake me up, but as I was getting ready to come here we received a call from Buck." After a pause she continued, "His father received the news first thing because he is the Mayor now that Gunga is dead due to him being the second place. Anyway, returning to the main point here. What we saw was not a dream, at all." Sadie said completely serious.
"Oh please, let's not be silly, Steven and Connie entered your dream like he said to have entered Kiki's pizza in the past." Pearl said, convinced that all this was getting out of hand and was going nowhere.
"Since when can dreams give you money?" Sadie said putting three coins on the table. They were shining like they had never been used. They were silver in color and looked only dented slightly on the edge were they maybe fell to the ground once before.
"Wow, Sadie. Where did you get these coins?" Steven asked picking out one and looking at it. The face and profile of a woman with flowing hair and a crown looking to the left was beautiful.
"That was the amount that guy paid me in my dreams." Sadie said picking up one of coins and flipping it. The unmistakable sound of silver ringing in the air and as she caught it, Garnet was the first to speak.
"Are you sure that you didn't have them with you before?" She said as calm and expressionless as possible but was obviously interested for she was leaning on the table looking straight at Sadie.
"If I had them with me before I probably would have sold them on internet. These coins are uncirculated, probably about 40 bucks at the least." Sadie said grabbing them back and putting them in her pocket." But there is one other thing." She then took of her jacket and showed then a cut in the front. "I went to sleep without this, but I remembered getting this while I battled the Zombies."
All the people at the table were silent for a long time, but Pearl was the first to recover from all of what was said by Sadie,Steven and Connie.
"This is nonsense. Dreams are manifestations of human biology" She was stopped by Garnet.
"After Greg died, the night of the funeralI had a vision. Steven was pressured by something. I couldn't see it, but he was alone in the center of Beach City. All three of us were poofed and whatever was there, wanted Steven to go to Ocean City. It was obvious that the threat was us being shattered, and I think, that maybe the answers to this lay in Springwood." then Garnet stood and turned to Pearl and she said, "This afternoon Pearl and I will go to Springwood and search for information, Amethyst." Garnet said looking at the small gem.
"Yes." Amethyst said coming out of her shock.
"You will take care of Steven while we are away. If this Krueger is here you will keep watch so nothing happens to them." She said looking at Steven and Sadie. "You said that he called himself Freddy Krueger?"
"Yes, but Connie thinks that the first name could be Frederick, Fredrik or Friedreich." Steven said.
"We will search using variations of the name in the town." Garnet said with finality.
That afternoon, Garnet and Pearlwould use the portal so they could appear in the closest place to the city of Springwood and get the information that they needed. Amethyst received a credit card with instructions to use it should Steven need food or something. Pearl, for her part, decided to use her time left to prepare food that Steven could reheat for that day and the next; in case the investigation got longer than anticipated. With nothing left to do Garnet and Pearl took the portal to their destination.
As soon as Garnet and Pearl left, Sadie, Steven and Connie decided to visit Sour Cream and talk about what happened with his brother. It was the right thing to do after Sour Cream and the cool kids decided to visit Steven after his dad died. On the way to Vidalia house Connie asked.
"So, are you sure about the coins?"
"I am sure that I didn't have them. As I said, I need the money and these will go on sale as soon as this is over." Sadie answered as she took one coin out and began flipping it while they walked on the beach. Amethystwas walking alongside them. "But."
"What? Sadie?" Steven asked, now walking at the left side of Sadie while Connie walked at the right side, Amethyst now walking by Steven's left.
"Maybe they won't find him either here or Springwood." Sadie finished, sounding both doubtful and cryptic.
"What are you talking about? Pearl and Garnet will find him and then we will kick his ass!" Amethyst said exasperated and confused by all this talk.
"Let's, okay just hear me out, there is this movie. A Hungarian horror film with a big twist at the end." Sadie began to say but was interrupted by Amethyst.
"What Hungarian horror flicks have anything to do with this? Come on." Amethyst said getting more frustrated.
"Let me finish! Okay listen." She said, stopping walking and turning to look at Connie and Steven. "The big twist of the movieis that the brutal killer that had been terrorizing the neighborhood was actually long dead. No, it wasn't a copycat killer. It wasn't some hallucination either. The killer was long dead and the movie ends with the hero dying while he discovers this."
