That same day, Kimberly Hart arrived in Angel Grove. She had intended to continue taking Hypnocil, not allowing Krueger in her dreams. However, she changed her mind. She was determined to help his other "victims" fight against him. This time, Freddy was going to die.

She knew what had to be done. She had already tried pulling Freddy out of her dreams to kill him, but it was too hard to know if you were awake or not since Freddy could manipulate dream reality. Kimberly had researched demons. Now, she knew how to put an unrest demon to rest.

The only problem was she didn't know where to look. Freddy's remains had to be found and buried in hallowed ground. Her father could have told her, but her father was dead. She knew of only one person who might know where Freddy's remains would be buried, and he wasn't likely to cooperate. However, she wasn't going to give him a choice. Lt. Sloan was going to talk, or else.

"Cash or credit, Miss?" the young woman asked.

"Do you accept Visa?" Kimberly asked in return, handing her credit card to the woman.

A few moments later, Kimberly found herself in a rather nice Hotel Suite. "Geeze, it's only nine p.m.," she complained. She wasn't due at the hospital until the next morning.

She flopped back on her bed and stared at the ceiling. "Well, I can't sleep, that's for sure," she muttered. She sat up, plucked the remote from the nightstand, and turned the television on.

"Officials at CalTech are at a loss to explain this sudden burst in seismic activity," the newsanchor said. Suddenly, perfectly on cue, the entire hotel began to shake.

"What the-?!" Kimberly cried, hopping off the bed. Her television tipped off of the stand and shattered, prompting a cry of alarm. She darted to the door of her room, opened it, and stood in the doorway. The few pictures and certificates on the wall fell from their perches and broke upon hitting the floor. The single closet door in the corner of the room swung open with an ominous creak.

Then, it was over. Kimberly stepped back into her room and shut the door. With a heavy exhalation, she leaned against it. The sounds of car alarms filled the air. "Life in Angel Grove," Kimberly muttered. "You gotta love it." She crouched beside the television and uprighted it, emitting a heavy sigh upon seeing it shattered. "Better call the desk."

She walked over to her bed and sat down heavily, pulling the phone into her lap as she did so. Just as she was about to dial the extension for the front desk, she heard a rumbling come from her closet. She paused and replaced the phone on the nightstand. "Hello?" she asked cautiously. _Nothing but your overactive imagination, Kim,_ she chided herself.

Kimberly Hart stared at the open, and now silent, closet. She chewed nervously on the insides of her cheeks. Then, she crossed over to it in long strides. She stopped directly in front of the door and looked in. There was nothing there but clothing.

"See Hart," she said as turned back around. "Nothing but cloth-..." She paused as she realized the impossibility of that. She was in a hotel room, and she hadn't unpacked her luggage yet. There couldn't be clothing.

She spun back around in a panic just as two arms from inside pushed the clothes aside. Freddy's scarred face darted out of the darkness and stopped just a few inches from her's. "Miss me?" he taunted in a dark, grating voice.

Kimberly screamed and jumped back, barely escaping the wrath of Freddy's razors. She tumbled across a chair, tipping it over, and spilling out onto the floor. Freddy walked out of the closet, taking long, arrogant strides. Kimberly scrambled to her feet. Freddy slashed at her, but she dodged his second strike. His blades entered a potted fern, sending fringed fragments flying.

She backed away from him, not allowing herself to lose sight of his gaze. Freddy bent his right arm at the elbow, framing his left shoulder with his deadly assortment of razors. Kimberly picked up a table lamp and hurled it at him. The heavy ceramic object slammed into his head, causing him to stagger backwards. An angry scowl came across his face.

Spying a heavy ashtray, she picked it up and hurled it at him. He blocked it with his claw. She bolted for the door, but he was right after her. Glancing behind her, she saw him jump for her. Realizing he was going to hurt her, she turned to face him and absorbed his blow. The duo fell onto the bed. Both of her hands immediately flew to his right wrist, all of her strength dedicated to blocking him.

His body lay atop her's; his scarred, disfigured face was just a few mere inches away. Simultaneously, they both stopped struggling. "Heaaattthherrr," he said in a near-purr.

"This is my DREEEEAAAMMMM!" Kimberly screamed, breaking the silence. Immediately, the room began to shake.

Freddy grunted in confusion. Using all of her strength, she pushed up with her knees. Freddy started to fall backwards, and Kimberly began to wake up. But before she did, he swiped at her with his razors, four of them coming in direct contact with her forearm.

With a gasp, Kimberly sat up from her position on the bed. She spun around in a panic, looking for Freddy. _Calm down, calm down, calm down,_ she chanted over and over in her head. She was adept at dreaming; she knew how to tell the difference between Freddy-induced-dreams and reality. She looked at her hand, and when the sheer power of her mind couldn‰t make it change, she knew she was finally awake. Freddy could do a lot of things in dreams, including manipulate her body, but she was the dreamer. As such, she got to make some of the rules. Looking up, she saw that nothing was broken. There had been no earthquake.

However, Freddy had been there. Glancing down at her left forearm, she saw four, parallel, bleeding lines in her flesh. "Owww," she finally managed, touching the wounds delicately. She knew she would need stitches.

Holding her arm delicately, she dug through the closest suitcase with her right hand. She quickly found a shirt and wrapped it tightly around her forearm. Then, she called the front desk. "Please call me a taxi for AG Memorial."

Katherine rested on her bed, trying to concentrate. "Don't wanna sleep no more, no more," she sang in a quiet voice, "don't wanna sleep no more. Ain't gonna sleep no more, no more, ain't gonna sleep no more."

"Katherine," her mother said from the door. With a gasp, Katherine sat straight up in bed.

"What is it, Mum?" Katherine asked, somewhat angrily.

"Tommy is here to see you," Mrs. Hillard answered. "Shall I send him up?"

"No, I'll go down to him," Katherine offered. She stood up from her bed and stretched, rolling her neck around. She stood up, found her shoes, and then walked sleepily downstairs.

Tommy and Katherine slowly walked down the length of her darkened driveway. "Tommy, where's your truck?" Katherine asked.

"I left it at my house," he answered.

"Why didn't you drive it over?" Katherine asked, slowing to a halt.

"What's this sudden concern about my vehicle?" Tommy asked cautiously.

"Why don't we just take my car?" Kat suggested, warily. She watched as Tommy cautiously moved his hand up to the center of his chest. With his back to her, Katherine couldn't quite tell what he was doing. "Tommy? Stop it; you're scaring me."

Then, she heard it : the faint clicking of blades that always signaled HIS entrance. "Tommy?" Her boyfriend stood dead still, his hand unmoving. His back remained to her, and he completely ignored her every word.

Katherine began to slowly back away from him. Suddenly, Tommy spun around. His hands were empty, and there was no indication Freddy was around. "Is something wrong, sweetheart?" Tommy asked, smiling as sincerely as he could.

"You just scared me is all," Katherine said, not stepping any closer to him.

"You look like you could use some sleep," Tommy suggested, walking toward her. Katherine didn't move, allowing him to come within an arm's length of him. While she tried to appear calm, Katherine was ready to run at a moment's notice.

"You could, too," she said flatly. "We've got matching luggage," she added, pointing to the dark circles beneath her eyes.

"Come on, let's go," Tommy insisted, taking her hand.

"Let go of me," Katherine snapped, yanking her arm back. "I can walk myself, thank you."

"What the hell's wrong with you?"

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Katherine challenged.

"Do you want to go somewhere with me or not?" Tommy finally snapped.

Katherine dropped her head, shaking it. "I'm sorry, Tommy," she apologized. "I just... I haven't been sleeping very well lately, my nerves are frayed... I'm sorry."

Looking up, she saw that Tommy was nowhere to be seen. "Oh, real nice!" Katherine shouted. "Asshole!" She turned to go back in her house. Suddenly, the burned man jumped out of the bushes beside her porch.

"Boo," he taunted. Then, as Katherine screamed in alarm, he leapt at her. She threw herself aside, painfully landing on her hands and knees. Her shoes bit into the dew-wet grass as she catapulted herself into a running position. As soon as she looked up, however, she saw that she was as deeply ensconced in a dream as any other. No longer was she standing before a neat suburban house with white trim. She was standing in front of the old, dilapidated house on Elm Street. His house. His home.

Katherine ran up onto the porch, unsure of what to do. She turned around to see how far Freddy was from her, but he had already disappeared her. With lightning quick reflexes, she jerked her head in both directions. Freddy was nowhere to be seen.

"Where are you?!" Katherine shouted. "Show yourself, you bastard!"

"Gladly!" he bellowed from behind her. One long arm wrapped around her chest, and she was pulled into the house. Then, he disappeared from behind her, and she tumbled backwards into the front hall. With a painful grunt, she landed on her back and quickly rolled into a kneeling position.

She spun in a fast circle, looking for Freddy. Not seeing him, she darted to the front door, only to find it locked. With an angry yell, she beat both fists against it. _Well, you're not getting out this way, Hillard,_ she told herself. Abandoning the door, she cautiously walked down the front hallway.

The house was extremely old and run-down. There was no furniture. The walls were scarred, and in some places, huge pieces of dry wall were missing. Ragged, rotting curtains framed the windows. "The window!" Katherine cried hopefully. She hurried over to it and forced it open. She heard the painful screech of his blades against something metal. She quickly jumped out the window, but rather than land outside the house, she fell through a window near the back of the house. "Krueger!!" she screamed angrily.

Looking around, she saw that there was only one way out of her current room. A staircase set into the floor led to the basement, which would undoubtedly be his boiler room. As she started towards those stairs, she saw something lying on the floor. It wasn't very large, and it was delicately wrapped in a piece of fine linen. The object was very out of place in the dilapidated room. She knelt beside it and picked it up. Still not sure of what it was, she picked it up and quickly unwrapped it. She stared at it for no more than a second before she threw it to the ground and jumped back screaming. It was the bloody stump of a penis.

Still scrambling backwards, she wasn't paying attention. The floor gave way beneath her, and screaming, she fell into the basement. She barely caught herself with her hands, preventing a hard rap on her tailbone that would have knocked the wind out of her. Katherine whipped her gaze around, looking for Freddy. Then, a strong arm wrapped around her from behind. "NO!" she screamed. Turning her head as best she could, she found herself cheek-to-cheek with Freddy Krueger. The pair's cries mingled in a disturbing mixture of scream and laughter. She saw his right arm move around her, and he unfurled his biomechanical claw.

_THINK FAST!!!_

She saw a burning pipe to her left. Lightning quick, she slammed her bare forearm into it. Intense pain shot through her.

"No!" she cried, sitting up in bed. Sweat was beaded across her forehead. She scrambled off her bed and looked around quickly. Other than the tangle of bedsheets, her room was as she had left it. She pressed her hands against her face and said, sternly, "Don't fall asleep again, stupid." It was then that she felt the wound on her left arm.

A perfect, round, red circle was imprinted on her flesh. "You've always known it was real," she muttered to herself. "Why does the burn surprise you?" Both angry, terrified, and wanting to cry all at the same time, she walked into her bathroom.

She flicked the light on and reached down to turn the water on. However, just as her hand touched the four-pronged white knob, it grabbed her. All four white appendages became alive and folded up and across her hand. The door slammed shut just as Katherine began to scream.

The knob lifted out of the sink counter, connected by a brown, skeletal forearm. Steam began to spit out from around the gaping fixture hole. The hot water knob began to flex and writhe as well. Silver blades began to poke out of the white ceramic knobs. It was also attached to a skeletal arm. Quickly, the four blades grew to their full length. Glancing into the mirror, Katherine saw her own image change into that of Freddy Krueger.

