Fred Kruger woke up every day just before the crack of dawn. The birds never stopped their incessant chirping. The clock on the wall always ticking. He got out of bed, changed into his clothes for the day, and headed to the bathroom.

Looking into the mirror, he certainty wasn't a bad looking man, with his strong cheekbones and deep eyes that held a mischievous sort of twinkle. One could even say he was downright handsome in a way if not a bit unassuming at first glance.

He gazed into the mirror enamored with his own refection as he combed his hair and brushed his yellowing teeth. He relaxed into the familiar feeling of a cool blade pressed firmly against his skin as he shaved, He reveled in the intense burn of the aftershave.

He moved downstairs and sat at the dining table; scanning the paper for anything relevant or interesting. A plea from a desperate parent still looking for their missing child? A tale of an increasingly panicked police force as the struggle to find the culprit behind the growing number of bodies found throughout the town as well as the bodies they couldn't find.

When Freddy was thoroughly disappointed with the empty paper, he stared out the window at the foggy morning until Loretta arrived with his breakfast.

The eggs were dry and overly salted. Loretta stared at the ground with an empty look in her eyes. She did not speak because she knew he did not wish to hear her as she rubbed her bruised wrists in silence. The only sounds that echoed throughout the quiet house were the gentle scrapings of his knife and fork across cheap porcelain.

When breakfast was finished, he headed up the creaky stairs towards his daughter's bedroom. He stood in the darkened corner, transfixed as he watched her slumber. Moving closer in time with in time with the rise and fall of her chest with her quiet breath. He laid his eyes upon her softened young features, taking in every last detail and committing it to memory. Her sublime green eyes that were so much like his own where still closed. He wanted to keep her like this forever, to possess her in this perfect moment in time for eternity.

At her bedside he brushed a few stray strands of hair away from her still sleeping face, and placed a tender kiss to her cheek. He smiled as she stirred but did not wake. He stole one last glance before taking his leave.

The sun was now fully up. Freddy went downstairs, placed his fedora on his head and walked out the door without so much as acknowledging his submissive wife.

The drive to the park was painfully slow, but pulling into the parking lot near the playground brought him quick relief. He relaxed leaning back into the driver's seat, lighting a cigarette to hold in his left hand as the fingers on his right continuously drummed against his leg.

He watched the children run and play. They giggled with innocent delight as they tripped and fell into the dirt, becoming filthy as they scraped their once unblemished knees. He bit his lip when he heard a child cry.

His eyes continued to survey the familiar environment when he spotted a little girl struggling to climb the jungle gym. He sucked in his breath. Her tiny body was pressed firmly against the bars as her dress hiked up just enough to expose a hint of her creamy, supple thigh, as Freddy's nails began to dig into his own. He gazed at the image until it became too much for him to bear.

He put out the last bit of his cigarette. He needed to work.