"What if it's just some gem monster like in Lighthouse?" Steven said remembering the supposed supernatural things that happened in the lighthouse were just product of a gem monster that had fused with the place. "It could be, right?"
"Yeah, we just poof it and problem solved. You could sleep soundly again." Amethyst said, happy to be back on a friendly terrain.
"Connie, Steven, or Amethyst, have you ever found a gem monster who was not a mindless beast but that could actually interact and be mean just because?" Sadie said flipping her coin. "Because he thought it was fun?" She then added "I mean, in my dream he was so entertained by making me feel uncomfortable." She then stopped flipping her coin and hugged herself remembering how he had look at her.
"He also looked me…weird." Connie remembered.
"So,do you think that he is aghost?" Steven asked now not so sure what to think.
"I have never heard of one that could use dreams. In movies they are pretty straightforward." Now it was Connie turn to interrupt.
"That sounds more likea wizard or astral projection. Steven remem…" But Connie did not finish because Amethyst finally exploded.
"There are NO ghosts! Pearl and Garnet will finish him and we can keep calm." She said trying not to look like the idea of something that she could not punch was not only insulting, but offensive.
Garnet and Pearl had just arrived at the entrance of the town. There it was the welcome sign with the family looking at the right. As they began to walk now in the sunny afternoon they began noticing a lot of things that they had not seen during the night the last time they were here. Pearl began feeling quite disturbed by the absence of people in the street. There were a few people, but mostly middle aged or older. She had not seen a young boy or girl since entering the town and it was beginning to feel disconcerting. Before she could say anything to Garnet who walked at her left, Garnet spoke.
"This town is dying." Garnet said, stopping to look at the neighborhood and see all the houses that looked empty or where obviously closed.
"You notice it too?" Pearl asked also looking all the old houses. "It sure looked like this used to be a nice neighborhood, but what really bothers me is"
"The absence of kids?" Garnet said, turning to look at her.
"Yes. I haven't even seen a teen walking down the street." Pearl then looked at a big building in front of her. She realized that it was a school. Maybe someone inside the school can give us some information she thought.
Walking into the building they noticed the name, Springwood High. They entered and found that not only did the building look empty outside, but they could hear only some voices. Pearl and Garnet walked cautiously. Pearl got her sword out and Garnet got the gauntlets ready. They got closer to what appeared to be a class room but before they could enter, Garnet put her gauntlets away and nudged her head. She signaled Pearl to look through the small window of the door. As Pearl saw inside she only grew more confused. There, in the middle of the classroom was an old man who walked and appeared to be giving a lecture of some sort; to nobody. The classroom was empty except for the teacher. Turning to look at Garnet she saw that she was in the next classroom. Without word Garnet signaled Pearl to come and see. There the saw the same, exact scene. It was a lone classroom with no students, just the teacher rambling and making exercises on the board.
"Do you think they are insane?" Pearl asked, looking at the spectacle that was a class for no one.
Concentrating, Garnet tried to focus on her future vision. There she was, standing in front of a man. He must have been Sour Cream's height, but he had broader shoulders, more like Steven. He had a bladed glove on his right hand and cold blue eyes. He looked at her like she was prey. It seemed as if he detected her discomfort. He slowly began to smile and laugh a deep guttural laugh which became raspier the longer it went on. Suddenly the bell rang.
"Who is ringing the bell for?" Pearl began but was interrupted by the voice of an old lady.
"Now kids, don't forget to get a date for tomorrow's dance and please don't dirty the classroom on your way." The lady continued giving random announcements about the school activities and then the teachers left the classrooms. Every single one of them passed Garnet and Pearl like they did not exist. Finally,Garnet saw the last one, which was an old lady who gently shuffled her way to the doors, walking fast Garnet stood in front of her.
"Can we ask you some questions?" Garnet said complete neutral.
"Hmm. If is about the assignment don't worry is only 10% of your grade, angel." She said in a gentle tone, patting Garnet in the hips due to her height.
"Lady…Mrs... We are not students." Pearl said walking in front of the teacher. "We are…"
"From out of town!" Garnet said fast. "We are searching for information about a person. Maybe you know him." Garnet said.
"If it was my student I can tell you about him." She said smiling in weird way. Her eyes behind her glasses were unfocused. What is his name?"
