Chapter 4

The Medic and the Master

The day was getting late, the reds and oranges blazing like wildfire across the skyscape. But the skyfire was a beautiful sight for Rebecca Chambers. This meant that it could be the end of another day, a well-deserved rest at the end of reaping the scientific fruits of analyzing the T-virus.

Yes, it was still in existence, but Rebecca, along with her crack team of fellow scientists, took every precaution, even those that may haven't been needed, to make sure the T-virus didn't get out. Putting the end results of the day in the heavy-duty freezer, she turned to the stairs leading up to her home in the heart of the city. On this day, she was dressed in an almost skintight white shirt under a green jacket, and blue pants. And thanks to a white lab jacket, it was all barely stained, which was surprising, considering she put in a work day that'd make any ordinary scientist collapse under the pressure.

The catch was, she was no ordinary scientist. She'd been Raccoon City's S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team's field medic during the outbreak, and she still served as one in Harvardville Contemplating how Raccoon went by so fast, she was broken from her thoughts by a creak in the woodwork.

She grabbed the 9mm Beretta lying behind the doorway at the top of the stairs and moved slowly and stealthily through the somewhat lavish living room…no sign of movement from behind the couch, the recliner, or anywhere else. Making sure it was safe, she headed toward the kitchen.

Well, compared to 1998, this is nothing, she mused to herself, still finding it hard to believe that she was only 30 years young; she'd been through a lot. But shoving those feelings aside, she saw that she was no longer alone.

There was a man sitting alone by the counter, his face always seeming like it was searching for something. He looked about Rebecca's age (maybe a little younger), dressed in a dark jacket, a white Beatles t-shirt, and dark blue jeans. His fair black hair hung lightly over his forehead, and he seemed like a trustworthy person, right down to the light blue eyes. Rebecca lay the Beretta down.

"You been having nightmares too?" The light, low alto rang into Rebecca's ears. It sounded considerate, almost sympathetic. But the request that came from his mouth almost made no sense. "What do you mean by nightmares?"

"Freddy, Freddy Krueger; he's been out and about in some of your friends' dreams", the man responded. uNow/u the questions were ringing in her head. She thought Freddy was dead, gone a year before that Kennedy guy left for Spain. "I thought he died a long time ago, fighting some guy named Voorhees."

"We all thought that. Apparently he's back now", he contradicted, sighing heavily. "Sorry for not introducing myself; I'm Jacob Johnson", he said, extending his hand. Rebecca took it, shaking it with a firm grip.

"Rebecca Chambers", he replied. At this, Jacob sucked in a breath, saying, "You were with the S.T.A.R.S, weren't you?" Reading the stunned expression on her face, he said, "It was all over the news even in Springwood, a year before me and my mother moved away."

"Yep; I was Rear Security for Bravo Team", she answered truthfully. "But now that that's out of the way", she continued, still thinking that Jacob was about to harm her, "what's Freddy look like?"

"He's about 6', terribly burnt skin, dark brown fedora, red and green sweater, razor-fingered glove—shall I go on?"

"Whoa, you don't mess around", Rebecca exclaimed, with a slight chuckle. He could see Jacob manage a slight chuckle, no mean feat considering what he'd been through. "Well, what are we supposed to do?"

"Krueger can lose his powers if he's pulled out of a dream and into the real world."

"What's that mean?"

"It means that if you have a grip on him in your dream, and wake up, he'll come with you", Jacob explained.

"Whoa…I didn't think he could be destroyed at all", Rebecca half-whispered. "Still, can't be worse than Raccoon City." She looked back at Jacob, seeing that he was smiling humorously. "Well, you got me there", he replied lightheartedly, and Rebecca could see an unnatural glimmer in her eyes. She then knew, though she had no idea how, that he had some of the same powers.

Jacob caught her looking, and yet when he looked back, neither of them looked away. They'd just met, but Jacob could feel something, not entirely unpleasant, welling up inside him. Rebecca Chambers was quite a pretty woman, with a personality that willed her to do whatever she had to in order to finish whatever dirty work she had. He liked it quite a bit, as he saw Rebecca's face soften a little more.

"I know we just met, but…after all this is over-" "Yeah", Rebecca replied.

"Do you even know what I was gonna ask?", Jacob fired back with a smile. "Were you gonna ask me out?" Rebecca replied with just as mischievous a tone.

"The little lady wins the prize", Jacob appraised, barely noticing that she was within kissing distance. And he was about to lean in, when—

Something screamed in his head. And it wasn't that far away, about in D.C. Jacob sat back up and tilted his head in that general direction. "What is it?", Rebecca inquired.

"That son of a bitch just attacked someone else", Jacob growled. Barely noticing that Rebecca had gotten on her feet, Jacob scrambled for the door, led by Rebecca. Hopefully, it's not too late!