Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to post this. Enjoy!
Chapter 12: Something Familiar
There was something about the ocean that always seemed to soothe Alan. The warm salty air, the sound of the waves crashing along the bright golden sands on the Ocean View Beach always pacified him and help clear his mind. It was one of his favourite places to conjure up when he dreamed. A place of solitude where he could think in peace. He walked bare footed with the rim of his dark jeans rolled up to just below his knees. The warmth of the Caribbean Ocean splashed over his toes as he walked along the periphery of the beach. As he strolled along the landscape of his own concocted dreamscape his gaze lulled towards the vast ocean to his right. The crystal blue water sparkled in the bright sun that hung in the cloudless blue sky.
This was one of his favourite beaches to visit whenever he went on his vacation to the Bahamas. His grandparents had originated from Jamaica and whenever he could afford to, he would visit the area where his grandparents had lived. To his left about twenty feet was the edge of a long stretch of large palm trees and other exotic trees and bushes. They were clustered together, with a small little trail swerving in between them towards a small waterfall beyond a small ridge. He often lingered along the shoreline sitting as he watched the ocean or the sun setting. The odd occasion he would wander into the forest behind him.
This was a dream that he had occasionally brought Maggie too when he was first teaching her how to control her dreams. Though now, he knew that she was starting to lose that ability. And it was all because of this fiend that was invading her dreams. He knew he had to help her regain control of her dreams. Alan felt a strong impulse to confront this Krueger character. But knew that Maggie would be annoyed if he were to suggest the idea. He knew that Maggie cared for him, despite not saying it to his face. They had grown close throughout the years. The compassion that she had towards him had grew ever since she left therapy shortly before her 19th birthday. Despite being in university and moving on with her life, she had kept in contact with him for advice and support whenever she felt she needed it. Now, working together the bond that they still had had grown stronger.
Alan had watched her grow from a troubled, anxious and angry young girl to a confident, caring and independent woman. But she still had a few traits that irked him. Her stubbornness, rash behaviour and her tendency to bend the rules. Something that had he reprimanded her on numerous occasions.
All the strenuous work and graft she had gone through to put her mental health struggles behind her could be about to be undone if this Freddy discovered her past. And what if this monster decided to enter his dreams and find out the memories he shared with Maggie when she was going through her therapy. He knew how important it was to be on his guard. Take shorter naps to enable him to stay awake longer. He had to take Neil to the side and question him more Krueger and his manipulation of the kids dreams…
Alan felt agitated and sightly uneasy at how Maggie was now starting to become short-tempered and was showing signs of stress. He hated seeing her like that. He heaved a sigh of frustration as he slowly came to a stop, and he turned his body towards the horizon and closed his eyes, inhaling long and hard. Then he exhaled before gradually opening his dark brown eyes as he endeavoured to regain some sense of tranquillity. He wiggled his toes as a wave slowly crashed over his ankles, and he felt a tickle shoot through his body as goosebumps broke out along his arms. Something was wrong. A heavy presence was starting to seep into the dream or at least try to affect his dream. He peered down through the clear water and puckered brow as he studied the tint of the water.
He took a few hesitant steps backward as another wave plunged onto the shore. The shade of the water had changed to a deep red colour.
Blood red.
He staggered back as several more waves smashed into the shore and a slush of red blood lapped along the beach. Staining the sand red.
Alan swung around from the shoreline and narrowed his eyes as he examined the cluster of exotic trees and palm trees that loomed before him. The trunks of the trees swayed lightly in the wind, and he clenched his fists. There was someone there amid the palm trees. Not a physical presence, but he could feel someone watching him.
He coolly lifted his hands and lightly tapped his right index finger on the back of his left one, five times. Then in a blink of an eye his body vanished from the dream.
Freddy's lean frame materialised amongst the tall, palm trees and he scowled in rage. The fucker had sensed him. When he had woken Katherine up from her little nap, he had contemplated whether to enter this Alan Reynolds dreams. Despite declaring to his little girl, he would not kill this asshole. That didn't mean he wouldn't enter his dreams or have a little peek into his mind. Get some knowledge of how powerful this man's dream powers were. The fact that he could create his own little dreamscape and even wake himself up just showed the level of ability this fucker had. He had the impression that it was Alan who had taught Katherine her little dream skills.
Freddy sneered and raised his glove to rapidly tap the bark of the palm tree to his right in thought. Would Alan tell Katherine that he had sensed his presence in the dream? How would she react? If only he could see them interacting now…
A malicious grin suddenly grew over his scarred lips. Why did he not think of that before? Over the years he had accumulated a vast number of souls and power from his kills. He could alter and manipulated the dream world so effortlessly now. With just a single thought. But as for the waking world, the only way he had penetrated through the barrier of the dreamscape into waking world was through possession. Jesse Walsh and that little bitch Rebecca were perfect examples. He even showed himself in Katherine's daydreams. However, he never propelled his spirit into the waking world. If only he could succeed in doing that and use the chance to spy on them. He could use that opportunity to observe Katherine more meticulously, study her mannerisms and body language around Alan and Neil. Then compare it to the way she acted around him.
He contracted his blades as his right hand fell to his side. It was time to test his powers and pay the waking world a little visit…
…
Doc yanked opened the door to this motel room and saw the blushing face of Maggie before him. She uneasily looked away down towards her own room then back to him. Her hair was dishevelled, parts of her brown locks fallen loose from her ponytail. "Can I speak to you?"
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Not really" Maggie glanced over towards the sleep monitor. "What about you? Did you wake up okay?"
Doc nodded slowly. His brown eyes roamed over the edge of her right lip, seeing a faint red mark on her skin. "What happened to your face? Your lip looks a little red…"
Maggie spun on her heel. "Follow me. I'll show you"
He grabbed his motel key from the desk and hurried after her.
As they entered her room, she snatched the broken driving licence and scowled as she showed it to him, "Look what he did!"
"What…?" he gripped one half of the plastic card and frowned. "You fell asleep"
"Yes" Maggie studied the other half of her snapped driving licence in her hand then angrily tossed it on the table. "I can never get a fucking break!"
"What did he do?"
"He…" Maggie momentarily closed her eyes and held back a shiver of loathing at the subtle, attentive touches that Freddy gave her. The tender kiss to her hair, the soft murmurs he whispered to her. He really was playing some perverse game with her. "He wanted us to have a talk! And look"
She side stepped around him and pointed at the bundle of clothes scattered on the ground, entangled in the plastic and wooden hangers. "He was taunting me with that damn glove. Flicking his blades at me, I went flying into the wardrobe after he kicked at my calf to make me lose my balance. Like he was toying with me! And then there is this!"
Alan followed her as she rushed towards the kitchenette, approaching the table and chairs. She mumbled and cursed as she crouched to look under the table. She shook her head wildly in disbelief. Where was the bed sheets that were wrapped around her arms when she woke up? Falling to her knees she shoved the chairs away and cursed. "Fuck! What is going on?"
"Maggie, what is it?"
A few feet behind unbeknown to them, a faint simmering silver tear began to rip through the air. Expanding down to the floor and a red hazy glow began to seep through the gap. The thin slit began to enlarge and widen allowing the spirit of Freddy to slither through the fissure into the waking world. The outline of his frame glistened in a hazy red hue. He gave a triumphant smile as he watched with interest at the look of confusion displayed on Maggie's face as she conversed with Doc.
"There were these strappings from the bed. He had me pinned to the bed with the bed sheets. When I woke up, they were around my arms" she zealously glanced around the kitchen as she continued to sit on her knees.
"Maggie, there is nothing here"
"I know that!" Maggie snapped briskly and shot to her feet. She took a wavering deep breath and lowered her voice to a whisper. "But I saw them when I woke up. You believe me, right?"