"We believe his last name is Krueger." Garnet said.
"Frederick? Oh dear, is this about the hamster?" She said putting a hand in front of her mouth concerned. "I assure you officer, I just don't know why he would do that to the class pet."
"We aren't…" Pearl began but Garnet made a signal for her to stop.
"Here for the hamster problem. Maybe you could tell us where he lives or where his mother lives." Garnet said smiling warmly to the old lady, teacher?
"Gertrude Gable." She said "and umm, the kids mother works at The Hathaway House." She then whispered "She is a novice, just ask for Amanda Krueger and as for the kid…well he lives on 1428 Elm Street, with Mr. Underwood." She then began to shuffle to the exit like she had never seen them in her life.
After Garnet had gone to one shop and got one of the free maps that the store gave as gifts she found Pearl watching the high school looking upset.
"What is wrong,Pearl?" Garnet asked folding the paper and looking at Pearl who then looked at her.
"Why did you lie to that lady?" She said. "We are not police officers and…"
"And she won't remember that tomorrow or even in a couple of hours." Garnet said. "Pearl, she doesn't know that she is teaching nobody. Just like all the teachers in that school."
"How are sure that they won't notice?" Pearl asked, now interested in what Garnet had to say. "We were going around asking questions."
"They won't notice us, because they can't." Garnet then took of her glasses and touched Pearl on her head showing her what she had seen before the bell rang. "Him, whatever. He has something to do with them not seeing us."
"Who was that horrible man?" Pearl said feeling disgusted after seeing Garnet's vision.
"That is what we are here to find out." Garnet said leading the way to the next location.
After a 15-minute walk they found the house. It looked like it hadn't been touched in decades, it was in such disrepair. The door was shuttered and the wood barren, The windows had bars and the vegetation was overgrow all over the whole place.
"I think the lady lied to us." Pearl said walking to the door and inspecting the house.
"No, this is the house." Garnet said forming one gauntlet in her right hand and punching the door down. As they walked inside the house it was obvious that years had passed since the last person lived here. Walking from room to room they found little of significance.
"Maybe we should check the boiler room." Garnet said walking down stairs. There she began looking every place for something that she had seen briefly then she got it. "Pearl I need you over here."
"Garnet this place is so filthy!" Pearl said disgusted by the state of abandoned house.
"Pearl I need you to make a cut in this wall." Garnet said pointing to a wall and following it by pointing where she needed the cuts. "This is a false wall and think we will get answers behind here."
Pearl pulled out her sword from her gem and with surgical precision made the cuts, Garnet then grabbed the piece and moved it. Inside there was a small room. It was mostly empty but had what appeared to be an old bed, a hand operated grinding stone and some copper pipes cut in various points in the ground. There were some meat knives but they were old and oxidized. Then while Garnet picked up one knife Pearl saw something in one wall. There were a lot of small nails in the wall and pieces of what appeared to be burned out paper. This place had been burned at one point. On the ground she saw an old newspaper, nearly burned out, but the headline was still visible, "Child killer Set Free". Pearl stood up from her crouching on the floor and turning to Garnet with the paper in hand she called.
"Garnet, you need to read this." Pearl said giving it to Garnet. "Why would Mr. Underwood will be interested in a child killer?" Pearlasked feeling disgusted by the them.
"I don't think Mr. Underwood was the one collecting this." Garnet said givingPearl the long-curved knife. "These knives look just like the ones of my vision. We need to go to The Hathaway House."
This time Garnet and Pearl ran to the location, trying to take advantage of the natural light. Then, at the end of the city they found the place. It looked like a castle. There was a big tower in the center, and to the left a smaller one surrounded by even smaller ones. They could see a big set of stairs that led to a big, plain space. Gargoyles adorned the building and it was closed. It looked even in worse state than the house that they just left.
"Krueger's mother lived here?" Pearl said baffled looking at the place. "This is pointless. Every place we've gone is a dead end"
"Who are you?" A voice said from behind them.
Turning fast Garnet and Pearl saw a tall, thin woman. She had very white skin nearly like Pearl and was wearing white with a head cover that uncomfortably reminded Garnet of blue diamond. She looked at them with utmost seriousness and asked again.
"Who are you young ladies?"
