The next day, after a row with mom, I grabbed my skateboard and headed to school. Ignoring all the sympathetic looks I was receiving from everyone as I did. I was surprised when I noticed Nancy walking ahead of me making me pick up the pace and pull to a stop next to her. "Hey," I greeted quietly making her smile distractedly.
Suddenly bloodied hands shot out to grab at our arms and we were pulled behind some bushes my jaw dropping at the sight of Rod. "I'm not gonna hurt you," he tried to calm us down. I glanced over my shoulder at more students who were passing but I looked back at him.
"Your old man thinks I did it, don't he?" he asked Nancy as I watched.
"He doesn't know you," she replied, "Couldn't you change?"
"The cops were all over my house," he replied, "They'll kill me for sure."
"Nobody's gonna kill you," I countered as he ran a hand down his face.
"I never touched her," he begged us to believe him.
"You were screaming like crazy," Nancy replied as an observation.
"Someone else was there," he muttered, locking eyes with me as I nodded, I believed him.
"The door was locked from your side," Nancy countered and he grabbed for her, I pulled her out of the way and his hands clamped on me instead.
"Don't look at me like I'm some kind of fucking fruitcake or something, I'm warning you," he snapped.
"Morning Mr Lane," a voice suddenly greeted coolly. We spun around to see Lt Thompson, Nancy's dad. He had his gun levelled right at Rod's head only Rod pulled me in front of him making me yelp slightly.
"Rod let me go," I bit out in a shaky voice.
"Just step away from her, like your ass depended on it," Thompson snapped. "I'm warning you."
With that Rod pulled me backwards with him before he tossed me to the side and ran off. Nancy's dad aimed his gun but Nancy was suddenly in front of him. "No!" she begged quickly.
"Are you crazy?" he snapped at her before running after Rod. I was still on the ground watching in utter shock.
I watched as Rod was tackled by four police men, he was screaming by the time he was in the squad car. "I didn't do it!" he yelled towards us, "I didn't kill her!"
"I know," I muttered quietly as Nancy argued with her dad. Pushing myself off the floor I picked up my skateboard and headed off to school.
I sat in AP English later on, slumped in the seat next to Quentin as Nancy sat with Glen. The teacher was talking about Shakespeare and I was trying my best to listen. The empty desk next to me and the two on the row in front of us just worked as a horrible reminder of the day before.
I turned my head again and locked my sad gaze on the empty seat to my side as I thought about Dean again. On the other side of it Jesse looked up at me and gave me a sad smile which I returned before turning back to the front. In front of me Nancy shot upright screaming, arm raised to ward off someone who wasn't there.
I shot up from my seat and rounded to hers, kneeling in front of her, "Nancy, it's okay, it's okay," I soothed her as she looked around with panicked eyes. "You're awake now." She sighed before grabbing her books.
"I'll call your mother," the teacher suggested.
"No, no really I'm fine," Nancy objected, "I'll go straight home. I'm okay." With that she was out of the room and I turned to Glen who looked worried before glancing at Quentin whose eyes were wide.
"Okay, calm down everyone," the teacher started but I stood up and grabbed my bag heading out of the room after Nancy, I could hear footsteps behind me and I turned to see Quentin following quickly.
We caught up to her at the police station where she was arguing with her dad again, "No, I know, thanks to your own testimony, that he was locked in a room with a girl who went in alive and came out in a rubber bag." Her dad snapped.
"Please dad," she begged him as she caught sight of us, we walked over and her dad sighed.
"Make it quick," he told us simply.
"What happened?" Nancy asked simply once we were alone with Rod.
"I told you," he replied reluctantly, "It was dark, but I'm sure there was someone else IN there, under the covers with her."
"How could somebody get under the covers with you guys, without you knowing it?" Quentin asked simply.
"How the fuck do I know?" Rod snapped, "I don't expect you to believe me." The other two shared a look but I stepped forward.