"No!" she pleaded. "Please?!"

Freddy began to laugh. The ceramic hand holding her right hand in a death grip, turned over. Katherine cried out as the tender flesh of her wrist was turned up. "No!" she screamed. She grabbed the hand with the blade on it at the "wrist." Freddy laughed hysterically as she attempted to make it stop moving. However, her efforts were futile. All of the fingers curled up except for the index. It neared her wrist as Katherine screamed uselessly. Then, the blade flicked across soft flesh.

"Katherine!" Lisa cried, snapping her daughter from her dream. "What are you doing?!"

"Mum?" Kat asked pitifully. Looking down, she saw that was kneeling on her bed. A razor was in her left hand, and blood was flowing from the smooth cut across her right wrist.

"My goodness, Ms. Hart," Dr. Briscoe said. She finished stitching up the last of her wounds. "How did you manage this?" Dr. Maxine Briscoe was one of the best, albeit youngest, doctors at County General. She was going to be overseeing Kimberly's work with the Psychiatric Ward.

"Uhm, I fell," Kimberly finally managed.

"Dr. Briscoe!" Nurse Hathaway cried as she ran into the room. "We've got a suicide attempt; she's gone nuts!"

"I'll be back," Dr. Briscoe said to Kimberly. To Hathaway, she asked, "What's the situation?"

"Name is Katherine Hillard," Hathaway said. "She tried to slit her wrists; her parents just brought her here. She wasn't giving us any problems until we tried to sedate her, and now... She knocked out a male orderly!"

Dr. Briscoe reached the room. Katherine, screaming, stood in the middle of the room. An orderly attempted to approach her, and she launched into another screaming fit as she grabbed a pan filled with instruments and threw it at him. However, the orderlies were not deterred. One grabbed her from behind an examining table and wrapped his arms around her upper body. Katherine stopped screaming and immediately began to whimper pitifully. "Katherine, we aren't going to hurt you," Dr. Briscoe promised her. She quickly filled a syringe with a sedative. Katherine watched as the doctor approached her. Then, she threw her weight onto the orderly holding her and kicked Dr. Briscoe in the stomach with both feet. As the young, female doctor tumbled to the ground, Katherine spun out of the orderly's grasp. She backed into one corner and plucked a scalpel from a tray of instruments. An orderly approached her, and she lashed out with the scalpel, opening a wound on the orderly's arm.

"Back off, Ralph," Dr. Briscoe ordered as she climbed to her feet. Katherine held the scalpel out before her with both hands. "Katherine, we aren't going to hurt you. We just want to help."

Tears began to slide down Katherine's cheeks as she began to sing in a shaky voice. "Five, six, grab your crucifix. Seven, eight, gonna stay up late... nine, ten..." Katherine began to break down as she choked through the last stanza of the song. "Nine... ten..."

"Never sleep again," a voice said from the door. Dr. Briscoe turned to see her last patient standing in the doorway. Kimberly walked up to Katherine and delicately removed the scalpel from the shocked teen's hands. "Where did you hear that song?" Kimberly asked.

Katherine said nothing as she hugged Kimberly tightly, tears still flowing down her cheeks.

"I'd like to go speak with Katherine, if you don't mind," Kimberly said, trying to detach herself from Dr. Briscoe.

"I don't mind at all, but if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you for a few minutes, Dr. Hart," Dr. Briscoe said. "I apologize for not recognizing you earlier."

"Quite all right, and please, call me Kimberly."

"Then you can call me Maxine," Maxine said, smiling as sweetly as she could manage. "That was some first-rate handling of that young woman."

"Well, I've had some experience with panicked teenagers," Kimberly remarked. "I'd really like to thank you for giving me this chance to do my research here."

"What is it you do, exactly?"

"I'm a psychiatrist with a specialty in sleep and dream disorders," Kimberly answered.

"And what brought you to this little town of Angel Grove?" Maxine asked.

"I was raised here, actually," Kimberly said. "What better place to open an office than your home town, right?"

"As I understand it, you had quite a successful practice in Boston."

"Well, I have my reasons," Kimberly said as sweetly as she could. "May I?"

"Certainly. I shan't detain you any longer."

Kimberly allowed herself to frown as she walked toward Katherine's room. She approached the room and knocked on the door. "Katherine?"

"Hello," Katherine said cautiously. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine," Kimberly answered. "Yourself? Any bad dreams lately?"

"That's where I've seen you," Katherine realized. "You were the woman in my dreams this afternoon."

"How did you do that?" Kimberly asked. "That was you dream, right?"

"I pulled the hat out of that dream," Kat said. "It's in my bedroom right now."

"How did you pull me into your dream?"

Katherine paused, before saying, "When I was a little girl, whenever I had a bad dream, I would pretend like my dad was there with me. In the morning, he would tell me about the dream, because he thought it was his. But... I had always though I'd made it up."

"You have a very special ability, Katherine," Kimberly told her.

"Forget my ability!" Katherine snapped. "What the hell is wrong with me?! Why am I dreaming about this man?!"

"Nothing is wrong with you," Kimberly said. She closed the door and then walked over to sit by Katherine on the bed. "That man is very real."

"Don't play with me," Katherine said sternly. "I'm not in the mood."

"His name is Freddy Krueger," Kimberly announced. "He wears a dirty hat and a red and green sweater. He is horribly burned, and he's trying to kill you with some knives he wears on his left hand."

Katherine's expression shifted slightly despite her best efforts to the contrary. She didn't want to give Kimberly any emotions to play with. "People can't kill you in dreams," Katherine said.

"Then how do you explain that?" Kimberly asked, pointing to the bandage covering stitches on Katherine's wrist, as well as a small burned spot near her elbow. She paused, lifted her own forearm up, and pointed to the bandage on herself. "Or this?"

"I don't know where I got the burn, but I cut myself while I was sleep walking," Katherine said firmly. "My mother thinks I've lost my mind, and that's why I'm in the hospital."

"Freddy just wants people to think you tried to kill yourself," Kimberly told her. "You didn't, Katherine, and I know you didn't."

"If Freddy is real, why does he want to kill me?" Katherine asked.

Kimberly smiled slightly. "You have friends. I don't know their names, but Freddy has been after them, too. A handsome man with long hair, a pretty black girl, and a sex-crazed Korean kid."

"Tommy, Tanya, and Adam. What makes you think this Freddy is after them as well?"

"I don't want to have to repeat this story, so let's get them all in here," Kimberly said. "Can you manage that?"

"I can give you their numbers," Katherine said, "except for Adam. He's in a coma."

Kimberly's eyes widened. "A coma? Freddy is after him and he's in a COMA? We have to get him out of there."

"How do you wake up somebody in a coma?" Katherine asked.

"We fall asleep, you bring us together, and we go find Adam in 'Dream Land,'" Kimberly announced.

"We fall asleep?" Katherine asked. "Uhn uh. No way am I ever going to sleep again."

"You have to sleep," Kimberly said. "We need to get Adam back. If we are to stand any chance in beating Freddy, we need as many people as we can."

"Then let's go get Tommy and Tanya to help us, too," Katherine tried.

"Not just yet," Kimberly assured her. "It'll be okay. Now, are you willing to help me get Adam back? I need your dream abilities, Katherine."

"Okay," she relented. "I'll do it."

"Just follow the pendulum with your eyes," Kimberly said. She set the pendulum in motion and then sat back in a chair. "Try and take the both of us into Adam's dream."

"When will we wake up?" Kat asked.

"Ten minutes," Kimberly told her. "We'll have to be quick. And remember, if you die in your dream..."

"You die for good. I've got it," Katherine said.

"Follow the light with your eyes," Kimberly instructed soothingly. "Imagine yourself getting sleepier and sleepier..."

"...and when I reach three, we'll both be asleep," Kimberly said groggily. "One... two... three..."

Katherine's head dipped forward, her chin coming to rest on her chest. Then, she lifted her head and looked around her. "It didn't work," Katherine said. "I'm sorry."

"That's okay," Kimberly assured her. "We'll try again."

"Kimberly, I'm really scared," Katherine said nervously.

"I know you are, Katherine," Kimberly acknowledged. "I'm scared, too." She walked over to the pendulum and picked it up. "But we have to help Adam. It isn't right to just leave him dreaming. You'd expect him to help you, wouldn't you?"

"Of course, I would," Katherine agreed. "I'm just afraid of dying."

Kimberly set the pendulum back down on the table. She lifted it up and dropped it. As the pendulum reached the bottom of the arc, the small piece of mirrored glass that reflected the light broke off. It magically turned into a moth and flittered away. "Katherine," Kimberly breathed, pointing at the moth. "We are asleep."

Katherine crawled to the end of her bed and watched as the moth, made of mirrored glass, flew past her. She stuck her hand out and the moth alighted on her fingertips. "Wow," Katherine breathed. "If this is a dream, then we can do anything, right?" She passed her hand over the moth, and it turned into a large, golden coin.

"You're right," Kimberly agreed. "If this is a dream, we can do anything." Kimberly took a few steps back. She readied herself, and then she launched into a cartwheel. Upon landing on the ground, she flipped into the air, spinning a total of three times before finally touching back down.

"Ha ha!" Katherine laughed, clapping her hands together emphatically. "But... we're dreaming? This isn't a nightmare."

Suddenly, the television flickered to life. "Not yet, anyway," Freddy laughed from the screen. Both girls glanced up at the monitor to see his face centered on the television.

"What do you want, Krueger?!" Kimberly shouted.

"Ah, dear little Kimberly," Freddy sighed. "Run out of Hypnocil?"

"I'm just in town to send your sorry ass back to hell!" Kimberly yelled.

"What have you done with Adam?!" Katherine snapped.

"Oh!" Freddy cried in mock surprise. "Katherine? Bold? That's so out of character, Katherine! Isn't your line, 'Tommy!'?"

"What have you done with Adam?!" Kimberly yelled.

"So you want your friend back, do you?" Freddy asked. He stepped aside and revealed his surroundings. He was standing in a crude mock-up of his boiler room. In the center, there was a pit to hell. Adam was tied across the top of it, held in place by four disgusting appendages of flesh that looked strangely like human tongues. "Come and get him."

"Where are you?" Kimberly asked firmly.

Suddenly, flames belched into their room. Katherine cried and jumped back, although Kimberly stood firm. "You'll see," Freddy taunted just before the television exploded. Katherine turned her back to it and covered her face as minute pieces of glass showered down around her.

"Kimberly?" Katherine asked warily.

"Come out here in the hallway, Kat," Kimberly said from the doorway. Kimberly opened the door and cautiously stepped out into the hallway. Katherine hurried to her side.

Flaming footsteps stretched down the otherwise normal, although abandoned, hallway. They led right up to the swinging doors of the stairwell. "I guess we have to follow them, huh?" Katherine asked. "But... my bracelet? It'll sound an alarm if I leave this floor."

"We're dreaming," Kimberly reminded her. "Just get rid of it."

Katherine touched the thin plastic band around her wrist. It suddenly turned into a coral snake. With a scream, she yanked her hand back. The poisonous snake fell to the ground and promptly slithered away.

"Come on," Kimberly insisted, grabbing Katherine by the hand and pulling her down the hallway. The two girls followed the flaming footsteps, which continued to burn brightly, despite resting on tile that should have provided no fuel.

Kimberly pushed the doors to the stairwell open. A footstep of fire was on each step of the dark, twisting stairway. Katherine stepped in first, looking down the stairs. "No use putting off the inevitable," Katherine muttered, slowly walking down the stairs. As soon as Kimberly let go of the door, it promptly dissolved away. She looked back and saw a brick wall where the doorway had once been. "Come on, Kim!" Katherine cried, looking up at her. Katherine had already made it to the next landing.