"Our names are Garnet and Pearl." Pearl said looking eye to eye with the lady who never averted her gaze. "We are searching for Frederick Krueger's mother, Amanda Krueger."
"Who told you about Amanda?" The lady asked now with ice in her voice.
"Teacher Gertrude Gable." Garnet said. This lady was unnerving her with her demeanor all the way down to her clothes.
"I am afraid that old Mrs. Gable has become forgetful in her old age." She said walking to the door. The sound of keys told them that she was opening the place for them. "That is because she would have told you that Amanda Krueger has been deceased for the last 50 years" She said as she opened the door. "But if what you search is answers to the bastard son of 100 maniacs, then I can help you in your search." After saying that, Amanda silently walked up to the stairs in the entrance.
As Garnet and Pearl followed the lady, Pearl could not help herself and turned to Garnet to ask.
"Have you used your future vision on her? Can we trust her?" She whispered.
"I can't see anything." Garnetsaid while clenching her teeth and opening and closing her fists.
"How?" Pearl whispered fast.
"I have tried to look at her future since she first spoke to us. Every time I see that man." Garnet said with clear frustration in her voice as they wandered into the corridors of the ruined building.
"Krueger's mother worked here." The woman said, walking in front of them, "she used to take care of the residents of these facilities."
"What was the purpose of this building?" Pearl asked
"It was a sanitarium for the mentally infirm." She said. "A house for the dangerously insane. The ones that could no longer function in the outside world."
"Like the corrupted gems." Garnet whispered to Pearl.
"She worked one night, close to Christmas of the 41, when she…" The lady said as she opened a door. "Was trapped here with 100 of the inmates." Walking inside she showed them from a small balcony like structure. The depth of the room looked like a pit that extended bigger than the beach house. "And they raped her for days. It wasn't until after the New Year that they found her. She was barely alive and later they found out, pregnant."
"She was raped by the corrupted humans?" Pearl asked, completely sickened by the revelation seen within the dark and filthy pit.
"Yes and from that Frederick was born. It seemed his sole purpose was …to bring torment and suffering to this town." She said as she walked out of the room. Garnet followed her closely and Pearl came out, finally still thinking of the horrible scene.
"What do you mean?" Garnet said still calm, but to Pearl it was obvious that she was uncomfortable just being in the presence of this lady.
"Frederick Charles Krueger grew up to become a murderer. A mad man who preyed on Springwood's children." She said turning to look Garnet straight in her eyes.
"He was a child killer?" Pearl was now truly horrified by this.
"For years he operated under a mask of normality. She said bitterly. "Her own mother thought that her fears of the child were unfounded." She then smiled to Garnet. "Then again who can see into the future?"
"Do you know where we could find Krueger?" Pearl asked. If this man is after my baby I need to stop him!
"You can't find him here. He was killed in 1968. The parents of Springwood banded together and burned him alive. He had been arrested…"
"And then set free." Garnetfinished for her, remembering the newspaper clipping.
"Yes. It was a technicality. His mother was distraught when he regained his freedom and took her own life." She said walking down the corridor again. "She remained in this building until decades later when she was found by a young girl named Yvonne Miller. Now her soul roams free." She said smiling.
Pearl was about to say something to her when Garnet grabbed her hand and doing a silent motion she pointed out to the woman's. She did not projectany shadow despite the obvious sun. Garnet began to walk towards the woman and touched her shoulder in a flash. The woman disappeared and Garnet was now grabbing white clothes. Pearl immediately began to freak out.
"Humans don't disappear. HUMANS DON'T DISSAPEAR!"
As fast as they could the two ran across the corridor of the old building and once close to the doors they saw that they were closed. They had never been opened in the first place. Jumping outside, Garnet still had a hold on something, Pearl looked down and asked "Is that the woman's clothes?" Garnet just stared at the clothes in her hand.
"WHAT WAS THAT? Was she a gem? Was…"
"She was not a gem. She was Amanda Krueger." Garnet then stored the clothes in one of her gems and turned to Pearl taking off her glasses. "I don't know how, nor do I understand it butI think the reason why I could not see her futureis because her future is already sealed."
"What are you implying?" Pearl asked not liking the direction of the conversation.
"We are not dealing with a gem. I don't know what it isand still don't know how to defeat it." Garnet finished.