He smiled reassuringly at her and raised his right hand to place on her shaking shoulder. "I do"
Maggie instinctively jerked way and brushed past him, but this didn't faze him. It was the norm for him to brush off his comforting advances and mannerisms.
Freddy's eyes narrowed slightly in intrigue at the indifferent nature she was showing. She clearly disliked any form of comfort or any affection, even from people she knew. What was causing her to behave this way?
He focused his gaze on her as she rounded the kitchen table towards the small white fridge and took out a can of Red bull, cracking open the aluminium can. She slugged back a mouthful then muttered, "Why is it not there? It was there when I woke up!"
Doc shook his head, unsure what to say. He was more concerned in what had occurred in her dream, what the bastard did to her. "Maggie, sit down. Tell me what happened"
She took another swig of her energy drink, avoiding his gaze. "I'd rather wait until we speak to Neil. But…" her eyes averted towards her green first kit. "Freddy found my medication"
"What?" Doc felt a surge of apprehension flood through his body.
Freddy smirked and closed in on them both, lingering at the edge of the kitchen as he listened attentively to their hushed conversation. His blades tapped gently against his grimy black trousers as he eyed his daughter as she shakily took out the tablets and laid them on the counter.
"When I was pinned to the bed, he decided to snoop into my belongings. He found my first aid bag and took out the bottles. He asked me what they were, but I never told him" She softly gnawed at her lips, then whispered, "But Doc, what if he accesses my memories and finds out what happened to me? He'll use it against me I know it!"
"He won't find out Maggie. There are memories that you have repressed that I couldn't even recover through hypnosis-"Doc replied.
Maggie scoffed and interrupted. "But I remember what happened to me when I was a teenager and even what happened to me when I was in those care homes!"
Puzzlement quickly materialised across Krueger's charred face at this statement. He whispered gruffly, "Care homes?" This was unexpected. He had thought that some fucker had adopted her straight after she was taken from Springwood. The thought of her being in various care homes never crossed his mind. Where were these care homes? Were they in the same City? Was she transferred straight away to Central City or were there other towns that she lived in before she was finally adopted? And how long did it take for some worthless couple to finally adopt her? The mere notion that his little girl was constantly moved out and had so much insecurity in her childhood made him snarl in rage, it was imperative that he found out what happened to her.
Maggie leaned wearily against the edge of the kitchen counter and lightly rubbed her temple, "Did anything happen to you Doc? Did you sleep okay?"
"Don't get upset Maggie…" Doc knew he had to choose his words carefully. He saw her grip on the aluminium can tighten. "You know that dream I would create, the beach?"
"Yes, that's where you taught me to control my dreams"
Freddy scoffed. He fucking knew it.
"I was there. Everything seemed normal. Until the colour of the water began to change"
Maggie crunched her hand around the can and the corner of her right lip tugged upwards into a sneer. "What? What happened?"
"The colour of the water changed to red. Like it was blood. Then I felt a presence was there on the beach watching me" Doc saw the flicker of fury gleam in her brown eyes, and he took a step back as she snapped her palm around the can and tossed it angrily into the sink. With swift speed she whipped out her right foot, the sole of her boot crashing hard into the back of the metal chair and kicked it hard across the kitchen. It skidded along the tiled floor and slammed into the wall with a thud.
"Son of a bitch!" she seethed. How could she be so fucking stupid as to believe that the fucker would keep his word? He was in Doc's dream. Her hands shook as she angrily stomped back and forth beside the table before she finally came to a stop at the sink. Her eyes darted about the floor as she sneered and cursed to herself, before she twisted around towards the counter and grasped the edge of the wood. Her body arched forward as she bent her head down. Thick strands of her hair tossed back and forth as she lightly shook her head. Muttering to herself as she haggardly began to take short, rapid breaths. She was furious.
Freddy chuckled balefully as he sensed the ripples of anger that emanated from her. His gaze swung towards Doc as he hastily unscrewed one of the bottles. His eyes zoomed in towards the label. It was the medication that spelt out – Celexa.
"Maggie, when was the last time you took your celexa?" He gently shook out a single white oval tablet. "I suggest you start taking it on a more regular basis to control your outbursts"
Maggie hissed and huffed through her nose as she attempted to allay her rage. "I uh, took one about two weeks ago. I was feeling a little irritable. I haven't had a violent outburst in months Doc"
A sly grin crept over Freddy's face, and he drummed the tips of his bladed glove along his chest. Violent outburst? Feeling irritable? He chuckled maliciously. His little girl had a problem with her temper.
Maggie back snapped upwards as she stood tall, then shakily filled a glass of water and popped the white pill into her mouth. The water felt refreshing as she downed the cool liquid. After a moment she glanced at Doc as he shook out another tablet from her Valium bottle and used a blunt knife to cut it into two. "Just take half a Valium. It will help you relax"
She incoherently grumbled to herself as she took the half circular tablet and swallowed it with another mouthful of water. Her fingers tapped vehemently on the glass, the fury that still gripped her was starting to slowly subside as she continued to take slow, deep breaths. "I can't believe he tried to get into your dream"
"I never saw him Maggie"
"But you felt something, didn't you? You can sense if something is wrong in your dream or if someone is in your dream. You saw the colour of the water changing colour!" Maggie rebuked.
"Yes, that is true. But his physical presence wasn't in the dream. He was trying to influence my dream, to take control of it. I woke myself up to keep that from happening. Nothing happened to me" His words of comfort were dismissed by her as she shook her head.
"I don't trust this guy" she muttered quietly. Her gaze pulled up towards Doc. "Promise me you won't go asleep again. Please?"
"I won't go to sleep again" He placed her medication back into her first aid kit "When will you be ready to go to Westin Hills"
"I'll be ready when I tidy these away" Maggie marched towards the opened wardrobe and looked down at the clutter of clothes laid strewn on the ground. She quicky passed by the invisible apparition of Freddy and he swiftly raised his gloved hand, swiping the tips of his blades through the back of her loose ponytail in a mocking caress.
"Maggie, sit down. I'll do that" Doc tugged her back by her left shoulder. She scowled and jerked back, slumping despairingly onto the edge of the bed.
She watched as he quickly hung up her garments back onto the hangers inside the closet. He heard her speak quietly behind him. "Are we staying overnight at the hospital?"
"Yes, when we get there, we can discuss what happened in your dream…" Doc paused. He noticed her body language grew taut, her arms and legs stiff with trepidation. "Unless you want to tell me now?"
Her head swung back and forth. To her right the invisible spirit of Freddy eased himself down on the bed next to her and closed the distance between their faces. The charred corners of his lips curled into a fiendish smirk as he lightly kissed the side of her temple below the edge of her hairline. He saw her twitch suddenly and glance to her right at the sudden prickling sensation that tickled her flesh. He knew too well that she was staring into nothing but thin air. He teasingly brought the tips of his scarred fingers to the top of her back and trailed them down her spine, making her wiggle nervously on the bed. Like the sensation of insects were crawling over her back…
"No, I want to wait until we see Neil" Maggie tried to shake off that tingling feeling that travelled along her back and soon her gaze sluggishly fell towards the tiled floor to the left, just behind where Doc stood. She could see the faint white powder and the crushed bottle tucked in the corner. "He crushed my adrenaline tablets. They're behind you, on the floor"
He twisted on his heel and peered down at the mess on the floor. "We'll get you some more"
"What's the point Doc?" Maggie curtly replied. "Maybe I should start up my exercises again. You know that they seem to give me some energy. Exercising does release epinephrine. It might help" She shivered and wriggled forward on the bed as another tingling sensation began to sweep over her back, this time starting from the bottom of her spine heading upwards.