"I'm coming!" Kimberly cried, running down to her.

"Look down," Katherine sighed, peering over the banister. The spiraling stairs stretched out below them for as far as they could see.

"I guess Freddy and Adam are at the bottom," Kimberly remarked. The two looked at each other before they continued their trek to the bottom.

Soon enough, they reached the bottom. The flaming footsteps led right up to a pair of double doors. "I'll go first," Kimberly volunteered. She opened the doors, allowing them to look inside.

Katherine and Kimberly looked at each other, coming to the same conclusion. "It's his boiler room," Kimberly said aloud. "Adam!"

"Don't yell!" Katherine chided. "He'll know we're here."

"He knows we're here, anyway," Kimberly said. "Come on."

The two found themselves walking amidst boilers and furnaces. Grease and grime covered everything, and chains hung from the ceiling.

Suddenly, the room opened up. Katherine gasped as she saw Freddy sitting on an upside-down bucket beside Adam. Adam was completely nude, suspended over the pit. She covered her mouth with her hands as she realized that Adam's penis was missing.

"Let him go, Krueger!" Kimberly yelled angrily.

Freddy stood up, kicking the bucket away. He removed his hat with a flourish and bowing, said, "Your wish... is my command!"

Suddenly, the tongue-like appendages of flesh holding Adam by his ankles and wrists began to let go. "No!" Katherine cried.

With a determined yell, Kimberly darted to the edge of the pit. Just as Adam began to fall into the redness below, she caught him by his wrist. Freddy turned and saw Kimberly kneeling by the pit, unable to defend herself. With a loud, "Hah!," he raised his claw and began to run at her.

"You son of a bitch!" Katherine cried. She found a long rod of iron leaning against a boiler. She picked it up and ran at Freddy in one smooth motion. Freddy's face was contorted in a mockery of pain as Katherine cleanly impaled him on the rod.

"Come on," Kimberly grunted, using the strength in her legs to pull Adam out of the pit.

"Oh my God," he groaned as he attempted to stand up. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Kimberly said hurriedly as she placed herself between Freddy and Adam.

Freddy then stood up. Smiling, he pulled the rod out of his body. It glistened with his blood; however, the disgust level reached its high when he extended a disgusting tongue out to lick the iron.

"Katherine, get us out of here!" Kimberly cried.

"I don't know how!" she shouted.

"Concentrate!" Kimberly pleaded.

Chuckling, Freddy slowly approached Katherine. She began to back up, trying as hard as she could to force them all out of their dreams. Freddy stretched out a long left arm and grabbed Katherine by the shirt collar. She whimpered as he pulled her closer. "I'm gonna split you in half," he taunted. He delicately traced the back of his razor blades against her cheek. "Gonna kill you slowly."

"Please," Katherine whimpered. Freddy pressed the tip of one razor blade against her jugular.

"Gonna split you in half, gonna kill you slowly, and I'm gonna have some real fun with what's left."

Katherine made the mistake of letting her eyes land on his. Much to her horror, she saw a human behind them. An evil human, but a human nonetheless. Then, they glinted happily as Freddy jerked his razor away from her neck. He quickly poised them, and in one fluid motion, he shoved them toward Katherine's chest.

ENK ENK ENK!

With a frightened scream, Katherine sat straight up in bed. She looked around quickly, finding herself in her hospital room. "Kat, are you okay?!" Kimberly cried from her chair.

"I... I think so," Katherine sighed. Her hands traveled to her chest, and she saw that the material of her shirt had been cut. She pulled her shirt out to peer down the neck and saw that his blades had even made contact with her bra. Another millisecond and her heart would have been impaled on his razors. "Oh my God..."

"Adam," Kimberly realized. "What floor is he on?"

"This one, I think," Katherine said. "Let me know..."

"Maxine, just the good doctor I'm looking for," Kimberly sucked up. "Can I talk with you for a moment?"

"I don't see why not," Maxine answered, sliding the clipboard back in its slot on the door to Adam's room. "Is there a problem?"

"No, not a problem... per se," Kimberly began. "I'd like to talk to you about Adam. I understand he's having pattern nightmares... a boogie man, if you will..."

"Well, yes, that is correct, but I don't see-"

"Katherine is also having pattern nightmares," Kimberly admitted. "With your permission, and of course the permission of the Park and Hillard families, I'd like to start an impromptu Dream Clinic. You know, bring the two teens together and let the three of us talk some stuff out. Of course, you'd be free to sit in whenever you'd like..."

"My only concern is the well-being of my patients," Maxine said, smiling. "I think it's a wonderful idea."

"Great!" Kimberly cried. "Can I go talk to Adam now?!"

"You can certainly try," Maxine offered, "but he isn't in a very good mood at the moment."

"Well, all he can do is chase me out," Kimberly said. "I'll see you later, Maxine."

"Good luck, Kimberly," Maxine smiled, patting her on the back.

Taking a deep breath, Kimberly opened the door to Adam's room. "Adam?" she asked.

He looked up slowly. Upon seeing his savior's face, a mingled look of understanding, fear, surprise, and delight crossed his features. "Are you-?"

"I'm as real as it gets, Adam," Kimberly said. "My name is Kimberly; I know you through Katherine."

"She was there, too," Adam murmured.

"Yes," Kimberly agreed. She pulled a chair up to the edge of his bed and sat on the back, her feet resting in the seat. "I guess you're pretty confused, huh?"

"That's one helluva understatement," Adam snapped.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier, but..."

"You're sorry?!" Adam yelled. "I get my dick cut off, and you're sorry!"

Kimberly allowed the teen to yell at her, assuming he needed someone to take his frustrations out on. "Adam, the man in your dreams is real," Kimberly started. "His name is Freddy Krueger, and he wants to kill you, he wants to kill me, and he wants to kill Katherine."

"Freddy Krueger?" Adam asked cautiously.

"That's his name."

"Who is he?"

"When he was alive, he was a child murderer. Now that he's dead..."

"He stalks teenagers in their dreams?" Adam asked. "That sounds so crazy, but what's even crazier-"

"Is that you know it's true," Kimberly whispered. Adam slowly nodded his head in agreement.

Kimberly glanced at her wristwatch. "It's after eleven. I would tell you to sleep tight, but I don't think that's such a good idea. In fact, make sure you don't fall asleep."

"I'll do my best," Adam said, before Kimberly interrupted him.

"No," she said. "You will stay awake. You fall asleep, and you might not wake up. Don't fall asleep."

3:29 a.m.

"Tanya?" Gale Sloan asked, poking her head into her bedroom. "Are you still awake?"

"Yeah, I'm awake," Tanya murmured. She pressed the mute button on her remote control.

"Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Why do you ask?" Tanya asked warily.

"Honey, you need some sleep," Gale said.

"Mama, I don't want to sleep," Tanya muttered. "I don't like dreaming."

"Tanya Sloan, you are acting like a child," her mother said sternly.

"I'll lay down and rest, okay?" Tanya lied. Gale didn't say anything, but she closed the door. Tanya turned the volume of her television down and laid back into the pillows, determined not to fall asleep. She waited a moment, and once satisfied that her mother wasn't going to pop back in, she leaned over the side of the bed and lifted a coffee pot onto her nightstand. She quickly poured herself a cup of coffee and then grabbed a bottle of caffeine pills. _I'm not going to sleep,_ she thought to herself, suppressing a giant yawn.

At eight a.m., Tanya got dressed and prepared to go to the hospital. It was finally Saturday; Tanya was grateful for the reprieve from school. Staying awake during some of her classes was nearly impossible, especially after having been awake for over forty-eight hours.

She found herself at the hospital with an equally red-eyed Tommy Oliver a few minutes later. "You look as rough as I do," Tommy commented.

"I've since decided to give up sleep," Tanya commented, attempting a joke.

"Why?" Tommy asked, dead serious.

"You probably wouldn't believe me," Tanya moaned as they walked down the hall to the elevator.

"I'm not sleeping anymore because I've been having bad dreams," Tommy said, yawning as he did so.

"Bad dreams?" Tanya asked.

"What's your excuse?"

Tanya looked at Tommy. From the look in his eyes, she knew he wasn't lying. "He's burned," Tanya said.

Tommy flared his fingers, affecting at a razor on each fingertip. Tanya nodded slowly, adding, "That's him."

"I thought he was just a bad dream until last night," Tommy remarked. He lifted his shirt and revealed a fresh wound on his abdomen. Three, thin parallel scratch marks could be seen on his stomach. "He got too close last night. I barely woke up in time. Another millisecond later and my guts would have spilled on the floor."

"He hasn't got close enough to touch me yet, but... he's cut my clothes."

The elevator dinged as they reached the third floor. "That's them," they heard Katherine said.

"Kat!" Tommy cried happily. Turning, he saw Katherine and an unfamiliar woman standing by the door of Adam's room.

"Hi," the woman said. "I'm Kimberly. I'm a dream researcher."

"Oh, isn't this just lovely," Tanya said sarcastically. "An expert who can make fun of us."

"Not me," Kimberly assured them. "Please, come in."

"Kat?" Tanya asked.

"She's legit," Katherine promised. "She's dreaming about him, too."

"Him?" Tommy inquired.

"Fred," Kimberly answered. "Fred Krueger. Wanna talk now?"

"With the knives?" Tommy asked, flourishing his hand.

"And the hat," Kimberly said, nodding. "Come in so we can close the door."

As the teens entered the room, Tanya hurried over to Adam's side and gave him a hug. "How are you doing?" she asked.

"I've been better," he admitted. "Did you hear?"

"Yeah, I heard," Tanya sighed. "I don't-"

"Guys, I hate to interrupt your reunion, but we need to get down to business," Kimberly said. She locked the door and then returned to her chair. She sat on the back with her feet in the seat. Despite looking mature, she also had a childlike quality that was absolutely captivating. "The five of us are the last ones."

"Last ones?" Tanya asked.

"We are the last of the surviving Elm Street children," Kimberly said solemnly. "In the early eighties, there was a man that lived on Elm Street, here in Angel Grove, named Fred Krueger. He was a child murderer. When the parents found out, they were outraged. He was arrested, but he was set free because a search warrant was signed in the wrong place. So your parents, my parents... they tracked Freddy down, chased him into his boiler room, and set the place on fire and watched it burn."

"If Freddy didn't kill us, then why did our parents roast him?" Adam asked.

"I'm sure you all had a brother or sister you don't remember," Kimberly said. "I remember you all as children. Tanya, you had an older sister named Jaelynn. Katherine, remember Kyle? Tommy, you had a twin brother named David, and Adam, you had an older brother named Robert."

"Oh my God," Tanya sighed. "I dreamed about Jaelynn and Kyle the other day..."

"Freddy killed them, and your parents helped kill Freddy. Somehow, after death, he was given the ability to come into our dreams. If Freddy kills you in your dreams, you die for real."

The four teens looked at each other, scarcely believing what they were hearing, yet glad just to have some type of explanation. "About four years ago, Freddy killed my friends. He almost killed me. I left Angel Grove, I found out about a drug called Hypnocil, and I've been taking it ever since. It keeps me from dreaming, and it keeps Freddy away. Last night, when Katherine and I went after Freddy, was the third time I've seen him since I started taking Hypnocil. He's changed a lot. He's bigger, he's meaner, and he has a new weapon. He used to wear a glove, with a blade on each finger. Now, that claw in place of his hand... that's new. I can't imagine where he got it."

"He's killing us to take revenge on our parents for killing him?" Tanya realized.