"What did he look like?" I asked simply, "Did you get a look at him?"
"No," he muttered as he looked away.
"How can you say there was someone else in there if you didn't see them?" I snapped harshly.
"Because someone cut her while I watched," he replied harshly and we fell into silence, my eyes locked on his.
"Somebody cut her while you watched and you don't know what he looked like?" Nancy started.
"You couldn't see the fucker," he gave an insane smile, "You could just see the cuts happening, all at once."
"All at once?" Quentin asked, shocked.
"I mean, it was as if there were four razors cutting her at the same time," he replied, "But invisible razors. She just... opened up..."
My jaw clenched as he backed away from us before suddenly smashing his fist into the wall, a audible crack sounded making Nancy yelp in shock.
"I probably could've saved her," he muttered in a sad voice, "if I'd moved sooner... But I thought it was just another nightmare, like the one I had the night before." He paused. "This guy with knives as fingers."
I stepped closer to the cell only for Quentin to pull me back, "Do you think I did it?" Rod asked earnestly.
"No," I replied simply as Nancy shook her head. Quentin looked between us before looking at the floor, slightly paler than before.
"How are you feeling?" dad asked as I walked in to the house later on, I just shrugged slightly in response as I hung my jacket up by the door. "Honey, you know if you need to talk..."
"I'm okay," I told him simply before going up the stairs, ignoring the sympathetic look he was giving me. When I entered my room, I wasn't surprised to see Glen sat on my bed, his gaze locked on the corkboard where I had my pictures pinned up. "Hits you hard when you realise we were all here and happy a week ago."
He nodded in agreement as I put my bag on my desk chair, glancing at the sketch I'd been drawing of the view out of my bedroom window before I moved to my corkboard and took the picture of me and Dean down. "I really miss them," I sighed as I dropped down to sit next to him.
"Me too," he nodded as he draped his arm around my shoulder as I leant against him. "You haven't been sleeping?" I shook my head simply and moved to rest against the headboard. "You can't?"
"I can," I sighed, "I just..." I paused and bit my lip, not allowing myself to say the exact words Dean had spoken to me the night he'd been killed.
"Don't want to..." he said it for me as I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around myself. "Cass...?"
"I'm fine Glen," I sighed as I looked up to him, "Just... go to bed." He gave me a sorrowful look before getting up and leaving my room, closing the door softly behind him.
It was a few hours later, when I was sat at my computer writing a paper for English when I heard a creaking noise from by my window. "Hello?" I asked, turning slowly towards it and standing up hesitantly. "Glen?"
There was no reply only another creaking noise, biting my lip I moved towards my bedroom door, ready to escape if I had to. A dark figure scrambled through my open window and I flipped the light on to reveal a sheepish looking Quentin. "What are you doing here?" I snapped quietly as he moved towards me and flipped the light off, leaving just the glowing computer screen as our source of light.
"I wanted to make sure you were okay," he replied in a whisper, "You looked freaked out when I dropped you off earlier."
"I'm fine," I dodged as I moved to sit on my bed, looking up at him with a sad look, "But there's something you're not telling me."
"What are you...?" he started to protest.
"I saw how pale you went when Rod mentioned knife fingers," I interrupted, "You've been dreaming about him too, haven't you?" He didn't reply, he didn't really need to. "Can you stay?"
He looked a little surprised at my request but he nodded and moved up the bed with me, kicking his shoes off as he did. "You should go to sleep," he muttered to me as I curled myself against him.
"I don't want to," I replied simply as I rested my head on his chest.
"I promise I'll wake you if you start to have a nightmare," he told me softly as he ran a hand through my hair gently.
My eyes snapped open on their own accord as something shifted next to me, turning my head I noticed that Quentin had fallen asleep, a peaceful look on his face as his arms held me close to him. With a small frown, I sighed in exasperation at him going back on his promise but as he seemed so peaceful I let it slide, nothing had happened to either of us so it was okay.