Freddy chuckled roguishly as his fingers gingerly dragged along the curve of her back and then it twisted to the right, along her shoulder blade before finally tracing along the fabric of her checked shirt then he pulled his hand away. His eyes roamed over her face as she anxiously nibbled at her bottom lip and then lightly rubbed her right arm. He could feel the lingering emotion of discomfort and panic from her. He grinned cunningly and watched as she abruptly rose to her feet. Freddy mulled over her words about doing some exercising and he knew from a recent memory of hers that she had an interest in running. She had set up her own little personal gym in her apartment and he had seen a running treadmill. Would she go on a little jog? And perhaps do what he suggested and venture into the town, wander down a street or into the park that could spark some memory to come back to her?
He heard her converse with Doc as she slid on her leather jacket. They were beginning to head their way out of the motel room. As much as he desired for a kill and knew that several of the little brats in town had fallen asleep. He was eager to know what exactly she would tell them about her dream and how the fucker Neil and Doc would react to it.
…
"I got us some coffee from the canteen" Neil entered his office. He held a grey tray in his hands with four white ceramic mugs of hot coffee. Paul eagerly reached for a mug as he sat on the leather sofa, while Doc sat on one of the chairs facing him. Maggie however stood leaning against one of the cabinets against the facing wall. Her arms were crossed against her chest with her stoic gaze locked on her black boots.
Niel cleared his throat as he held out the tray to her. "Dr Burroughs. Please have some coffee"
She blinked and huffed out a long deep breath, taking one of the mugs from the tray.
"Tell us what happened in your dream"
Before she could form a word, the same silver tear appeared in the air to her immediate right. It streaked downwards and soon Krueger appeared through the gap into the waking world. He let out a low snarl of contempt at the three figures before him – Neil, Doc and Paul. He heard Maggie coughing softly as she cleared her throat.
"He wanted us to talk. I told him what you had told me about his crimes, and he was very smug about it. He was smiling about it, relishing in what he did to those kids" Maggie shivered. "I then mentioned about that he was arrested, his court case and how he was burnt to death by that lynch mob. He said that they had to pay. But when I asked why he was going after other kids in town that were connected to the fire, he was very elusive. He just said that the town still had to pay"
She took a tentative sip of her coffee and refrained from uttering the last few words that Krueger said on the issue. That it would be a nice surprise, when she found out. Was he fucking with her mind again?
Neil sighed exhaustively. "That's the same answer I got from him"
Maggie placed her mug on the desk. "He seems to be interested in me, especially how I knew that I was daydreaming. He said that I was very aware of my surroundings. I even knew I was dreaming"
"He may be interested in your lucid dreaming" Doc commented.
"But Doc, I'm losing control" Maggie sighed in aggravation. "He pinned me to the bed. I tried to attack him with my knife, but that power he has stopped me. And he took my knife. It was gone when I woke up. He then demanded that I told him more about myself. I told him to go spit!"
The men shared looks of confusion.
Seeing their expressions of bewilderment Maggie let out a husky short laugh and smirked. "It's slang for go fuck yourself"
Freddy clacked his blades angrily at his side. He knew that the term meant something crude. But that? He should have hit her harder. Though, if she dared to call him anymore nasty slurs, she would be in for it.
Doc eyed the corner of her lip. "Is that how you got hit?"
"Yeah" she lightly touched the skin on the corner of her mouth, "He busted my lip opened"
"Maybe you should try and tone down your language and angry retorts around him. If you continue to antagonise him, he could really hurt you-"
Doc's words were cut off as she cut in. "He healed me and then apologised again"
"He apologised again?" Neil stared at her in doubt.
"I think it was an apology" Maggie shrugged her shoulders. "He uh, was kissing my hair. Muttering all these words. That he didn't mean it, he called me baby. He murmured that I had to show him respect" there was a pause as she shifted on her feet nervously. Her gaze roamed over towards Neil as he thoughtfully considered her words. "Dr Gordon, has he ever done this before? I mean, he tried to kill me the first few times and now he's acting all cordial around me. Healing me, calling me cute little names. Has he changed his demeanour around his victims? Toying with them by pretending to be nice to get them to lower their guard?"
"He wouldn't act as affable around someone as he has with you. From what I know, he psychologically tortures his victims then kills them. It could be a new tactic he's trying"
"So, he is fucking with my mind" Maggie clenched her hands tightly at her sides. A flare of anger sparked inside. There was no way she could allow him to screw with her mind and her emotions. Her mental health was important to her. She had fought long and hard throughout the years to shape her life into what it was now. She wasn't going to let some undead serial killer undo all of that.
The apparition of Freddy closed the gap between him and Maggie, discerning the vivid thoughts that scurried through her mind. She really believed that he would do that to her. He lightly trailed a single blood-stained blade through her ponytail. "I'm not fucking with your mind Katherine. Believe me, I'm not"
"What else happened?"
Maggie lifted her hardened stare towards Neil. "He had a look around my motel room. He read my dream journal I had. I had only written down my first two dreams. He saw the patients' files and the notes I had written about what I thought was happening here. Before you finally told us…" She assiduously stared at him as she continued. "When he was looking through my notes, he must have seen me writing about Nancy"
Neil's hands tightened around his mug of coffee and his eyes softened sadly at the mention of Nancy. Krueger let out a soft snigger at the pained expression on his face. His attention was drawn back to his daughter as she resumed.
"Freddy was very arrogant that he had killed her and her parents. From the look on his face, you could see that he got some sense of pleasure from destroying that family"
Freddy chuckled darkly. "You got that right princess. It was because that bastard destroyed my family, our little family. Me and you. He took you away from me"
Maggie glanced to her right as another chill sparkled across the right side of her body. Ever since she woke up, she had this discouraging feeling of something or someone being near her. The tingling feeling of someone touching her or breathing on her. She swallowed thickly and shook the thought way. It could be her mind going into overdrive. Her erratic, peculiar thoughts overpowering her. It was a condition of her psychosis. Having strange or disturbed thoughts.
"Dr Burroughs, was there anything else you need to tell us?"
She looked warily at Paul, then towards Neil and Doc. Should she divulge to them her decision to find out more about Freddy and his crimes? She didn't trust Krueger. That was for certain. But she was always curious. A burning desire to know more about things that captivated her and for some bizarre reason Freddy Krueger interested her. Fuck, she sounded crazy. She had to remind herself the reason why she wanted to know more about him was to find a way to stop him. There was though a lingering part of her subconscious that wanted, no, needed to know more about him and she didn't know why. Each time she gazed into his malicious blue eyes, she felt herself being lured in. She at first dismissed the eccentric idea that she had seen those eyes before. But when he theatrically bowed before her and then muttered the word 'piggy' it ignited a sensation of familiarity inside of her.
She had to keep her plan to investigate more into Krueger's past to herself. It was approaching the weekend and it would give her ample time to put her plans into action. And Krueger's suggestion that she should have a little walk into town was her starting point. She had to keep everything a secret from Doc and Neil. Her lips were dry, and she lightly wetted them with a slick wipe of her tongue. "Um, the only other thing is…"
Freddy instantly clenched his left scarred hand. What was she going to say now? Was she going to share her decision of exploring more about his crimes? His eyes narrowed sharply as she spoke.
"When he was pinning me to the bed, he wanted to know why I was so tense" Maggie looked away and grumbled. "I'm not really a people person"
"I understand…" Neil offered a smile. "I noticed you pulled away when I tried to examine your waist"
She nodded quickly. "I have emotional problems…I don't like people offering me comfort. Either physical or emotional comfort. I shy away from people. It's a rather complicated and private. It's not something I like to talk about"
Freddy saw her exchanged a fleeting glance towards Doc who gave a poignant smile in her direction. Did this fucker know more about this?