"Exactly," Kimberly said.

"So... what do we do about him?" Tommy asked. "Take that drug?"

"That's one option, but I really don't recommend it," Kimberly said. "It's VERY hard keeping your mind active enough so you don't go insane. I say we beat Freddy."

"Beat him?" Tommy asked.

"Freddy can get to us because he isn't at rest," Kimberly explained. "We have to get his remains, and bury them at hallowed ground."

"That sounds ridiculous," Adam complained. "Burying some dead guy is going to get rid of this maniac?"

"You got a better idea?" Tanya challenged.

"What do we do?" Katherine asked softly.

"There are several things we have to do," Kimberly said. "But first and foremost, whatever you do, don't... fall... asleep..."

"Dad?" Tanya asked, approaching Gabe Sloan. "I need to talk to you about something."

"Sure," Gabe offered. "Who's your friend?"

"Kimberly Hart, sir," she answered, extending her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Kimberly," Gabe said, shaking her hand. Then, he paused. "Is something wrong?"

"Not in the way you're thinking," Kimberly assured him. Kimberly sat down in the chair Tanya offered her.

"Should I start, or-?" Tanya asked.

"Lieutenant Sloan... about thirteen years ago, did you have a run-in with a man named Fred Krueger?" Kimberly asked.

Gabe Sloan paused when he heard that name. He looked up at her, very slowly, and asked, "Why?"

"About four years ago, did a group of teenagers in Angel Grove mysteriously start dying?" Kimberly continued. "And most importantly, did they blame Fred Krueger for it?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm the only survivor from that group of teenagers," Kimberly said. "Freddy killed my friends then, and he's still after us now."

"Get out of my house," Lt. Sloan said firmly.

"Daddy, why didn't you tell me about Jaelynn?" Tanya asked, standing up. "Why has every single thing about her been removed from this house!? I can't even remember my own sister!"

"You, get upstairs," he ordered. "You, get the hell out of here and don't come back."

"Lt. Sloan, please tell me where Fred Krueger's remains are," Kimberly snapped. "If you don't tell me, your daughter could be the next one to die."

"Don't you EVER come back in this house and threaten my family," he growled, his eyes flashing angrily.

"Daddy, she's not threatening me!" Tanya cried. "She's trying to protect me!"

"Get out, or I will physically remove you..."

"There are two options," Kimberly said, reverting to her final plan. "You can either tell me where Fred Krueger's remains are, or I'll file a report."

"People don't care about Fred Krueger anymore," Lt. Sloan snapped. "You make a report and you'll be laughed out of the station, especially if it's against me. Now get out."

Kimberly cast Tanya a final glance before she walked out of the house. "Daddy?" Tanya asked.

"Go upstairs," Gabe ordered. "Now."

"Fine," Tanya snapped. She calmly walked out of his study. As soon as she was out of his vision, she bolted up the stairs, headed for her room. She darted to her window, forced it open, and leaned out. "Kim!" she shouted as loud as she dared. "The trellis!"

Kimberly paused on the sidewalk in front of her house. She cast a glance at their house, and then she ran across the yard. A few seconds later, she was climbing into Tanya's bedroom. "What are we gonna do?" Tanya asked.

"You're gonna have to press him for information," Kimberly said. "We have to find out where his remains are hidden. Tommy is going to talk to his father, and Kat's going to ask her mom if she comes see her today."

"Hello Kimberly," Gabe said coldly from the doorway.

"I was just leaving," Kimberly promised, holding her hands up defensively.

"Daddy, please," Tanya pleaded. "She's-"

"Gonna be arrested if she ever steps foot in this house again," Gabe said sternly.

Tanya just lowered her head as Kimberly slipped out as surreptitiously as she could. "Tanya, I've told you once. I don't want to see that girl in this house again."

"Tommy!" Kimberly cried as soon as she entered his bedroom. He promptly sat straight up with a snort. "I told you not to fall asleep."

"I wasn't sleeping," he promised. "Just resting."

"Don't rest," she pressed. "No sleep, no rest, nothing at all relaxing. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it," he relented. "Geeze, brow beat me why don't you?"

"I'm just trying to keep you alive and well," Kimberly said.

"He'd be well if he'd sleep," Sarah Oliver said from the doorway.

"Mom," Tommy stammered. "Uh, this is Ki-"

"Kimberly Hart," she said, extending her hand while smiling.

Sarah smiled as well, taking her hand and shaking it. "What brings you here?" Sarah asked. "Old friend of Tommy's?"

"Actually, I used to live around here," Kimberly said. "On Elm Street, before an accident."

"Accident?"

"Yeah. My parents were Richard and Christine Hart," Kimberly said. She saw the recognition light across the older woman's face.

"Little Kimberly Hart," Sarah said, smiling. "My gosh. I haven't seen you since..."

"You moved off of Elm Street, too," Kimberly affirmed.

"Well, yeah," Sarah agreed. "You were, what, four then?"

"I dunno. Older than that... You moved when David was murdered." Kimberly knew she had either backed Sarah into a corner, or she had just totally alienated herself.

"What?" Sarah asked.

"You moved off of Elm Street after David was murdered," Kimberly continued. "But you sure came back to torch Krueger, didn't you?"

"Get out," she snapped suddenly, horribly enraged.

"I've been hearing that all morning," Kimberly said. "Where are Krueger's remains?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she finally tried, failing miserably.

"His name was Fred Krueger. He was a janitor at Angel Grove High. Children on Elm Street started dying. My sister, Tommy's twin... all kinds of kids. Mr. Krueger was set free on a technicality, so you and all of our parents tracked him down and burned him alive."

Tears began to gather at the corners of Sarah's eyes. "That's not true," she lied.

"Kimberly," Tommy said warily.

"Hush Tommy," she said, silencing him. "Mrs. Oliver, Freddy is back and he's punishing the Elm Street parents. He's punishing you all by coming after the Elm Street kids. If you don't tell me where Fred Krueger's remains are hidden, Tommy could be next. He can't stay awake forever."

A long, awkward pause followed. "The old auto wrecking yard," she said finally. "His bones are in the trunk of an old red Buick." Tears were now freely flowing down her face. "We- I mean, Daniel and I... we thought we were doing the right thing. He killed... he killed David, and we didn't know what else to do. It wasn't our idea, but... we helped. And we went with the Sloans to hide the remains. We just wanted to make sure..."

"Thank you, Mrs. Oliver," Kimberly said, smiling. "You've helped us very much today. Come on, Tommy."

Gale Sloan entered Tanya's bedroom. "Tanya?" she asked.

"What Mom?" Tanya asked weakly.

"Gabe said you were talking about a man named Fred Krueger," she said softly.

"If you're here to tell me it's all in my head, I'd rather not hear it."

"Fred Krueger can't kill you, honey," Gale said. Tanya rolled over to look at her mother. "Fred Krueger can't kill you because he's dead."

"He's real," Tanya complained, "and all this time you've been acting like it's something I made up?!"

"He was real," Gale sighed. "Come with me..."

A few moments later, Tanya found herself sitting beside the furnace in their basement. "Back in the early eighties, right here on Elm Street, all of the kids started disappearing. People went crazy; we didn't know what could have happened to them."

"Jaelynn?"

"Yes. Your older sister. Then, we found out who was doing it. Fred Krueger was such a nice man; we didn't believe it at first, but then... it all fit together. He should have been locked up, but he wasn't," Gale said. She began to cry, but she continued her tale. "A search warrant was signed in the wrong place, and he was set free, just like that. So, a bunch of us parents... we all got together, and we chased him into his boiler room. We covered it with gasoline, tossed in a match, and we watched the place burn."

Crying, Tanya asked, "What gave you the right to take the law into your own hands?"

"Because he took it into his hands when he killed our kids," Gale said. "But, honey, Fred Krueger can't get you. Not only is he dead, but Mama took his weapon away." She opened the furnace and reached up into it. Tanya watched in horror and awe as she pulled out a dirty rag. She opened it in her lap and pulled out an old, leather glove. An old, now-rusted, razor was at the end of all four fingers.

"Oh my God," Tanya sighed, stepping back.

"He can't get you anymore, honey," Gale promised her. "There's no way. He's been dead for years, now."

Still shaking her head, Tanya fled from the basement, leaving her mother to sit by the furnace and cry.

"Tanya is on her way," Kimberly said as she pulled her chair up to Adam's bed.

"Do you really think we should go rummaging around in an auto junk yard?" Tommy asked. "All we know is that it's a red Buick. There are probably hundreds of Red Buicks in wrecking yard."

"Then we'll have to look at all of them," Kimberly said firmly.

"It's not like you'll be in any danger," Katherine said. "I mean, you can do it awake? Right?"

"Of course," Kimberly assured them. "Awake. All we have to have is a crucifix and a bottle of holy water."

"Sorry I'm late, guys," Tanya called as she hurried into the room. "It took me forever to get away from my dad."

"It's okay, Tanya," Kimberly said. "We were just about to make plans to bury Freddy's remains."

"We know where they're at?"

"One of a few hundred places," Tommy sighed.

"It's close enough," Kimberly insisted. "We just have to wait for nightfall."

"Why?" Adam asked.

"We won't be allowed in the junkyard," Kimberly said. "We'll have to break in."

"Who all is going?" Tanya asked.

"I guess just me," Kimberly said.

"Uhn uh," Tommy said. "No way. I'm going too."

"I would go, but...," Katherine sighed, pointing at the bracelet on her wrist.

"I can't go, either," Adam groaned. "I'm on suicide watch."

"But... tonight, when you bury his remains," Katherine started. "We'll be able to sleep again. Right?"

"That's the plan," Kimberly said. "Just don't fall asleep until then."

9:58 p.m.

"C'mon!" Kimberly urged.

"Put your foot there, Tanya," Tommy said.

"All right, I'm over," Tanya announced. She and Tommy leapt from the top of the security fence, landing neatly beside Kimberly.

"Holy water?" Kimberly asked.

"Check."

"Crucifix?"

"Check."

"And I've got the shovel and flashlight," Kimberly said. Tommy took the shovel from her. "Are we ready?"

Tanya flashed her own flashlight on. "Ready."

Early Saturday Morning
12:24 a.m.
"There's something in this trunk," Tommy said, flashing his flashlight beam on a brown bundle. Tanya took his flashlight from him, and he lifted the object from the trunk.

The trio had, by that time, ventured deep within the auto wrecking yard. The place was much larger than any of them ever would have imagined. "It's bones!" Kimberly realized happily.

"I think it's a pretty safe assumption that it's his skeleton," Tanya said, smiling.

"I'll start digging," Tommy volunteered.

It took them a while, but they soon had a sufficiently deep grave dug. They wanted it deep enough that there was no chance Freddy would be uncovered. Kimberly shoved the bundle of bones into the deep grave. She dropped the crucifix into it and splashed holy water all about. "Ashes to ashes," she said, determined. A glance over at Tanya revealed that the girl was saying the Lord's prayer. "Dust to dust," she continued. "Demon be gone." She emptied the bottle into the grave. "May God have mercy on your soul."

"Let's go home, guys," Tommy smiled.

"Katherine?" Tanya asked from the doorway.

"Come in!" Kat said hurriedly. She knelt in her bed and turned the television off. "Did you find him?"

"He's buried," Tanya said, smiling all over herself.

"The nightmare is over?" Katherine asked hopefully.

"The nightmare is over!" Tanya squealed. The two girls met each other in a big hug, thankful to be alive. After they parted ways and Tanya snuck back out of the hospital, Katherine settled down for a decent night's sleep.

The Next Morning

"Sleep well, Adam?" Katherine asked.