With a slight yawn, I untangled myself from my sheets and Quen's arms before I stumbled into my bathroom, flicking the light on and turning the tap for a drink. As I glanced up in to the mirror however I didn't see my refection in my bathroom... instead was an image of the Springwood Police Station... Nancy was there, banging on the window and screaming for some reason. As I watched in confusion she turned towards where I was watching from and screamed for someone, the lack of sound irritating me beyond belief.
Then, through my irritation came the unmistakable 'Scriiiitch' of the metal fingernails and as I watched a body bag appeared not far from Nancy, the familiar form of Tina inside it as the zipper dropped to reveal her watery eyes desperate to convey some sort of message.
"Nancy," I muttered as I reached a hand to the mirror, instead of touching glass the whole room pitched forward and I stumbled onto the pavement of the street. "Nancy!"
The older girl turned quickly and sighed in relief at the sight of me before my eyes widened at the sight of the familiar knifed hand. "Nancy run!" I screamed making her turn back before darting towards me, away from him. Once she reached me I pitched into a run with her, grabbing her hand and towing her along with me as we ran blind.
As we ran full pelt down a dark street a sticky substance submerged my ankles making me lose my balance. The concrete seemed to have melted, pulling at my legs and slowing down my escape. "Cassie?" Nancy screamed, having not been affected by the cement.
"Keep running," I snapped at her as I turned back to see the guy catching up to us, his knives glinting in the blinking streetlight. The claws slashed towards my face making me duck and wrench myself from the cement and pitch forward at a run again now that I was free.
Nancy had disappeared and Freddy was right behind me as I ran for it, the whistling of the air by my ear every time his knives slashed by my head. It wasn't long before I'd reached my street, and slammed myself through my front door and closing it hard behind me as I dashed up my stairs. "Quentin!" I screamed loudly, "Please, Quentin! Wake me up!"
With a loud smash, Freddy launched himself through my bedroom window and tackled me to the ground, his blades at my throat as I tried to wrestle him away from me. Finally getting him off of me I rolled out of the way of another slash and reached for my lamp, launching it at him as hard as I could and just as Freddy launched at me once again...
My eyes snapped open and I lurched forward in my bed with a gasp, the arm around my waist dropping to the bed as I scrambled away from their hold. "Cassie?" Quentin asked blearily as I pressed my back against my wall, trying to catch my breath.
"You're an asshole," I hissed at him, tears in my eyes as I glared harshly at him.
"What did I do?" he muttered tiredly.
"You told me you'd keep an eye on me," I accused, "But no, you fell asleep and just left me to him!" Tears were pouring down my cheeks at this point as I sank to the floor.
He was next to me in an instant, his hand on my cheek as he brushed my tears away with his thumb, "I'm sorry," he muttered quickly as he locked his gaze with mine, "I'm so sorry... I – I tried to stay awake, I did."
I just shook my head before my eyes snapped to my door as a knock resounded, "Honey?" my dad's voice asked in concern making Quentin groan silently before he dashed across the room and out my window.
"Yeah dad?" I asked after wiping my tears away, unlocking my door and opening it a little so I could look at him.
"You okay?" he asked worriedly.
"Yeah," I nodded weakly, "Just a little nightmare, I'm gonna go straight back to sleep, promise."
"Okay," he nodded, "But if you need anything just call."
"I will," I nodded with a small smile before I shut the door and locked it again before turning to the window where Quentin was climbing back in.
"I'm sorry," he muttered quietly as he walked over to me, stroking my cheek gently.
"It's okay," I muttered back as I held on to his shirt, "But I'm not going back to sleep tonight..." I paused and closed my eyes and he let out a small sigh before pressing his lips to my forehead.
"Cass..." he started to apologise again but I moved on to my tiptoes and pressed my lips against his making him make a pleased sound before pulling me closer to him as he deepened the kiss.