Neil left his empty mug on his desk. "I'm concerned about why Krueger is interested in you. And I'm going to find out why"
Paul felt his chest tighten. Was his boss suggesting that he was going to confront the maniac? "Neil, wait a minute!"
He ignored his colleagues' concerns. "I want you to watch over me while I sleep"
Krueger's clips coiled into a menacing grin. Oh, the fucker wanted to have some words with him!
"Dr Gordon, I don't think you should do this!" Maggie pleaded.
"I'll only be asleep for half an hour. I'll try and find out what Krueger is up to" Neil smiled reassuringly at her.
Paul rose to his feet and made his way towards the door "I'll prepare some adrenaline in a syringe, if we need to wake you up suddenly"
The mention of adrenaline made Krueger sneer in disdain. They had epinephrine in liquid form. That was how they had woken that little bitch, Megan. He had to find a way to eradicate their supply of this drug. He couldn't risk those fuckers using it to wake up the kids before he could claim their lives and souls. With one last pensive glance in the direction of Maggie, Freddy backed away towards the thin tear in the air and stepped through it back into the dreamscape to prepare for Neil's arrival.
…
Neil's eyes lurched opened and he sprang forward on the sofa. He absently rubbed at his bleary eyes and slowly rose to his feet. There was a small click as the door to his office creaked opened, revealing the darkened corridor outside. He took a calmative deep breath and approached the boundary of the room and peered into the dimly lit hall. A thin mist had formed in the corridor, and he slowly took prudent steps into the hall. He turned to the right and cautiously walked onwards, peering back and forth for any sign of movement. The lightening above him changed, the hue morphing from a hazy white to a deep dark red. He slowed to a stop as a set of soft steps advanced towards his direction from an intersecting corridor to his left a few feet ahead of him.
The outline of a child came into view and twisted into the corridor ahead of him. Neil squinted in the mist studying the child. It was a little girl. Her age appeared to be four maybe five years old. Her little body was dressed in a knee length dress. The faint mist was making it problematic for him to discern the colour. Usually, the child-like apparitions that Krueger used in the nightmares were dressed in those white little frilly dresses or the boys would be garlanded out in their black suits. But this girl seemed different from those ghostly spirits.
He glanced down at her right hand as it tightly held the brown curls of a doll's head, the body twisted and tumbled on the ground as she trailed it behind her. Neil took a few steps forward and slowly pursued her. The mist began to dissipate, and he scrutinized her hair colour. It was dark blond that was bound back in pigtails in ribbons. They looked like a candy red colour…
The colour of her dress looked like a pale dusty pink colour.
"Hello? Little girl?" Neil hesitantly called out to her.
The girl disregarded him as she hurried along the corridor and then suddenly skidded to a halt as a doorway to her right creaked opened. Neil saw her crane her little face to the right and she gave an eerie smile as she ran into the room.
The muscles on his neck and arms went rigid and as he took a step forward his vision blurred suddenly, and a blanket of darkness swept before his eyes. He blinked and groaned shaking his head lightly as he materialised on a hard wooden chair. His hands jerked and strained against thick brown straps that were coiled around his wrists. His arms were pinned against the sturdy arm rests. Neil craned his head forward and peered down at his black trousers that were bound in similar brown belts. Panic began to overwhelm him as he zealously glanced to his right then left at one of the therapy sessions rooms he now occupied. The darkness of the room quickly became illuminated by the single lightbulb hung suspended on the ceiling above. It was then that the indistinguishable smell of decayed rotten flesh and blood flooded his senses. He chillingly gazed at the grey walls that were now smeared with thick lines of blood that continuously flowed from the cracks littered along the edge of the ceiling. It was when he pulled his haunted eyes back in front of him that he saw four chairs presented in front of him in a semi-circle position. Each of them was occupied by his patients that had perished throughout the years by the hands of that madman Krueger.
Chad's naked body was half submerged in a thick black plastic body bag in a seat to the far left. The zip was pulled down to his navel. His blonde hair was saturated in swobs of his own blood with his neck scattered with deep blue bruises and red hands marks. His smooth flesh around his chest was gutted opened showing the thick red muscled tissue that were shredded and torn. His two lungs were punctured, cleaved apart. His lifeless eyes stared indignantly at Neil.
Next to Chad Neil was greeted with the decaying corpse of Brandon. A nasty cut was visible below the edge of his hairline, along the top of his temple. His skin around his cheeks were hacked and violently slashed apart. There were four lines of blood that curved around his cheeks and down his chin that stopped at the top of his neck. Blood began to spill from his deceased body, dripping and gushing from the wounds as the liquid began to pool around the legs of the chair that he sat on.
Neil felt bile gush up his throat, but he took a deep breath and swallowed it back down. Then his horrified gaze turned to the next body sat in the chair to his right. The mutilated corpse of Rebecca was laid slumped in the chair. The skin around her chest where her heart and lungs were torn away from her body. The curved bones from her ribcage were bent and twisted outwards smeared with her blood and thick gooey entrails of her muscles and veins. A deep cavity burrowed into her chest displayed the mesh of decimated tissue and perforated lungs and heart.
The final seat was occupied by young Clara who had perished last year. Her corpse was disfigured in the same disgusting manner as Rebecca's. Her skin peeled away from her breastbone and chest, the burrow in her chest revealing the devastation that was inflicted on her lungs and heart. Scythed and gutted to pieces.
Neil clamped his eyes closed and tried to regulate his breathing as it became short and sharp. He heard a snap of bone crunching and swallowed thickly as he twisted his head to the left to where Chad had begun to convulse and jerk to life. His soulless eyes glared at him as he slurred through the blood that spilled from his mouth. "You promised me that you would help me Dr Gordon"
The leering words rung in his ears, but Neil tried to ignore them. But Rebecca's pain-filled voice echoed from his right as she nastily derided. "It's happening again Dr Gordon. You'll lose us all. Like you lost Philip, Jennifer, Will, Taryn"
Neil seethed silently and twisted his head away and tugged against his restraints.
"Have you not anything to say to us?" Brandon leered.
Neil couldn't stop his gaze from roving towards the boy's maimed face. A steady flow of crimson liquid gushed from the thick laceration on his neck as he flashed him a wicked grin.
"He's still the spineless fucker from all those years ago" Clara hissed from his right.
Neil again tugged at the thick straps around his wrists and then squeezed his eyes shut. The dead corpses of his patients cackled madly then he heard a low gravelly tutting sound and the metallic clicking of blades.
His eyes flew opened and he saw Krueger looming between the two middle chairs. His glove lightly rested on the left shoulder of Brandon as he tapped the blades one by one. Freddy shook his head in mock consternation. "It's not very professional is it, Doctor? Not responding to your patients' questions or concerns?"
He tossed Freddy a snarl of rage.
Freddy smirked cruelly. "Still nothing to say? Mm? Feeling a little tongue-tied like Joey was?" He saw the blaze of fury in Neil's eyes at the mention of the boy he had tormented back in 1986. "But I know that you want to say something to me. Don't you?"
Neil's body stiffened as Krueger jabbed his blades into the shoulder of Brandon's cadaver and with a violent thrust, he shoved him from the chair. His body went limp and landed hard on the tiled floor as his head cracked opened from the collision on the ground. A spurt of blood began to ooze from the cracked skull. Freddy manoeuvred his way around to the front of the chair and slumped into the free seat and lazily raised the soles of his black boots to sit on the arch of the boy's spine. "Come on fucker!" He wagged his blades at Neil. "I'm listening!"
He took a deep breath attempting to pacify his pounding heartbeat then sneered. "Why are you after her Krueger?"