"Beautifully," he smiled. "You?"

"Not a single dream."

"Wonderful, ain't it?" Kimberly asked as she stepped into the doorway.

"Is it really over?" Katherine asked, still disbelieving.

"Over and done with," Kimberly laughed. "Freddy is dead."

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better," Lisa said, smiling at her daughter.

"Oh, I feel great, Mum," Katherine returned.

"The nurses said you aren't giving them a hard time about sleeping or anything, now."

"I'm not afraid to sleep anymore," Katherine replied. "In fact, as soon as you leave, I'm going to go to sleep again. I am still dog-tired."

"I'll let you get your sleep, then," Lisa said. "We want you home as soon as we can."

"I know," Katherine said. "I love you, Mum."

"I love you, too."

After Lisa left, a nurse came in and gave Katherine a sleeping pill. For the first time since she arrived in the hospital, Katherine didn't object and took the pill. She should have put up a fight.

"But, I'm dreaming, right?" Tommy asked.

"Of course," Katherine purred. She gently stroked the side of his face. "We're both dreaming. My abilities are more than just nightmares. And now, I know how to work them. We can dream together every night, Tommy."

"Oh?" Tommy asked.

"And if we should happen to have an, oh, wet dream, well, there's no harm in that... is there?"

"I don't think so," Tommy muttered. "After all, I've dreamed about us before. You were just never a willing participant."

Katherine started to laugh, but not before another form stepped into view. "You're pulling me in, too, Katherine," Kimberly said.

"Ooh, maybe this is just my dream, but it's starting to get really good," Tommy said, half-jokingly, half-hoping.

"I'm here, too," Tanya commented, "but I'm just an observer."

"What say," a frightening familiar voice said from nearby, "we make it a full-fledged orgy?"

Katherine screamed and spun around. All three dreamers watched as Freddy stepped up to them. "No," Kimberly said firmly, no fear in her voice. "You are nothing but a bad dream, now. You aren't real; nothing you do to us now can hurt us."

"How can he be here?" Tommy asked, looking to Kimberly for support.

"You shouldn't have buried me," Freddy chuckled. "I wasn't dead."

"He's not here," Kimberly said firmly. She walked away from the teens and up to Freddy. "He's not here, because he's in hell. He's just a left-over bad thought from one of our subconsciences."

Freddy chuckled. "No," he said. He suddenly jumped into a spin kick, hitting her in the chest. Yelling, she flew away and crashed through a window situated in the wall. It shattered around her, and she immediately awoke.

"Not yet for you!" he taunted, pointing at Tanya. A black chasm opened beneath her feet, and she fell through, leaving the dream.

"Tommy!" Katherine cried.

"He's not real, Kat!" Tommy shouted. "Kimberly just told us so!"

With a mocked "sie-kyaah," Freddy jump-kicked him, sending him flying backwards through the window behind him. "It's just you and me, Katherine," Freddy said.

"You aren't real," she said to herself. "You're just a dream; you aren't real..." _Don't show fear, don't show fear, don't show fear!!!_

"Oh, I'm not real, am I?" he asked. Opening his hand of razors, he walked up to her. "If I'm not real, then this won't hurt." So saying, he rammed four of his razors into her stomach.

"No!" Tommy cried, sitting up in bed. _Just a dream, just a dream, just a dream..._ However, he then saw something else. Shards of glass surrounded him. "KATHERINE!!!" He got dressed in just a few seconds, putting on no more clothing than was necessary, and then he bolted from his house.

Nurse Hathaway hurried to the hospital room. A horrendous sound was coming from it. She threw the door open and hit the light switch. Then, the loudest scream of her life filled the hospital corridors.

Katherine Hillard hovered above her bed, jerking and contorting. No longer capable of screaming, she could only grunt and gasp for help. Blood flowed down her body and was splattered all over her bed. Then, her writhing body moved away. Turning magically, it slammed into one wall, leaving a red smear of blood. Groaning and emitting tiny, lifeless screams, she began to crawl across the ceiling. She left a sticky trail of blood all across the white tiles. Finally, after reaching the middle of the room, she died. Her body fell from its floating position, landing in an awkward position just in front of Nurse Hathaway.

Her eyes were open, but lifeless. Still screaming, Nurse Hathaway darted away from the room, unable to find her voice.

"Tommy!" Kimberly yelled from across the parking lot. She ran up to the frightened teen. "The glass?"

"All around me," he answered, running into the lobby. The two of them darted for the stairwell and ran up to the second floor.

"I'm sorry, son, but you can't come in here," an orderly said. Tommy looked over his shoulder and saw police spotted around the area.

"I'm coming in," Tommy said forcefully, shoving the orderly out of the way.

"You can't be here without a pass!" he cried.

"Screw your pass!" Kimberly snapped, running with Tommy to Katherine's room. They were stopped halfway, however, by a series of police officers.

"We need to see Katherine," Tommy said firmly.

"Son, you can't be here," the officer told him as politely as possible.

"Maxine!" Kimberly cried, waving her hand frantically. Kimberly dug in her pocket and pulled out a hospital I.D. "I work here," she snapped. She lifted the police tap stretched across the hall and ran up to Dr. Briscoe. "Maxine, what's going on?"

"Kimberly," Maxine said sadly. She paused and said, "There's no easy way to say this..."

"It's Katherine, isn't it?"

"I'm afraid so."

Kimberly felt her eyes start to sting. "Is she dead?" she asked, her voice cracking. Maxine nodded slowly. "How did she die?"

"Kimberly, that's-"

"How did she die?!..." Breaking into tears, Kimberly spat, "Was it a straight razor?"

Maxine took Kimberly by the arm and pulled her aside. "How did you know that?"

"It was a straight razor?"

Kimberly closed her eyes and lowered her head. Then, she realized something. "Adam!" she cried. She bolted to the end of the hallway, threw his door open, and flipped the lights on. "Adam! Wake up!"

The teen sat up with a gasp, startled but alive. "What?!"

"We didn't kill Freddy!" Kimberly cried. "He just got Katherine."

"What?"

"Katherine is dead, Adam," Kimberly said.

"Oh my God," Adam sighed, pressing his hands against his mouth in horror. "She's... dead?"

"She was murdered just a few moments ago," Kimberly told him. "I can't stay here long, but don't fall asleep. Freddy is still in there."

"Come with me, ma'am," an officer said, taking Kimberly by the arm.

"Excuse me?"

"We have reason to believe you killed Katherine Hillard," he said. "You have the right to remain silent."

"Maxine!" Kimberly cried, realizing the connection. "I did NOT kill Katherine!"

"Anything you say can and will be used against-"

Kimberly shoved him away, taking him fully by surprise.

Tommy turned the cold water on full blast. _I can't believe she's dead,_ he thought woodenly. He didn't even gasp as the water struck his body. "Kat," he whined, tears spilling down his cheeks again.

Crossing his arms across his chest, he leaned against the back wall of the shower stall. Even the feeling of the tile against his bare skin brought no response.

Suddenly, there was a knock at his door. "Huh? Oh, sorry," he called. "I'll hurry." He stood forward to get back underneath the spray when he realized something. Dark, brown water was pooled up in the tub. "What the-?" he asked, swirling it gently with his ankles.

The floor of the shower dropped away and two strong hands latched onto his ankles and pulled him down. "No!" he cried, only managing to get the word out about halfway before the dirty water invaded his mouth.

He felt the razors graze his leg, but he retaliated with a hard kick. Deeper and deeper, he was pulled into the churning waters of his bathtub. He thrashed about with his arms and legs, and he finally got the momentum to propel himself from the water. He draped his arms across the edge of the bathtub and hauled himself out, landing on his side on the bathroom floor.

Tommy turned over on his back. The shower was still running. Then, Freddy leapt straight up out of the water. "NOO!!!" Tommy screamed. Freddy jumped at him, razors flared. Tommy scrambled backwards, trying to climb to his feet. Instead, Freddy shoved his blades into Tommy's chest, hard. Tommy gave a chortled moan and blood began to bubble out of his mouth. With a determined look on his face, Freddy pulled his razors out of Tommy's chest and instead thrust them into his abdomen, disemboweling him.

Gabe Sloan walked out onto his porch. Seeing a figure sitting in the darkness caused him to jump with a start. Then, he realized who it was. "Tanya? What are you doing out there?"

"I don't sleep," she answered, staring down the street. She slowly turned to her father and asked, "Who was murdered now?"

"Tanya, I don't know that anyone was murdered," Gabe said.

"Are you going to the Olivers'?"

He paused for a moment before he finally answered her. "Yes."

"If Tommy isn't dead, you'll call me. Right?"

"Of course, sweetheart," he said, walking over to her and giving her a kiss on the forehead. Tanya knew the phone wouldn't be ringing.

"Police say the victims, seventeen year old Katherine Hillard and same-aged Thomas Oliver, were dating, and that a third girl, Kimberly Hart, may have killed Katherine in an attempt to claim Oliver. Police assume that she murdered Thomas Oliver, as well, perhaps in a fit of jealous rage. Ms. Hillard was murdered at Angel Grove Memorial Hospital, and Thomas Oliver in his home. In both cases, a straight razor or some similar sharp-edged object was the murder weapon, although nothing was found. A city-wide manhunt for Hart is being conducted-" Gale hit the television switch as she saw Tanya walk into the kitchen.

"Where do you think you're going?" Gale asked Tanya.

"I'm going to school, Mama," Tanya answered. "It is Monday, isn't it?"

"You don't have to go to school today," Gale sighed. "It just- you shouldn't go."

"What else am I going to do?" Tanya asked. "I've got to go to school, Mother. Otherwise, I'll sit up there and go crazy."

"Why don't you stay home and get some rest?"

"I can't rest, Mom," Tanya said. "We've covered this. I'll rest in study hall."

"Baby, please," Gale started. "I know you are upset; I can understand that. But not sleeping..."

"By not sleeping, I'm keeping myself alive," Tanya snapped. "I don't know why he's after me, but he is. If I stay here, I'm liable to fall asleep."

"You can't go without sleep forever."

Tanya paused by the door. "I know. I love you, Mama."

"I love you, too, baby."

"Shh," the woman said as she sidled up beside Tanya. "Don't be scared..."

"Kim?" Tanya asked in a soft voice, shifting her backpack.

The red-haired woman lowered her black sunglasses. Bright auburn locks of hair barely brushed her shoulders. "It's me," she whispered. "I had to get a new look. Dyed cut hair, hat and glasses... Maybe they won't find me."

"Did you hear about Tommy?"

"Tommy?"

"Freddy got Tommy, too," Tanya sighed.

"You and Adam will just have to go on Hypnocil," Kimberly said. "I'll get you a prescription today. Somehow."

"Is it possible that wasn't Freddy's remains?"

"First thing I thought, too," Kimberly said. "I looked all over that auto yard this morning. Aside from the fact that it's pretty unlikely there would be two red Buicks with skeletons in the trunk... I can't imagine that skeleton belonging to anyone else."

"I'm gonna be late for school. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah. Meet me this afternoon?"

"My dad doesn't get home until five," Tanya said. "I'll be home after three. At three thirty, the trellis."

"Good deal. See you then."

"Mom, I really think I should probably still be in the hospital," Adam said as he situated himself in his bed.

"Where a girl was murdered?" Eileen Park asked. "I don't think so. Now try and get some sleep, hon."

"Sure," he agreed. "Close the door? So it'll be quiet?"

"You bet," she said. Smiling at him, she quickly left him to himself. He turned on his stereo, fitted his headphones on, and leaned back, fully prepared to stay awake.

