Chapter Eleven: Dwight

Dwight's eyes were full of Freddy's mangled body floating in front of him but they jerked to Sally when she spoke.

"What?"

The question seemed to echo through the clearing, carried by the wind from Freddy's transition.

No one answered.

Sally had collapsed to her knees and was sobbing into Herman's arms while Feng cradled Jake's lolling head in her lap. Claudette's back was to him and she didn't turn around. Only Evan seemed to be aware that Dwight had said anything at all and even that big man was squinting to keep the tears at bay.

Dwight left Freddy behind and approached Evan because he knew he had to take charge of this situation. "Evan, can you go?" Dwight looked at him. "Please."

The big man seemed unsure for a moment but he nodded and headed off without a word. Dwight turned his attention back to Freddy since both Jake and Sally were in good hands and he was the only one who could actually see the villain at the moment.

That was when he heard the sound. It was low at first but grew in volume until it eclipsed the still howling wind. Dwight covered his ears to block it out, for it was every combination adding up to nails on a chalkboard and he almost couldn't stand it.

Dwight squinted his eyes against the noise and as he did he cast them up to The Entity and realized the sound was coming from It.

The Entity writhed like Dwight had never seen before and as the sound reached a fever pitch where Dwight could feel warmth trickling down his palms from his ears, It began to split open.

Cracks of light formed on Its branches and as Dwight watched they expanded and grew brighter.

The ensuing explosion sent him flying right into a tree.

When he next opened his eyes it was to a pounding headache. Dwight struggled to a sitting position and blinked away the spots to see bodies scattered on the ground around him.

Dwight got on his knees and crawled to Claudette where she lay several feet from him, his heart in his throat the entire time. When he rolled her over she moaned and put an arm across her face.

"Thank God," he whispered, as he gently brushed a thumb against her cheek.

She slowly opened her eyes. "What happened?" But before Dwight could begin to explain she was sitting up and looking around. "Where are Feng and-" Claudette's words cut off in a choked sob as she saw Jake laying on the ground with Feng right beside him. Claudette scrambled over to them and Dwight followed, his heart heavy once more. She went for Feng and Dwight knelt by Jake.

He reached out a shaking hand to touch Jake's face expecting cold and instead found it warm. That was when he realized Jake was breathing. "He's-"

"Out of my way," Feng slurred. She slapped ineffectively at Dwight's hand where it was hovering above Jake's face before almost falling on top of the man. "'M fine."

"He's alive, Feng." She froze at his words, her hair hiding her face and her arms shaking where they held her body over Jake's.

A single tear dropped onto Jake's face and he groaned before blinking harshly. "Feng?" He blinked some more and frowned at her. "You're crying? What...?"

Feng hesitated and then dragged him up by his collar so she could wrap her arms around him. "Just shut up." Jake's arms stretched out awkwardly for a moment before slowly coming to circle her waist as she sobbed into his shoulder.

Dwight looked at Claudette to find tears in her eyes too. She nodded at him and they both backed away.

"I don't understand," Claudette said, her hands twisting together. "He was dead. Outside of a trial, I've never seen anything like this."

"What does it mean?" Dwight asked, but he was half distracted Freddy's body. His mangled, dead body looking altogether too perfect except for where Evan had sliced him up. "Wait. Look at this." He said it forgetting she couldn't see him at all. "Oh. Right. Nevermind."

Claudette shook her head. "No, I can see him. Somehow." She grimaced.

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I," Claudette said, and Dwight knew she was genuinely upset about this even though she didn't say anything. But they had more important things to deal with at the moment than that mystery.

Dwight touched Claudette's arm and jerked his head toward the woods. As they passed Herman and Sally leaning on each other and got closer to the familiar greenage, she pulled up short and Dwight soon saw why. A rabbit was hidden among the grass there. He wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't pointed it out.

"I don't…"

"Me either."

They pressed on and as they passed between the trees Dwight noticed something else.

"Where is the mist?"

"I don't see any."

Their eyes met and as they did Dwight saw for the first time that her face was clean.

"Claudette," he said, the weight of all his burgeoning emotions in that one word. "You aren't bloody." Her eyes snapped down to her shirt and she lifted it wonderingly even as Dwight pulled her into a crushing embrace. "I don't think we're in the nightmare anymore."

Claudette's arms wrapped around him just as fiercely. "Look up."

They did, to find stars twinkling and bright in the clear night sky. The moon hung low over the treetops and as they stood in stunned silence an owl hooted.

"I've never been so happy in my life," Dwight said, and it was the truth. He leaned down to swallow Claudette's reply with his lips. They were gentle against his, as was the movement of her mouth. When they drew back they drank each other in with their eyes, communicating more effectively their feelings than any words could possibly convey.

As they stood silently holding each other, whole and healthy figures began to appear from the darkness. David, Meg, Nea, Quentin, now Laurie and Ace. Philip and Max came, appearing somewhat shorter in stature. Detective Tapp approached with Anna and Lisa. Evan cut a huge, solitary figure behind the rest.

"I couldn't tell you before," Lisa said, breaking the silence. "But there were only two down there and Philip and I got them out."

"Yes, and that is when we found The Entity's stalk. It's heart. It knew after we pried the old ones free. It sent all Its murderers after us. But we were ready." The man's lips curved into a grim smile even while triumph shone in his eyes.

Lisa sighed. "It saved Freddy for last and by then we had no choice but to bring him with us. I'm sorry."

"That's okay," Dwight said, to nods around the circle. "We managed." A hush hung in the air as everyone waited for him to speak again. "Was it Freddy all along?"

"Yes," Philip said. "I think so."

"We can't know that," Evan interjected.

"No, we can't," Herman said from behind Dwight, "but who gives a damn?" He turned to see Sally with Feng and Jake who were holding hands.

"I do," Jake said, "I want him dead. He's not coming back, is he?"

Feng squeezed his hand. "If he does we'll just have to fuck him up again. Don't worry."

"No," Sally said, "He's dead. They both are now."

"You too?" Dwight was confused by Lisa's question until Sally nodded.

"Yes. My powers are gone."

A chorus of agreement went around all the former killers, but it was Philip who spoke next.

"You see. It did not know us. It did not see us coming so we killed It. No more evil now."

Dwight soaked it all in and reflected over the fact that nothing had gone as they imagined or planned but that it had all worked out anyway, that it was all because of their bonds-so strong that they had each overlooked themselves for the good of the group. Even stronger evidence was in the fact that they had reclaimed their former allies from the despair of being killers. They couldn't have succeeded without them. It would have been a worthless endeavor doomed to failure.

"We wouldn't be here right now if not for everyone's part in this. Thank you, my friends." Dwight walked around the circle shaking everyone's hand and embracing them. It was both heartfelt and ceremonial at the same time. Everyone linked hands afterward and bowed their heads in a moment of silence for all the unknown people who had been drained like batteries by The Entity in the end. Then a collective cheer went up and they were all crying and embracing each other.

"Where are we?" Someone asked, but Dwight couldn't see who.

"Doesn't matter," Dwight said. "We're together."