Freddy's eyes narrowed slightly in fake puzzlement. "What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean. And you know who! Dr Burroughs. Magie Burroughs!" Neil retorted smartly.
The lips on Freddy's face twitched and lurched upwards into a desirous grin. "Oh, you mean the little lady. The wildcat!"
Neil watched with alarm as Freddy lightly licked his lips, a glimmer of possessiveness flashing in his eyes at the way he was speaking about Maggie. "She's beautiful, isn't she? My little beauty!"
The way that Krueger spoke of Maggie like she was a possession riled Neil as he gave another yank of his bindings. "What do you mean by that? What do you want from her?"
Freddy enthusiastically flicked his blades and brandished a shrewd smile. "I don't want anything from her. I just want her" He clamped his left hand in a swift grabbing gesture. "And I've got the little wildcat. I'm not letting her go. She's mine!"
"What do you mean you want her? You don't know her!" Neil scoffed in disbelief. "She's not from Springwood. She's from Central City!"
Raising his glove Freddy lifted a single blade and leaned forward. He wagged it back and forth as he mocked and corrected. "Uh-huh. That's where you are wrong!"
"W-what?" Neil's whispered quietly.
"Oh" Freddy mocked, "Did she not tell you her little secret?"
Neil jerked back in his seat as Freddy abruptly stood to his feet. The weight of his body pressed down on the spine of Brandon's corpse and the crunch of bones crackled in the air as he walked over the corpse. Freddy's left hand plunged forward, and he strongly wrapped his fingers around Neil's throat. Neil choked and gasped as he was vehemently propelled upwards from his seat. The thick straps snapped from the force, and he instinctively grappled at Krueger's arm.
Freddy exhibited his rotten, jagged teeth in a sly smile as his grip tightened. "Ask the little beauty her secret!"
The face of Krueger began to blur, distorting before Neil as his vision turned to black…
A sudden piercing pain shot through his chest, and he gasped, coughing wildly as she sat up in his office. His hands gingerly rubbed his throbbing neck, and he leaned forward taking in a gulp of air.
Paul dropped the empty syringe onto the desk and helped Neil into a sitting position. "Jesus Christ! Are you okay Neil?"
Maggie nervously walked back and forth, her gaze never averting from Neil as he took shaky deep breaths. Doc held out a plastic cup of water and watched with concern as Neil took tentative sips.
"What happened?" Maggie finally stopped her frantic pacing and sat in the chair facing Neil and Paul. "What did he say?"
Neil coughed sharply. "I think he's infatuated with you!"
"You think?!" Maggie sarcastically mumbled. "What did he say Dr Gordon? Please!"
"I demanded to know why he was going after you…" Neil was unsure who to explain Krueger's avaricious manner as he spoke of her. He could see the woman was already on edge. "He said that he wanted you and that he wasn't going to let you go"
"He wanted me?" Maggie murmured softly and she let out an involuntary gasp. Did he mean…? "You mean like in a sexual way?"
Neil looked over to Doc, seeing him staring sombrely at his colleague. "I'm not sure Dr Burroughs. But his face held this possessive look"
She slumped back in her seat as he knees jerked up and down. Her body shook as she lowered her gaze to her hands that gripped her shirt in a vice grip. "I've seen that look before. He began to look at me that way after he stabbed me. Since then, his behaviour towards me has changed. He would look at me in a ravenous way. He began to call me those words. Sweetheart. Wildcat"
It then dawned on her. His mannerisms changed ever since she told him she was adopted…
"He said you were keeping something. That you had a secret" Neil remarked. He watched as she lifted her quivering face and took a glimpse over at Doc who gazed at her thoughtfully. "Dr Burroughs. Is Krueger telling the truth? Or is it another twisted game of his?"
Maggie shrugged her shoulders in a causal fashion as she rose to her feet. "I don't know what he' s talking about"
Doc left his seat and grabbed her left shoulder as she stormed over towards the door. "Maggie, you should tell them!"
She shoved his hand from her and took a defensive step back shaking her head as her right hand clutched the silver door handle. "No, it's none of their business!"
"Dr Burroughs, please! If we are to find out why Krueger is after you then we need to know everything about you" Neil pleaded.
Maggie felt the grip on the door handle falter, and she lazily dropped it to her side, seething silently. Her teeth grounded together as she muttered in exasperation. "I'm adopted"
Neil's jaw juddered opened in surprise, "Adopted?"
"Yes! I was adopted when I was twelve years old" she hissed and lowered her gaze towards her boots. Why did she feel ashamed of admitting this? Was it because she felt she had no real identity? That she had no genuine connection to anyone because she had no idea who her real birth parents were. She heard Neil softly clear his throat and she jadedly looked up at him.
"I don't want to pry into your personal life and make you feel uncomfortable" he said sincerely. "But if you can tell me any information that may be useful"
"Um" she began with a hint of hesitation in her voice. "I was in and out of care homes most of my childhood. I vaguely remember the earliest memory was when I was six years old. I was in a care home in Lancaster. I don't remember anything of my earlier childhood before Lancaster"
Paul leaned forward in his seat and lightly rubbed his chin. "You don't remember anything at all before living in Lancaster?"
Maggie shook her head quickly, "No"
"Maybe there is the possibility that you were in a care home in Springwood"
"No" Maggie slowly shook her head, but albeit a little uncertainly. She tried to dismiss his suggestion. There was no indication that she was from his town. She would have remembered something. Freddy was trying to use the declaration that she was adopted against her. It was a demented game of his to try to twist and fuck with her mind. Though she did remember the words he had said to her, and it was whispering over and over in her mind.
And what would you say if I said we were connected?
As much as she laughed off the ridiculous supposition, she now was growing a little doubtful for rejecting it so quickly. Was there the chance she was in Springwood? Even temporarily before she was moved onto the care home in Lancaster. If that was true, that didn't mean she was connected to Krueger. It would be a way of connecting her to this town. It was all bullshit he was spouting. It was a ruse he was trying to pull on her. A malicious way to try and manipulate her.
Maggie took a shaky deep breath and locked her gaze with Neil. "Look, I know all the cares homes I was in. They were in Lancaster, Zanesville, Greensboro and finally Central City. I moved there when I was eleven years old. It was after my 12th birthday that I was adopted by Martin and Diane Burroughs. Maggie has been my name for as long as I remember" she clamped her eyes shut, squeezing back the tears and then wiped the back of her right hand across her left cheek. "Please, I don't want to talk about this anymore"
Doc sighed despondently as Maggie flung opened the door to the office and ran from the room. "I'm going to check on her"
"I'm sorry for pushing her on the issue. But we need to know everything about her to find out why Krueger is interested in her" Neill lightly rubbed his neck. Still feeling the coarse skin of Krueger's hand on his flesh.
"I understand. Look, we can stay tonight and help you watch over the kids"
"Thank you we would appreciate that" Paul smiled in gratitude of his offer. "We can gather them in the games room for the night"
Doc gave a brief smile and left the room, knowing that Maggie would be waiting of him in her office. It was a common occurrence for him to check on her whenever she stormed off in a bad mood and this was one of those occasions. He knocked her door twice and then entered. She whirled around to him and before he could utter a word she snapped. "Don't ask me if I am okay. Because I'm not!"
He shut the door behind him and sat down facing her as she eventually sat at her desk. "Maggie, perhaps Paul is right. There could be a link between you and this town"
Maggie snapped her head in his direction and scoffed softly.
"You moved to Lancaster in 1968, the care home was Fairfield Children's Care Home from what you told me. But are you sure you don't remember-"
She slammed her fist against the desk and snarled. "For God's sake Doc, you know I don't fucking remember! We are here to help the kids! Not to find out about my childhood. Now please, drop it!"
He sighed and nodded slowly, knowing that this was a touchy subject for her.