Tanya slowed to a halt in front of her house. "No," she groaned. The trellis and the roses that grew up it lay in heaps in the front yard. Bars were stretched across each window. She walked up onto the porch and pulled on the bars across the front window. It was immovable. "Dammit!" she cried, slapping it with her palm.

She opened the door and stomped into the front hall. "Mother!" she yelled. Gale appeared from the kitchen. "What's with the bars?!"

"They're for protection," she answered woodenly.

"Protection?! Protection from what?!" Shouting her frustrations in a nonverbal blurt, Tanya threw her bookbag against the floor and stormed out of the house, taking note of the deadlock on the door as she did so.

"Hi," Kimberly said, smiling at the pharmacist. She handed him her prescription, still smiling a saccharine smile.

"Hypnocil?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Mmm hmm," she answered, still smiling. "You do... have it, don't you?"

"Well, yes, we have it, but... that's a very dangerous drug. I'm going to have to call your doctor to make sure," he said.

"Uhm, no," Kimberly said, reaching for the sheet of paper. Stammering, she lied, "I don't want to inconvenience you. I'll -"

"It's no trouble," he told her, already reaching for the phone. Kimberly watched as he dialed the number for AGM. "Yes, this is Wes Carpenter at Dixie Drugs. I need to speak to Dr. Maxine Briscoe concerning a prescription."

Kimberly turned around, pressing her hands against her scalp nervously. _If Dr. Briscoe sees that handwriting, she'll know it's me,_ she thought. "Shit," she cursed quietly. She had to get that prescription back.

Turning back, she saw Carpenter frowning as he hung up the phone. "Well, young lady, I can honestly say that's one of the strangest phone calls I've had in quite a while," he said. She watched as he made a guarded movement with his hand as he pushed the silent alarm beneath the counter.

In a lightning quick move, Kimberly lashed out and grabbed the prescription from his hand. She darted through the aisles of the pharmacy. As she neared the door, she heard police sirens that were frighteningly close. Shoving the doors open, she darted out into the mostly peaceful autumn afternoon.

_If I can just get across the freeway,_ she realized. The high, sloping hill that led to the freeway loomed before her. She ran across the parking lot, just as a police car bounded over the curb behind her, sirens blaring and lights flashing. It hit the ground, sending up a shower of sparks. Kimberly ran straight across the road, just as another cruiser barreled down at her. It immediately slammed on its brakes, but it was far too late. The bumper struck her in the thigh, bruising it but no worse. Kimberly rolled up onto the hood and into the windshield, turning it into a soft mass of green glass. As the car came to a fast halt, she rolled off of the hood and onto the pavement, scratching and scraping her hands, knees, and elbows.

Regardless of her minor, albeit plentiful, injuries, Kimberly pushed herself up to her feet and started to run up the hill to the freeway. A shot fired, and a plume of dirt and grass rose up beside her. However, realizing she was going to be caught if she stopped moving, she continued, half-hoping to survive and half-hoping to take a fatal bullet just so she could get out of the nightmare she had spent so long running from.

Lt. Sloan and Det. Park hurried over to the prone, red-haired Kimberly Hart in the street. Pharmacist Wes Carpenter ran up to them. Lt. Sloan knelt beside her to press two fingers against her neck. "She's not dead," he said. "Pulse's too strong. She got knocked out."

"Sure makes our job easier, huh?" Trevor Park asked, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

Kimberly made it to the top of the hill. The four-lanes of the east bound freeway was before her. Suburbia was so close, just a mere eight lanes, one median, and another hill away.

"What am I gonna do?" she asked, sighing heavily. The cars and trucks whizzed by her, sending her red-hair flying about her head. The traffic cleared momentarily, and she started to walk across. However, just as her foot touched the pavement, she heard it. The faint sound of blades scratching on metal caused her to draw her foot back, quickly.

"Krueger!" she yelled. She turned around, looking all about. "When did I fall asleep?" she growled at herself. Holding her hand up, she quickly realized that she was, in fact, no longer awake. With only the slightest mental effort, her fingers lengthened, a feat that was obviously impossible in the waking world. Shaking the illusion away, she began to look for her sandman.

She turned around and instead of finding herself by the freeway, she was standing beside Elm Street. "Krueger," she said, "this ends now."

Kimberly saw a group of children in white clothing playing in the middle of the street. "One, two, Freddy's comin' for you... three, four, better lock your door... five, six, grab your crucifix... seven, eight, gonna stay up late... nine, ten, never... sleep... a..."

"-GAIN!" Freddy screamed in her ear. Screaming, Kimberly jumped aside, narrowly missing the wrath of his razors.

"This is MY dream!" Kimberly announced. Holding her hands out, she summoned a weapon. Pink light flashed before her, and in her hands appeared a bow. She had never been on an archery range in her life, but strangely, it felt right to her.

"It may be YOUR dream," Freddy said, slowly moving his hand, "but I MAKE the RULES!" He thrust forward with his razors ready. Kimberly put the bow up before her and slammed his hand away with it. He turned, swiping behind him blindly, but she flipped away, his razors catching nothing but air.

Upon landing, she stanced herself and pulled back on the string. An arrow magically appeared in the bow, and she let it fly. The arrow sank into Freddy's chest, and he staggered back a few steps with a grunt. She promptly fired another, and another. Freddy fell to his knees, a collection of arrows sticking out of his chest.

"You might make the rules," Kimberly said, "but I know how to play the game."

Suddenly, Freddy yanked the arrows out of his chest and flew at Kimberly, slamming into her full-bodied. He put his biomechanical claw at her hand and framed her face with his razors. She didn't allow herself a scream as he pressed tightly against her. In a low growl, he said, "I had always planned for you to be my final victim. Save the sweetest treat for last..."

"I'm not afraid of you, Freddy," Kimberly said as boldly as she could manage.

Chuckling low, he said, "Yes you are." He let go of her face and turned, stepping a few feet away. "Save the sweetest treat for last." He then turned back around and folded his arms across his chest. He strummed his razors lightly against his left bicep. "Kimberly," he acknowledged. "It ain't you." Lightning quick, he unfurled his razors and rammed his hand into her stomach.

Kimberly screamed loudly as he pressed his body against her, moving his blades within her. However, her scream wasn't one of pain or fear. Her scream was pure anger. Freddy yanked his hand back, causing as much damage with the exit as he possibly could. Her hands weakly traveled to her wound, feeling her blood surge over her hands. "Tanya?" she asked weakly.

Freddy smiled, nodding with his eyes. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks, but before she could say anything else, he converged his five razors into one point and rammed it into her throat. Her eyes rolled back, and as she died, Freddy tilted his head back and laughed a wild, victorious rumbling.

"Adam!" Tanya cried, beating against the front door of the Park house. She cast a glimpse behind her, looking across the street at her own house. "ADAM!"

Eileen Park opened the door. "Tanya?" she asked.

"I need to see Adam," she said, pushing past the middle-aged woman and darting up the stairs.

"Adam is asleep!" Eileen cried, running up the stairs after her.

"No he's not!" Tanya shouted back, reaching his door. She threw the door open and saw Adam lying on his bed, listening to his stereo. "Adam!" she cried.

"What?!" he asked, sitting up. "What's wrong?!"

"Daddy just arrested Kimberly, and I think she was knocked out!" she yelled. "Get your shoes on!"

"I'll catch up," he said, jumping off of his bed and rummaging for tennis shoes.

"Adam!" his mother cried as Tanya darted past him. "You are not leaving this house. You need your rest!"

"I need to live, Mother," Adam said sternly.

Adam caught up with Tanya at the end of the block. The two hurried over to the police station as fast as they could, hindered somewhat by Adam's starting-to-heal injury.

Tanya ran up to the counter that traversed the length of the station. "Daddy!" she yelled.

"Why hello, Tanya," Det. Park said as he walked up to her. "Adam. Shouldn't you be at home asleep?"

"Did you arrest Kimberly?" Adam growled.

"Yes, we did arrest a young woman named Kimberly, and I'll thank you not to use that tone of voice with me again."

"Daddy!" Tanya yelled as Lt. Gabe Sloan walked out from his back office. "I want to see Kimberly RIGHT NOW!"

"Tanya, go home and get some rest, baby," Gabe said. "I'm worried about you."

"Daddy, I want to see Kimberly," Tanya insisted, attempting to keep her emotions in check. "Please."

"Why?"

"Can you at least tell us if she was knocked out?" Adam asked much more calmly.

"Where did you hear this?" Gabe asked.

"The police scanner," Tanya said. Then, she realized that he had just admitted it. "KIMBERLY!" She planted her hands on the counter and jumped over it, landing nimbly on her feet on the other side.

"Tanya!" Gabe yelled. Tanya, however, was not to be deterred. Immediately upon landing, she ran to the end of the station and descended the staircase to the holding cells. Det. Park and Lt. Sloan were close behind, with Adam in tail.

"Kimberly!" Tanya cried as she reached the basement. She ran to the woman's cells and soon found the sole prisoner. Falling to her knees, Tanya screamed the loudest scream of her life to that date. Kimberly lay half on, half off her cot. Blood was pooled up all around her and led out past the bars. Her stomach was horribly shredded, her throat spread open. "NOOO!!!!"

"Dear God!" Det. Park cried as he came to a halt beside the shrieking teen.

"Get the door!" Lt. Sloane demanded.

Adam stopped beside Tanya with his hand clamped over his mouth. Shaking, she stood up beside him. He promptly opened his arms to her, crushing her in a tight hug.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, her cheeks stained with tears.

He looked at her, afraid to answer the inevitable answer.

"Do you believe me now, Daddy?" Tanya asked, still shaking. "Now... do you believe me?"

10:49 p.m.

Adam walked across the darkened footbridge, looking for his girlfriend. He soon found her sitting on the railing, reading a small book. "You asked me to meet you?" he asked, leaning against the railing beside her.

"I've got an idea," she said.

"Idea?"

"On how to beat this bastard," she said.

He took the book she was reading out of her hands and looked at the cover. "Booby Traps and Improvised Anti-Personnel Devices?" he asked.

"I'm into survival," she said firmly.

"Tanya, he's in our dreams, and he can manipulate our dreams to do whatever he wants them to do."

"That's not my idea," she told him. "Katherine pulled his hat out of her dream. I saw it just the other day. What we're going to do is this. I'm going to fall asleep, go find Freddy, and have a hold of him just as I'm waking up. You're standing nearby with a baseball bat or something, you whack the bastard, and we got him."

"And if it doesn't work?"

"Then you can all sleep soundly because it'll mean I'm nuts," she said, tilting her head to the side.

"I can save you the trouble. You're nutty as a fruitcake, but I love you anyway. I'm in. What time?"

"I'll fall asleep at midnight, it won't take me long, and at 12:10, I'll wake up. That's enough time for me to find him. At exactly 12:10, he'll come into our world and we're gonna kill the son of a bitch. Got it?"

"Sneak in?"

"Shit," Tanya cursed as she remembered. "No, my mother had our windows barred over and the trellis taken down. You'll just have to come in another way. I'll leave a key under the mat, okay?"

"Got it."

"And whatever you do between now and then, don't... fall... asleep..."

11:15 p.m.

"Adam," Eileen said, "I've made an appointment for you to go to a therapist."

"What?" he asked.

"A therapist. I'm worried about you, Adam."

"Mom, there's no need," Adam sighed. "Soon enough, everything will be fine again."

"I know, baby," she said. "I know. You need sleep, Adam. You have to go to sleep."

"Mother, no," he said firmly. "I'm not sleeping now. Later."

"Adam," she sighed in a tone that told him more than any admission would have.

At that very moment, he felt something in his head change. "No," he moaned, standing up from the table. His vision shifted, and he blurted, "What did you do?!"

He picked up his plate and dumped it on the table. Rummaging through the food with his fingers, he soon found them. Mixed in with his potatoes were numerous, small white pills. There was no telling how many he had eaten. "Sleeping pills?!" he shouted.

"Adam!"

"You've just murdered me, Mother," he said flatly. "Tell that to my therapist." He hurried up the stairs, unsure of what to do. It seemed that just realizing he had unwittingly taken sleeping pills was having a profound effect on him.

He made it to his bedroom and stretched out on the bed. He lay there for no more than a few seconds before a thought came to him. "Ipecac!" he cried. Adam leapt to his feet and darted to his bathroom. He threw the medicine cabinet open and rummaged through the contents, dropping bottles of aspirin and ibuprofen onto the floor and leaving them there. A few seconds later, he found what he was looking for. Opening the top, he dropped the dispenser into the waste basket and drank half the bottle in one quick gulp.

Immediately, the syrup of ipecac took effect. He barely had time to get over the toilet before he vomited violently. Even after his stomach contents were expunged, he continued to heave, tasting bile. "Maybe that'll do it," he thought hopefully. "Dear God, please don't make me sleep..."

Tanya dialed Adam's number from her bedroom, looking out her window. His house was almost perfectly opposite her's, but she couldn't see him through her window. "Adam, answer the phone," she pleaded.

"Hello?" his mother asked.

"Please, I need to speak to Adam," Tanya said.

"Just a minute." There was a pause, and then Eileen came back on the line. "What's this about, Tanya?"

"It's very important and very private," Tanya answered. "Please. Let me speak to him. Please?"

She heard a muffled answer, "She says it's very important and very private."

Immediately following that, she heard a male voice say, "Adam's asleep now. Call back in the morning."

"Det. Park!" Tanya cried, but it was too late. He had already hung up the phone. "Adam!" Tanya shouted, walking over to her window. "Don't fall asleep!"

She sat back down at the table in front of the window and picked up a bottle of Vivarin. Tapping out six of the pills, she put them in her mouth and swallowed with a chug of now-cold coffee. Glancing out the window again, she saw Det. Park on his front porch, staring into her window.

"You shouldn't stare," Eileen chided.

"You know what I think? I think that kid is some kind of lunatic or something," he returned.

"You shouldn't talk that way about that poor child. You mean those bars? Gale is just being cautious, what with Tanya acting so nervous, lately."

"I don't care what you say. I don't want that kid hanging around with our son anymore."

Tanya opened the door to her bedroom and peered out into the house. The house was mostly dark, telling her that her mother was asleep in bed. Tanya closed the door and hurried back over to the phone. She quickly dialed the Park house again, only to be met with a busy signal. She threw the phone back down onto the receiver. "Adaaam... Don't fall asleep!"

Just then, the phone rang. She picked it up hurriedly and said, "Adam?"

However, rather than hearing a human voice, she heard the sound. The horrible screechings of razors against metal came from the phone. Screaming angrily, Tanya slammed the phone down on the hook and then yanked hard, pulling it from the jack. She stood still for a moment, realizing what she had just done. "Brilliant," she moaned to herself. "What if Adam calls?" She wrapped the phone cord around the phone and set it on her bed. _I'll just go over there,_ she said to herself. However, just as she walked through her door, the phone rang again.

Tanya felt her knees go weak. The phone, unplugged from the wall, was ringing. She slowly walked over to it, unwound the cord, and lifted the receiver to her ear. "Hello?" she asked quietly.

"I'm your boyfriend now, Tanya," Freddy murmured. Then, the lower part of the receiver transformed into a mutilated mouth, and a hot, sticky tongue pushed into her mouth. She yanked the phone away and screamed. Picking it up, she threw it at the ground, shattering it and revealing that it was just an ordinary telephone.

She ran her fingers through her hair in nervous anxiety, when a thought came to her. "My boyfriend... Adam!" She ran out of her door and darted for the stairs.

Adam had the headphones on his ears, the stereo turned up as loud as it would go. The noise was deafening, but it was keeping him awake. Besides that, he was starting to feel better. Perhaps he had vomited all of the sleep medication out of his system.

However, before he could revel in that, the red sleeved arm of Freddy Krueger rose out of the bed directly beside him. "What?!" he cried in alarm. Then, as it stretched across his abdomen, he screamed, "NO! NO!" A hole opened up in the bed beneath him, and he was pulled down into it. The cable connecting his headphones to the stereo grew taut, and then his stereo tumbled in after him. For a moment, everything was still.

But then, a geyser of blood and chunks of flesh shot up out of his bed. It hit the ceiling hard, coating his entire room in a red sheen. Freddy's trap ground him into pieces, leaving nothing larger than a marble.

Eileen Park approached his room, startled by the commotion. However, as soon as she opened the door, startled was the least of her concerns. A mother's scream tore from her throat. Shrieking madly, she stumbled backwards, still watching as the bed continued to spew blood and flesh.

"Locked," Gale Sloan mumbled from upstairs. Tanya turned away from the door and looked up to the balcony. "Locked, locked, locked." Tanya walked halfway up the stairs, an angry scowl on her face. "You're getting sleep tonight if it kills me," Gale added.

"Give me the key, mother," Tanya said sternly.

"Can't. Don't have it on me," she murmured, barely awake.

"Dammit!" Tanya screeched, her voice shrill. Suddenly, the screams of Eileen Park split the night in half. "ADAM!!!" Tanya screeched.

Lt. Sloan pulled his car up to the curb. Police cars and ambulances were everywhere. Red lights flashed everywhere. "Don't tell me it's another one," Lt. Sloan commented to a fellow officer Lt. Stone.

"I hated to call you, Lieutenant, but I haven't seen anything like this in my entire life," Stone said. As the two walked up to the Park porch, two EMT's walked by with a stretcher. "They don't need a stretcher," he mumbled to Lt. Sloan. "They need a mop."

Lt. Sloan stopped halfway to the house. Turning, he saw Tanya in her bedroom window, a grim look on her face. He waved weakly at her, and she returned the gesture with the same enthusiasm.

As he walked into the house, he saw a policeman place a bucket on a white tarp. Glancing at the ceiling, he saw a red wet stain. A thin stream of blood was pouring from it.

"Lieutenant, phone. It's your daughter."

Lt. Sloan took the phone from the officer. "Tanya?"

"Hi, Daddy," she said, weakly. "Know what happened?" Her voice was very shaky and tired.

"I haven't been upstairs yet."

"Yeah, but you know he's dead, right?"

"Yeah, apparently, he's dead."

There was a pause, and then she said, "Listen Daddy, I've got a proposition for you. Listen very carefully, please."

"Tanya."

"I'm gonna go and get the guy who did it. And I want you to be there to arrest him when I bring him out, okay?"

"Just tell me who did it; I'll go get 'em, baby."

There was a long pause, and she finally answered, "Fred Krueger did it, Daddy. And only I can get him. It's my nightmare he comes to. Just come here, and break the door down in exactly twenty minutes. Can you do that?"

"Yeah, sure."

"That'll be... exactly half past midnight... Time... time enough... for me to fall asleep and find him."

"Honey, honey, you just do that. Get yourself some sleep. That's what I've been telling you all along."

"But you'll be here to catch him?"

Lt. Stone approached him and said, "Lieutenant, they need you upstairs."

"Yeah, yeah, sure, I'll be there sweetheart. You just get yourself some sleep. Deal?"

"Deal," she agreed weakly.

"I love you sweetheart." He hung up the phone, sighing as he did so. He turned to Lt. Stone and said, "Go watch my house. If you see anything weird, call me."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Anything. And don't let Tanya come over here. She's too far gone to see this."

12:19 a.m.

Tanya emptied the last of the shotgun shells into the modified lightbulb. She had carefully sanded a hole in the glass surface. When the lamp was turned on and the wires hot, it would provide a nice explosion. She carefully placed the filled-with-gunpowder lightbulb in the lamp. She quickly glanced around. Tanya had done everything she could manage. Her house was sufficiently booby-trapped.

She walked up the stairs slowly, terrified at what she was about to do. "I've lost all of my close friends," she realized. However, she was not going to give in to Freddy. She would beat him, just so she could honor her dead friends.

She entered her bedroom and closed the door. She looked out her window and onto the neighborhood. Red lights were still flashing everywhere. "Okay, Krueger," she growled. "We play on your court."

Tanya slipped into bed and pulled the covers up. She lay there for just a moment, before sitting back up. Closing her eyes and pressing her hands together, she prayed, "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take..."

Tanya found herself walking down a set of rickety, metal stairs. Freddy's boiler room was just below her. Pressing on, she descended the stairs. Upon reaching the floor of the boiling room, she could hear a mingled orchestra of blades on metal, steam, and the far-off screams of long-dead victims. Occasionally, the thunderous boom of a metal door slamming added an interjection.

She reached a dead-end and turned. Suddenly, the screams of his most recent victim could be heard. Adam was dead, but his screams lived on. Tanya took another step, but her foot bumped into something. She crouched down and picked it up. It was Adam's headphones, sticky with blood. Anger crossed her features and she threw them down at the ground.

Walking on, she came to the end of a catwalk. The boiler room seemed to go on for an infinity longer. To get to the next level, she descended a vertical, metal ladder. Tanya paused, looking around. "Krueger!" she screamed. Her echoes, ("Krueger!" "Krueger!",) sounded a few times. "I'm here!" ("I'm here!" "I'm here!")

She heard his blades scrape against a metal pipe, much closer this time. Using caution, she walked in the direction of the sound. She came to an open-grating. Fire burned inside it, and the air before it was hazy with heat. "Come out and show me yourself you, bastard!" she screamed.

Glancing at her watch, she saw she had only a few seconds more. Then, with a nonverbal cry, he was behind her. She turned around, saw him, and ran. Suddenly, the catwalk disappeared beneath her, and she fell.

Landing hard, she found herself tangled up in the heap of trellis wood and dead roses in her front yard. "Dammit!" she screeched, throwing the parts away. She darted up to the front porch, about to enter her house.

"Final ten seconds," her watch announced.

"Krueger!" she screamed.

"Tanya!" he yelled. He was standing in the midst of the roses.

Screaming, she ran at him. He opened his arms, and she leapt at him. His arms wrapped around her, and then...

...she woke up. Tanya, thrashing and screaming, immediately stopped. Her arms were empty, and she was alone in her bed. Her wind-up alarm clock was clanging loudly, but it was slowly coming to a halt. A few seconds later, it gave its last ding, and only its ticking filled the room.

Tanya sat up, swinging her feet over the left side of her bed. With a heavy sigh, she wiped her face with her hands. "I'm crazy after all," she moaned dejectedly.

She sat there for a few moments longer.

"HAH!" Freddy Krueger screamed as he jumped up from the right side of her bed.

With a loud scream, Tanya leapt off of the bed and darted away. He bolted across the bed, landing on his stomach with his claw outstretched. Immediately, he crawled off of the bed and ran after Tanya.

She circled around her bed, reaching the other side with him not too far behind. She grabbed her coffee pot and slammed it into his head. Without his dream powers, Freddy felt the pain. Putting his left hand to his head, he fell over onto the bed, temporarily startled.

Tanya ran out of her room and pulled the door shut. She quickly locked it with the simple sliding lock she had installed just a few minutes before. A sledgehammer was poised above the door. She took the wire attached to it and prepared the booby trap. "Come and get me, Freddy!" she yelled.

She ran to the hall window and opened it. Peering out through the bars, she didn't see her father anywhere. "Daddy! I've got him trapped! Where are you?!"