….
Next morning 7am…
Maggie slammed shut the door to her motel room and sheepishly covered her mouth with her hand stifling a yawn. Despite their voices of concern from Doc and Neil, she had reassured them that she needed some space and time to think. It was her plan to reunite with them in the afternoon. She also hoped to do some mediation and some exercises. The night had been difficult for everyone, but they managed to pull through. They had gathered the kids in the games room and participated in several friendly competitive games on the Super Nintendo with Spencer dividing the kids and the doctors into groups.
It had alleviated the kid's anxiety and kept them occupied and in some way alert. What also helped was the daily nightly dosages of their adrenaline tablets and energy drinks. None of them were allowed to go wandering back to their rooms on their own. At least one adult, either Maggie, Doc, Neil or Max was to accompany them. The night in Neil's view was a success, but whether the next night would be as positive remained to seen.
After taking a quick coffee she changed into a pair of knee-length black spandex running bottoms, grey sports bra, white Nike t-shirt and plain white sneakers. Along the side of her running bottoms where two small side pockets where she tucked down a few dollars and her room key. She had considered bringing her Walkman but decided against it. It would be too bulky to carry. Checking the charge on her cell phone she slid the small black flip phone into her other side pocket and then pulled on a dark navy baseball. Before leaving the room, she grabbed a grey hoodie and tied it around her waist tightly. Despite knowing withing minutes of running she would be sweating it was also common for her temperature to drop whenever she stopped her exercises. So, this hoodie would come in useful if she had to walk back to her motel. But where was she going to and how far? Three or four miles would be enough. She had remembered on her way back in the cab a few roads that had wide sidewalks along a few construction sites where a few apartment complexes were being built, though it appeared that the work had stalled as there was signs of vandalism on the sides of the buildings and a few pieces of machinery left abandoned.
Maggie took a few deep breaths, in through her nose then out her mouth and closed the door as she broke into a light jog. Her feet slapped lightly on the asphalt as she jogged away from the motel towards the main centre of town. She prudently looked to her left and right as she crossed a few empty roads, passing by a few run-down grocery and pharmacy stores, and a large gas station.
Her arms pumped back and forth as she ran onwards as a steady pace and out of her corner of her eye to her left, she spied a small-town fair. Something she had not noticed before. It was tucked beyond a row of trees. She glanced up and down the road and made her way across to it. There was a long row of game stalls such as the Hoopla, Tin Can Alley, Coconut Shy and the Hit the Hammer game were positioned out around the edge of the fair. But their appearance was shabby, broken pieces of wood and metal and covered in dust and spiderwebs. She gingerly jogged around the fair and saw a large metal canopy that was littered with various broken coloured lightbulbs. It towered over the layout of the dodgems. The various multi-coloured bumper cars were broken and discarded in the corner of the large metal rectangular floor. Maggie frowned slightly. This funfair seemed to be from last year. No one had bothered to tear it down.
She jogged back towards the exit of the fair and passed by the trees back onto the main road. Within minutes she was jogging back a long row of shops that consisted of hardware shop, laundromat, hair salon, a few cafes, small restaurants or pizzerias. Their condition fared better than the other buildings she had passed, but a few of them had for sale signs posted above their doors. Maggie slowly jogged to a stop and then looked up at the sky, seeing the faint blue sky starting to pierce the clouds that were beginning to disperse.
At the end of the road, she slowed to a halt and saw a large town square to her left and a road to her right that stretched down as far as she could see. There were a few apartment complexes on either side of the road and what looked like a school at the end of the street. She turned to her left and began to gently jog along the sidewalk. To her left was another row of red bricked buildings of diverse shops with brightly coloured signs attached above their doors– they consisted of a few vintage clothing shops, bakeries, butchers and a few solicitors and retail estate offices. Her eyes darted to and forth as she passed by several townsfolk as they rushed by on their way to work or beginning to unlock their businesses for the working day ahead.
Maggie politely smiled at them as they curiously glanced at the newcomer and then she came to a stop halfway down the sidewalk and stretched her legs, before turning her body towards the main square. Directly to the left across the road was a modest sized two storey building that had strategically positioned four large pillars underneath the triangular part of the roof. The US flag and Ohio state flag flapped lightly in the wind high above the curved wooden archway of the entrance to the doors of the building. Large square windows were scattered along the stone walls and loomed over the town square. She assumed this was the town hall. It was impeccably well kept. Not a broken window or a lick of paint was starting to peel away. She saw few employees entering the building.
Beyond it to the far right was another building decorated in deep red brick and to Maggie seemed vaguely familiar. She chewed her lips lightly, then averted her pensive gaze to the square and with a quick glance at the road she jogged over to the other sidewalk that encircled the large grass lawn. In the middle she saw a few picnic benches and a small blue coloured bandstand located in the middle of the square with three gravel paths leading up to it. She again gnawed at her lips, feeling a little uncertain. Why was she feeling unsettled about seeing this town square? Shaking her head to dispel these strange feelings, she slowly walked to her left and saw a large statue a few feet ahead. It was assembled on a large thick grey marble stand, while the statue was constructed in bronze metal and fashioned in the shape of a boy scout. It stood about four feet tall with their left arm straight at their side and a boy scout hat planted on their head. Their right bronzed hand was positioned at their temple in a salute as their gaze stared straight ahead.
Maggie felt her lips scowl downwards in mystification again. Had she seen this statue before? Her eyes roved down towards the gold plating at the bottom of the statue that was attached to the front of the marble stand. Across the plaque were four words in black lettering.
The Children Shall Endure
Her jaw dropped opened, and she lifted her gaze to the body of the statue. A low metallic groan echoed in her ears, and she let out a shaky gasp as the sculpture's head began to twist and bend. Cracking under an invisible pressure. She took a few steps back in terror as a thick trail of blood began to trickle from the fragmented, crooked metal face. It oozed down the front of the statue and along the letters on the gold plaque, morphing the last word to give…
The Children Shall DIE….
Maggie's left foot jerked backwards, and she scuttled backwards in alarm. In two hesitant steps she unknowingly back onto the road with her deep brown eyes never wavering from the trail of blood that slithered onto the concrete sidewalk…
BEEP!
Maggie screamed and spun around at the sound of the car horn. Her body froze as a white van hurtled towards her. In a blink of an eye an invisible hand grasped a fistful of the back of her t-shirt, and she was viciously jerked back onto the safety of the sidewalk. She shrieked landing hard on her back and wildly looked about. Her heart thudded thunderously in her chest. What the fuck was that? Did someone grab her and save her? Her legs shook as she tottered to her feet and spun around slowly, her lips trembling as a disturbing thought entered her mind. Could it be him? Was his fucking spirit following her now in the waking world? Or was it daydream she had just experienced?
Whirling around to the statue she shivered violently and let out long deep breath of relief. It had returned to normal. No cracked or bent metal, no blood marred the effigy. She bent her head back and inhaled deeply and then took a fleeting glance over at a small bakery where two of the workers quietly chatted and threw her a concerned glance. A flash of red burned her cheeks. Had they seen what had just occurred? Fuck, she was getting out of here.
Maggie lightly clenched her shaking hands and gracefully broke out into a jog around the edge of the square towards the town hall and made a beeline across the road to the other building that loomed beside it.
It was a large one storey building. Made of thick white concrete stones with a set of six steps leading up to the double brown doors. Like with the town hall, the US flag and Ohio state flag were hung high above the door. On a thick white plaque were the words.
Springwood Court House. Est 1912.
She felt a cold shiver prickle along her bare arms as she took a few diffident steps up the concrete steps to the double doors, then stopped. Her eyes squinted and creased in suspicion as she allowed them to roam over the entrance. A nebulous image began to resurface in her mind, but it was distorted and blurry. To her it appeared to be a photograph. But of what or whom?