"Everything is going to be fine!" Lt. Stone cried from across the street.

"Go get my father, you asshole!" she yelled before she ran down the stairs to the front door.

She peered out the small window on the door. "Daddy!" she yelled. Glancing around for a few moments, she finally found something suitable. She grabbed an umbrella and rammed the end through the glass, breaking it and leaving only a few bars across the opening. "Come on! He's in here! Hurry! Please!!"

Upstairs, Krueger finally forced the door open. However, as soon as he did, the wire wrapped around the door knob grew taut and it triggered the sledgehammer. Just as he was about to run out, the sledgehammer swung down, striking him hard in the stomach. With a loud grunt, he pushed it out of the way. He stumbled out of her room, turned around, and crashed backwards over the balcony.

Tanya looked up as Freddy hit the stairs just behind her. He rolled to her feet. With a scream, she leapt over him. "C'mon, Freddy," she taunted. "What's a matter?! You scared?!"

"I'm gonna kill you slow, bitch," he taunted as he stood up. Tanya leapt over the back of the couch. As Freddy moved for her, he hit a trigger wire she had stretched across the living room. When it snapped, the power to a floor lamp came on, and the lightbulb filled with gunpowder was lit. The lamp fell forward and the lightbulb exploded in Freddy's face, causing him to scream in pain.

Seizing her window of opportunity, she ran to a window in the living room. Using a heavy iron horse situated beneath it, she shattered the window. "DADDY! Where are you?! Please! Don't let him kill me, too!"

Across the street, Lt. Stone realized the girl had just broken out her front window. "Better go tell Sloan about this," he muttered to himself.

"Daddy!" Tanya screamed. With a cry of anger, Freddy leapt up behind her. Tanya darted away as Freddy swiped at the window, breaking out a few shards of glass.

She ran into the basement, turning the corner around the furnace. Tanya ran around the furnace, stopping at the left side of it. She watched as Freddy disappeared into the darkness the same way she came. She immediately grabbed a large bottle of gasoline she had prepared and waiting for her on the steps. She hurried to the back of the basement and found Freddy peering around the far side. He placed his claws on the metal surface, making that familiar screeching.

"Hey!" Tanya yelled. With a confused grunt, Freddy whipped his gaze in her direction. She threw the bottle of gasoline at him. It hit his chest and shattered, coating him with volatile liquid and forming a large puddle around his feet. She grabbed a box of wooden matches, lit one, and dropped it into the box. It immediately flared up in a bright red flame.

"NOO!" Freddy cried as she tossed it into the puddle at his feet. He was promptly consumed with flames.

Screaming, Tanya ran back up the stairs. She left the door open only a crack. She watched as the flaming Krueger slowly climbed up. As soon as he neared the door, she opened it, slamming into him and causing him to roll back down the stairs. Whimpering in both fear and excitement, she pulled the basement door shut and also locked it with another newly installed lock.

She ran to the front door, looking out into her neighborhood. She saw her father run out into the middle of the street. "Daddy!" she screamed. "Please hurry!"

He looked at the basement and saw smoke coming out of the windows. "Stone!" he yelled. "I'm gonna need some help over here!"

"Daddy! I did it!" she yelled from the window. "Please hurry! Daddy! Where are you?!"

Lt. Sloan hurried up onto the porch. He lowered his shoulder and rammed it into the door.

"Daddy, please," Tanya whimpered. "Open this door! Please! I've got Krueger!"

Stone and a few other policemen joined him on the porch. After a few tries, they broke through the deadlock. "In the basement!" Tanya cried. She led the policemen through her house, but she was horrified to find the door open.

"Oh my God," she sighed as some of the policemen started to enter the basement. Turning slowly, Tanya saw that there were flaming footprints down the hallway. "Daddy!" she cried, stepping around them carefully. "He's upstairs!"

"Tanya?" he asked, following her. "What the hell is going on?" She ran up the stairs, careful not to touch her bare feet to any of the flaming spots of carpet.

"Daddy!" she shouted. "Come on!"

Lt. Sloan followed his daughter up the stairs. She was running the path of the flaming footsteps, which led into her bedroom. She darted into her room and saw Freddy standing by her bed. Tanya picked up a wooden chair by the door and slammed it into his back. He groaned and collapsed on the bed.

Gabe Sloan hurriedly grabbed the comforter beside the bed and placed it on top of the burning body. "Daddy, he's under there!" Tanya cried.

The father and daughter looked at each other for a moment. He then reached out and grabbed the comforter by the end. He yanked it off, and as the smoke cleared, a black skeleton was revealed. However, before either could comment on it, the area around the skeleton began to glow blue. It lowered into the bed, and as the light flashed a final time, the sheets were restored and the skeleton was gone.

"Now do you believe me?" she asked, exasperated and exhausted.

"Honey, are you okay?" Lt. Sloan asked.

"I'm fine, Daddy," she said. "Will you leave me alone for a few minutes?"

"Yeah, I'll be downstairs, baby," he said, kissing her on the forehead. He stepped out of the room, leaving her alone.

She stared at the bed for a moment longer. Then, she turned to leave. However, the door promptly creaked shut of its own volition. Tanya stared at the door, unmoving.

The bed shook, and the sheets immediately began to tent. The material changed, turning into a type of elastic. A human-sized lump rose in the bed. Then, four razors pierced it, and a scarred hand reached out through the hole that was formed. Freddy quickly stepped out of the bed and down to the floor.

"I know it's you, Freddy," Tanya said coolly. "But you know what? I'm not giving you any more fear. I know what you are now, Freddy. I know you too well." She paused, realizing that the only sound in the room was his heavy breathing. "I want my friends and my life back, Krueger."

"You what?" he rasped.

"You're nothing," she continued. "You're worthless; you're shit..." She slowly walked toward the door, placing her hand on the doorknob.

Groaning, Freddy unfurled his biomechanical claw. However, as he stepped toward her, he promptly dissolved into light and fell away. Tanya turned around and saw that the room was again empty. She opened the door, and stepped out.

Bright light greeted her. She put her hand up to shield herself, when a voice she had not expected to hear again greeted her. "Good morning, Tanya," Kimberly smiled. Her hair was halfway down her back again, and now it was its normal chestnut brown.

"Kimberly?" Tanya asked, smiling happily. She looked down at her body and saw that she was no longer wearing her pajamas. Rather, she was dressed for school. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, your father has to go to the hospital, and he's going to give me a ride," Kimberly said as she walked up to their front porch. Tanya, happy beyond all means, reached out and pulled Kimberly into a hug. "What was that for?" Kimberly asked, laughing.

"I'm just happy to be alive," Tanya smiled. A car horn honked, and looking up, she saw Adam's red convertible in front of her house. He was behind the steering wheel, and Tommy and Katherine were in the backseat.

"C'mon!" Katherine cried. "Get some lead out, girl!"

Still laughing like a little girl, Tanya ran out to the car, skipping the last few feet. Kimberly rang the doorbell and turned to smile at the car. Tanya opened the door and sat down beside Adam. She bent over to him and gave him a quick kiss.

"You doing good?" he asked.

"I've never been happier," Tanya smiled. _Guess the whole thing was just one, long nightmare,_ she realized.

Suddenly, the convertible top slammed into place. Tommy and Katherine cried in alarm, but the four teens immediately began to laugh. Kimberly, still waiting by the front door, laughed with them as the red and green top fitted into place by itself.

"Adam!" Tanya chided, laughing along with them. "Put it back down!"

But then, the windshield wipers began to move. The windows started to roll up, and the convertible top locked into place. "Adam? Stop it!" Tanya cried.

"Hey, I'm not doing this!" he protested as the car started to drive away.

"No," Tanya said slowly. "No!" The sounds of blades against metal came from the stereo. She beat her hands against the window, looking to Kimberly for support. "KIMBERLY!!!" The young woman only smiled in reply.

The car continued to drive down the street, passing several children in white clothing jumping rope and singing a familiar jump-rope song. Tanya looked back to her porch. A red-sleeve with a biomechanical claw in place of a hand burst out of the window and wrapped around Kimberly's shoulders. Screaming, the brown-haired girl was pulled into her house.

"NO!" Tanya screamed. She hit the cigarette lighter, and when it popped out a few seconds later, she grabbed it and pressed it into her palm.

"No!" she screamed, sitting up. She was sprawled out on her couch, the light of the morning sun streaming in through the broken windows.

"Tanya?" Gabe asked from near-by. "Are you okay?"

"Daddy?" she asked, jumping to her feet. She saw black charred spots on the carpet, leading up the stairs. _Find out if you're dreaming,_ she realized. She glanced at her palms, but there was no burn spot. She remembered what little Kimberly had told her. She looked at her fingers and concentrated. When she could not induce a change, she realized she was finally awake.

"You got a hard rap on your head last night," he said. "Remember?"

"What about Krueger?" Tanya asked. "Please don't tell me I'm crazy; I can't take that anymore."

"We believe you now, baby," Gale said from upstairs. She looked up and saw her mother standing at the shattered balcony railing.

"We found him in the basement, on fire," Gabe told her. "We got him, and he's in jail, now."

"When did I get knocked out?" Tanya asked.

"When we broke in, you kind of took a hard rap on the head," Gabe said.

"He's in jail?" Tanya asked. "I want to go see him."

"Honey, I don't know," Gale said warily.

"Please," Tanya said. "You've called me a liar for the past few days; I deserve this much."

"Okay then," Gabe agreed. "We'll go."

Tanya and Lt. Gabe Sloan walked down into the holding cells of the Angel Grove P.D. "What are they going to do with him?" Tanya asked.

"Since he was once declared dead," Gabe answered, "we don't really know. This isn't the kind of thing we're used to dealing with."

A second later, the male holding cells came into view. Tanya sucked in a sharp breath when she saw him, wearing a singed version of his dream outfit. His skin was still burned, and his biomechanical claw was now just a biomechanical hand. The razors had been cut off.

"Hello, Freddy," Tanya said coldly.

"Tanya," he purred, walking up to the bars. "The last Elm Street brat. It's been a helluva five days, hasn't it? How do you feel?"

For a moment, Tanya didn't move. Then, she grabbed the gun from her father's holster at his hip. She fired his .38 at Freddy, the first bullet striking him in the forehead. Even as he slumped to the ground, she continued shooting at him until she was clicking on empty chambers.

"I feel fine," she said, smiling. "Rot in hell." She stared at the hot gun in her hand for a moment, and then handed it to her dad. "Sorry, Daddy."

He put the gun back in his holster and kissed her on the forehead. "Good idea, baby," Gabe said. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and said, "Let's go home."

She leaned against his chest as they walked out of the police station, smiling happily. For Tanya, the nightmare was finally over.

Epilogue

In another dimension, the story line was being picked up elsewhere. Time was gnarled a bit, but the powerful entity known as Evil took care of the problem. Some of the Rangers, temporarily placed in a Limbo-esque waystation, were reunited with the five Rangers who had recently dealt with Freddy.

Memories were readjusted, lives were rearranged, and murders were plotted. The entity took on a new, totally different form, and the story began again.

Rrrinnggg.

"Hello?" Trini Kwan asked, smiling sweetly.

"Hello," a soothing male voice said.

"Yes?"

"Who is this?"

"Who are you trying to reach?"

"What number is this?"

"What number are you trying to reach?"

"I don't know..."

"Well, I think you have the wrong number," Trini said. "It happens. Take it easy." She replaced the phone on the receiver and started toward the kitchen. The phone rang again, and she felt a temporary start. However, she quickly shook the thought away. It was probably just a wrong number, after all...

The End... for now

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