A deep groan of frustration rumbled from her throat, and she spun away from the courthouse, more confused than ever. Just what was going on with her mind? Why was she constantly being distracted by vague recollections and thoughts? Maybe coming out for a jog was a mistake.
She lightly shook out her arms trying to ease the tension in her shoulders and again broke out into a run, meandering down the road ahead of her. She passed by several rows of houses on each side. Most of them hard large lawns, white picket fences. At the end of a few of the houses were a 'FOR SALE SIGN' making her take a double take as she silently deliberated. Did the families in these homes have children who were murdered by Krueger? Were their parents considering moving from the town after the deaths of their children? Or were some families who still had young children desperate to leave the town to try and protect their children?
Maggie sighed sadly at the town's predicament and picked up her jogging pace as she crossed an intersection and saw immediately Craven Inn at the corner of the street. She slowed to a walking pace as she came to the building and peered through the windows and the netted white curtains that hung on the window frames inside. The café had a few customers who waited in a patient line at the counter. Her eyes darted to the right and she found that they began to linger on small red leather booth tucked in the far-right corner beside a 1950s Juke box. Her gaze remained locked on the booth as her mind began to drift. Why had she this notion that she had sat in that booth before and with someone close to her?
She huffed an exasperated puff of air and shook that concept away. This town was really causing her to believe some ridiculous deliberations. Maggie mumbled softly and sprang into a fast sprint and rounded the corner to the left down the next road. After half a mile she saw a few other businesses, a few clothing stores, an ice cream parlour, bookstore and a two-storey cinema. The cinema in her view could do with a fresh lick of paint and new lightbulbs on the display board. Most of them were broken or missing, while the bright red paint was dilapidated and peeling away from the concrete. A sign of disrepair and an indication that parts of the town were going downhill. It was like the town was starting to wither and die.
A violent shiver shot through her body, and it wasn't from the bitter cold air. She veered down another side road and saw to her far left across a large car park a Walmart. The carpark had several cars, no doubt workers starting their morning shift.
She trotted onwards and within a matter of minutes she was meandering down a large, wide street with numerous two storey white wooden houses on either side of her. Some of the houses were also constructed in thick red brick or grey stone, with verandas attached to the front of the houses. Small white picket fences surrounded the damp lawns. Aligned along each side of the road were large oak and elm trees, looming high above the street.
Maggie glimpsed inquisitively at a few metal mailboxes positioned at the end of a few of the house's lawns. 14 Beechview Street. 16 Beechview Street…
She crossed a crossing to another street and looked up briefly at the street sign.
Beechview Park.
The names of these streets and neighbourhood didn't perk her interest. She picked up her pace and trotted down towards the end of the street. Across the main road that run alongside the small neighbourhood was a large park. A wide sidewalk surrounded the large rectangular shape of the part. There were a few brown benches dotted around the edge of the park to her right was a gravel path that led into the park. The path twisted and turned left breaking out into smaller paths, with one of them stretching into the middle of the park about thirty feet away to where a large grey, cracked fountain stood. Water gushed from the decorative animal shaped top of the feature into the large circular pool that made the base of the stone structure.
Maggie made a beeline for the entrance and took a few cautious steps down the path. Her eyes slowly scanned the area, seeing that one of the paths led to a large playground. She could see metal swings, bright red merry-go-round, slides, jungle gym, trapeze rings and a large sandpit. The playground was enclosed off by a four-foot wired fence with a small gate leading inside. Her fingers twitched and discreetly gripped the edge of her t-shirt. Why was she captivated in by this playground? Why was it starting to look familiar to her…?
She flicked her fingers on her hands and clenched them into tight fists. "Stop being distracted" Maggie whispered to herself.
Her body twisted to the left and she let her eyes scrutinize the rest of the park. To the far left beyond a cluster of thick trees was the faint outline of another playground that seemed to be aimed for toddlers. She craned her gaze to the cluster of trees and her eyes loitered on a large Elm tree located beyond a small picnic area. It towered above the park and again for some fucked up reason she had this strange idea that everything about this place was familiar to her.
She doubtfully backed away and trotted out of the park, then pondered where to go next. Her head swung to the right and then towards the left where she saw in the distance the tops of various homes.
Yes, you go that way little lady…
Maggie flinched and gasped at the faint whispering that echoed in her mind. Was it…? Fuck, he really was stalking her.
She shook out her arms and began to trot into a gentle, steady pace. After a few minutes she was wandering by another neighbourhood. The same lay out as the other streets. Wide road. Neatly kept lawns, white wooden, red brick or grey stone homes. The street signs read…
Oak Drive. Oak Street. Sycamore Drive, Sycamore Avenue
Her heart began to thud like a hammer against her chest as her hands began to perspire. A nauseated feeling churning in her stomach. She knew the names of these streets. These houses were recognisable to her.
She took a cautious glance at the road as she crossed to a new street ahead of her. Then her legs rocketed to a stop as she lifted her brooding gaze to the metal pole to her right. At the top was the street sign in green backdrop with green letters.
Elm Street.
Maggie's chin quivered and her jaw dropped opened, a flash of surprise flickered in her brown eyes. She lowered her shocked gaze towards the street ahead of her. The road stretched on as far as she could see, various bricked, wooden and stoned clad houses dotted on each side of the street. She felt her legs quake as she sluggishly moved forward.
She knew this street…
Her alert eyes darted to the left then right as she explored each of the front gardens. The lawns were slightly shabby, a few of the houses had for sales signs looming at the end of their driveways. Most of the homes appeared in good condition. The numbers of each of the houses were in the high hundreds.
1398
1400
1402
As she continued her steady march down the street Maggie kept her brooding gaze to the right, looking at each house as she passed them. Then she slowed to a stop at the side of a six-foot bush that stretched along the side of the front yard. Her teeth impulsively nibbled at her bottom lip as a wave of nausea gripped her stomach. Exhaling slowly, she lifted her right foot, moving it forward and within a few slow steps she passed the edge of the bush and her eyes locked on the dilapidated lawn that was before her. Thick weeds stood at about two feet in height The pathway that drove up the middle of the lawn was cracked, pieces of concrete rumble littering the ground. On the lawn on the left side was a broken for sale sign. She then gradually allowed her eyes to drift to the house and her mouth dropped open as a soft gasp escaped her throat.
A two-storey white house loomed over her. Two thick white pillars were smeared in dirt and cobwebs underneath a small white archway. Her eyes roved towards the red door that was also tarnished in grime. The small oval window near the top of the door was covered by a single thin plank of wood. The windows on both floors were also obscured by various lengths of planks of wood. The white pain of the house was cracked and peeling away. Above on the roof were long thin green wooden vertical tiles. Just like the rest of the house the wooden strips were matted with dirt. Maggie took a deep trembling breath as her eyes fell towards the red door again and the four numbers in gold brass signalling the house number.
1428
"1428 Elm Street" She murmured quietly to herself and before she could even contemplate taking a step forward a shadow loomed behind her.
"They're in there you know"
Maggie whirled around to the unfamiliar female voice with a startled gasp. Her eyes quickly took in the short stout woman before her. She looked in her late forties with dark curly brown hair and brown eyes. Their plump frame was dressed in coral short-sleeved top that was pulled over a flowered shirt and a pair of tan slacks. The strange woman's jittery eyes flicked towards the dilapidated house then back to Maggie who asked. "Pardon?"
The woman took a slow step forward and then glanced at the house. "My children are in there" she nodded sharply with her head to the right. "He has them in there. But I'm going to get them back"
Maggie swallowed worryingly as the woman stepped forward again. Judging by her skittish eyes and the low murmurs that echoed from her throat Maggie knew that this woman was suffering from trauma. She watched as the woman held out a coloured photo out to her. Her hands were shaking. "Their names are Darlene and Becky"
Maggie peered down at the photograph. There two young girls dressed in causal dresses, aged in their young teens. Both with similar features to the woman, shoulder length brown hair and eyes.
"They were twins. Only fourteen" The woman choked through a sob. "You've got to help me get them back!"
After folding the photo into her pocket, the woman reached forward and grabbed Maggie's right arm, her fingers nipping sharply into her skin. Maggie winced at the pressure and was ready to retaliate and push the disturbed woman away when another voice perforated through the silent street.
"ETHEL! What are you doing to that woman?"
The woman, Ethel's, grip began to loosen, and this enabled Maggie to rip her arm away and stagger back. She spun around to her right as an older woman in her mid-fifties approached from across the road. Her hair was short also curled and grey with faint tints of blond. Blue eyes twinkled with concern as she advanced towards them. Her slim frame was adorned in grey trousers and navy V-neck sweater with a stylish white blouse underneath. "Ethel, leave her alone! What are you doing down here?"
Maggie took a cautious step back and watched as Ethel glared at the newcomer with a shake of her head. "Susan, you of all people should know who is in that house!" She pointed sharply at the Elm Street house with a finger. "He has your son in there too. He has your son Glenn!"
Susan hushed her, "Listen, let's get you home"
Maggie followed the new woman's gaze as she wildly looked up and down the quiet street.
"Where is Harold? Did he come out with you?"
Clearing her throat softly Maggie nodded behind them as a dark brown-haired man dressed in a matching tan suit and striped multi-colored shirt rushed up, his face red from exasperation and exhaustion. "God damn it, Ethel!"
Ethel swung around to her husband. "Harold we've got to get our children back!"
Her husband snarled in rage and gripped Ethel's shoulders as he began to drag her back down the street. "I told you not to come to this damn street!"
The distressed woman pulled her gaze back to Maggie and exclaimed, "That's where he waits for you!" she pointed at the decrepit Elm Street house again. "He has all our children inside. He's never going to stop!"
Harold shook his head and with a violent tug began to trail his delusional wife down the street. Their voices rising in crescendo as they continued their heated argument. Maggie let out a low shuddering breath. She had been around teenagers who suffered from trauma before, but what occurred there was something she was not accustomed to.
"She's been like that since her two young girls died last year"
Maggie turned towards the woman Susan who sadly shook her head.
"I'm sorry about this" She tutted, "Ethel is delusional. She believes that her kids were murdered by him. That her kids are inside that house. But it was all an accident, a house fire. She doesn't seem to understand that. Come, I'll get you something to drink. You seem a little shaken"
Maggie tried to shake her head, but the woman gently took her by the arm and led her across to her own home directly facing 1428 Elm Street. They both climbed up a few steps to the doorway. Susan slowly loosened her grip on her arm and smiled at the man sitting behind her to her right on a metal decorative bench. He was short and slightly over-weight in his late fifties with grey hair, dressed in a set of striped pyjamas. His dark brown eyes were narrowed, in a trance as she stared sombrely at the dilapidated Elm Street house. Maggie finally saw the black revolver on his lap and took a swift step back.
"Walter! Put that gun away for god's sake!" Susan sharply berated her husband. "We have a guest!"
Taking a quick glance at the man then the woman, Maggie pondered their names. Susan. Walter. The other woman Ethel had mentioned that Susan had lost her son Glenn. This was Glenn Lantz's parents.
"Would you like something to drink dear? Some water or coffee?"
Maggie swiftly shook her head and smiled appreciatively. "No, thank you"
Walter suddenly blinked as if coming out of his trance and turned his gaze towards Maggie. "Who is this?" he directed this question at his wife.
"Uh, my name is Maggie" Maggie smiled and removed her baseball cap from her head. "I was just out for a run, when that woman appeared"
"Oh, Ethel is harmless" Susan chuckled. "A little crazy though. As I mentioned she believes her daughters were murdered. But it was all a tragic accident"
Walter snorted in disbelief. "I still can't believe you think that, Susan. We both know it was him who killed Darlene and Becky. Just like he took our son away from us"
Susan shook her head and reprimanded him. "Oh, Walter, be quiet! Glenn isn't dead, you know that! You know how busy he can be, that's why we don't see him anymore. He's always out at football practice or at the games" she smiled broadly as she explained to Maggie. "He's a star quarter back. He's quite famous around Springwood!"
"Your son was Glenn Lantz" Maggie muttered softly.
"Yes, have you heard of him?" Susan beamed. Her eyes suddenly glazed over, and Maggie gave a quick scan of her arms, that quaked and shook. Maggie sighed in dismay; this woman was crazy too. Believing her son was alive. How long was she suffering from this neurotic thought? Ever since her son had died, but wait that was in 1980? She looked over towards Walter, the husband. He was displaying signs of being more lucid. He knew that their son was dead.
But it was apparent that Krueger's impact on the town was more than just killing the children. The adults in the town were being affected psychologically, their minds were being twisted. Maggie licked her dry lips and took a fleeting glance at the shabby house across from them. Why was it like that?
"That house…" she began carefully. "Why is it like that?"
"It belonged to the Thompsons. Donald sold it after Marge died and what had happened to Nancy" His right hand slowly curled around his gun.
Maggie stifled her gasp of surprise. It belonged to Nancy Thompson and her family. But after they had moved out Neil had said that the Walsh family had moved in around 1985. Neil was very brief in his description of the house; he never told her where it was. How did she know to come down here? That little voice in her head in the park, it had to be Krueger. He guided her down to this street, to that fucking house. But why?
And why had no one else moved into the property after the Walsh family moved out after Jesse's death? How did it fall into such an unkempt state? Did Krueger haunt it? She wasn't a believer in the supernatural but had heard of theories where a spirit would haunt a certain place if they were linked to it in some way. This would be another issue she could investigate…
Susan took a few steps around Maggie and roved her eyes over the young woman, taking in her features. Especially her eyes and face. "Oh, you look familiar to me now"
Maggie flinched backwards. "What?"
"Your eyes…." she reached up to touch her cheek. But Maggie again jerked away. "They remind me of someone who lived here. On this street"
A blazing heat of embarrassment flushed over Maggie's cheeks, and she shook off the unnerving stare this woman was giving her. She had to remember this woman was suffering from delusions.
"Susan, leave her alone!" Walter sprang to his feet and tightened his grip on his gun. Then directed his hardened stare at Maggie. "I don't know why you are here, but don't come down this street again!"
Maggie stepped backwards.
"That house!" he pointed the tip of his gun at 1428 Elm Street. "Is dangerous. He is waiting inside it; he's even watching us now!"
"You mean…" she softly whispered. "Freddy?"
"Don't say his fucking name! It's evil. He's evil. He destroyed my son. Mutilated him, he literally drained all the blood from his body. You should have seen his room!" Walter sobbed back a wail of pain. "My wife still believes Glenn is alive. But he's not. That fucker got him. It was repercussions for what we did to him. For what this down did to him!"
His uncompromising stare lingered over the contours of her face and scowled in confusion. He shook his head and shrugged the ambiguous thought that this woman could be her. It was foolish to think that this could be her. She was gone, escorted from the town. The social services had promised to protect her. Especially after the morning of the court case. Donald and Lt Blocker had ensured their safety. The girl was safe. This wasn't her.
"Do yourself a favour and keep away from this street!" He waved at her then at the road with his gun. "Go on, leave!"
Maggie didn't think twice and spun on her heel, running down the street.
Author's Note:
I hope you noticed the links to the original Freddy's Dead movie. :)