Chapter 1

Evil Legends

            What ever happened to the man who used to guard the gate of dreams?  Who will guard the gate now that there is no one to guard the gate?  There was a man who used to guard the gate, now he was gone.  The three dream demons that help guard the gate cannot do it alone, what they need is the man who used to guard the gate.   The man who used to guard it is gone, banished to hell for the sins he did when he guarded the gate.   They say the man who used to guard the gate had a weapon that he forged from the fires of hell.  He used four blades and forged it in to a raggedy old lawn glove.   They say he was monster with claws that sliced his victims to shreds.  Now the monster is gone, but his weapon, his claw was taken and stored away.  It was locked up forever never to be seen again.  They say when the man who used to guard the gate died, part of his evil sole went to hell, but the other part, stayed in the weapon that the man used to kill with it.  The man who used to guard the gate is gone now and the demons need another to fill the gap.  Before the man who used to guard the gate, he was a faithful disciple to prince of darkness.  He read that the only way to become the gatekeeper is to sell his sole to the devil himself.  He kept in darkness from his family, performing satanic rituals in his basement.  He needed a weapon, a symbol of the gatekeeper of dreams.  He found a picture of what the gatekeeper might of looked like.  It was a monster being with long razor like claws.  He read that if he claimed and sacrificed thirteen virgins he might gain passage to the gate and be immortal forever.  He used his makeshift claws and placed curse on it forever.  And with it, he killed all thirteen virgins, children, but nothing happened.  He forgot, that he must sacrifice himself in the blazes of hell for the gate to the dream realm to open. So when the parents of the victims hunted him down and burned him at the stake like they did with witches back in Salem.  The demons granted him passage.  What ever happened to the man who was supposed to guard the gate?

            In the town of Mirkwood, Ohio, it is a beautiful day.  The birds were singing, children playing outside their homes in the yard.  Not a cloud in the sky, so beautiful, too bad that some people has to work inside in a day like this.  Maggie Burroughs, a social worker, dreamily looks out of her window from her office.  Sometimes she too wished she were young again, to out side and enjoy the sun. 

            "Maggie?  Maggie?" A voice called out to her.

            She broke out of her dreamy trance and looked to a handsome man wearing rounded metal glasses, holding a baize folder looking at her.  Maggie herself was a beautiful brunette.  When she turned her head her long flowing hair flowed her.

            "The annual budget?" The man said, "We have to go over this."

            "I'm sorry Pat," Maggie replied, "Where were we?"

            "Last month we had only on donation of five grand from our one and only supporter the Hartson Corporation," Pat said, "If this keeps going Maggie this shelter will be no more.  I'm sorry, but I suggest we take out a mortgage for the shelter."

            "Mortgage the shelter?" She wondered, "We can't do that. There's got to be another way.  I will not have this shelter shut down.  The kids need us, they need this shelter."

            "Look, our budget is tight as it is," Pat started, "We already letting people go."  Pat saw the expression on Maggie's face as it was in defeat.  "Hey, if was up to me I'd keep this place open.  But even I don't have that kind of cash."

            He was right Maggie thought.   The Juvenile shelter was Maggie's fight against kids who has nowhere to go.  And now it seems that she lost.  The shelter was losing money ever since a few years ago when a fire broke out from an explosion.  Most of the major contributors, started to back out of donating money to them.  They felt that the shelter was falling apart, with fights and violence.

            "Yeah," She finally replied as Pat put his folder in his leather skinned briefcase and got up.

            "You want to get go to Charlie's after work?" Pat asked.

            Maggie sighed and replied, "No, I'm going to stay and find out how we keep this shelter."

            "Maggie, one day you're going to work your self to death," Pat said to her as he left Maggie's office.

            "If that's the way it's going to be," Maggie replied.

            Maggie wasn't going to let this shelter be torn down by developers.  She worked too hard to let that happen to her.  Everyday she sees kids come off the street, telling her their horrific tales on how they were abused by their parents.  Maggie knew that she has to help them.  Ever since her father abused her when she was a little girl, she grew up preparing to help these kids face their fears, their parents.  Now she couldn't believe that it could be all over.

            It was getting late as Maggie was working on the figures of the new budget for the month.  She was getting tired as she wrote down on the paper a digit.  Then, suddenly the digit moved.  What the? Maggie thought watching the digit moved all around.  Was she dreaming? Was she asleep?  But then there were a knock on her door.  Maggie awoke, she was asleep; she looked on the paper and saw that the digit was right where she placed it, it was all a dream, just a simple silly dream.  She then looked at the door and stood there was a tall man with brown hair.  It was Jack Harper the janitor.

            "Sorry Ms. Borroughs," he said, " I thought every one went home."

            "It's ok Jack," she replied, "I was just finishing up the budget."

            "I heard rumors that the shelter was going to close," Said Jack.

            She sighed and replied, "I hope not." She gathered her stuff, shut her computer down and stood up, "well good night Jack."  She said as left.

            Jack was faithful worker.  He does his job to a T.  Once he finished mopping the hard floor of Maggie's office, it was time to go down stairs to the vault.  They called it that because that is where they store stolen weapons used by the kids.  As he goes down the steps Marvin, the security guard, greets him.

            "Hey Jack, how are you doing?" Marvin said.

            "I'm doing good," Jack replied as Marvin unlocked the cage.

            Marvin escorted him in.  The vault was no more than caged doors and fences.  Marvin was the only guard the shelter could afford.  He was in his late 30's with dark brown hair and a slight over weight, unlike Jack who was skinny.  Marvin opened the first cage as Jack sweeps and cleans it. Jack then goes to the other cages and does the same until they both get to the cage that was at the end of the hallway.  Marvin unlocks the cage and opens it up.  Inside they found all type of weapons like knives, guns, pipe bombs and other weaponry.  But something caught Jack's eye, it was a medium metal lock box that Jack did not notice before in all his days working at the shelter.

            "Hey, I haven't noticed this before what's in it?" Jack said just about to pick it up.

            But, Marvin stopped him, "Don't touch that!"  He then instead picked it up for Jack and continued; "You wanna know what in here?"  Jack nodded.  "Well, Ms. Borroughs told us never to touch it or open it, you know why?"  Jack just shook his head as Marvin continued. "Do remember about thirty years ago in Springwood about that guy who kidnapped and kill about a dozen kids?  What was his name? Oh yeah, Freddy Kruger." Jack just looked at him like he didn't know what he was talking about,   "He was in all the papers. You must of read about him, no?  Well, according to the reports and stories that I heard, after Freddy killed those kids, their parents hunted him down and torched him to death.  Now a few years ago, according to Ms. Borroughs, an unknown kid came waltzing in to the shelter.  She believed he was from Springwood; so she drives him back to his hometown, with a bunch of kids, to find out who he was.  Now here's the scary part, only Ms Borroughs and a girl returned.  I think that John Doe kid killed the rest and then him self with Freddy's claw.  Ms. Borroughs then decided bring it back with her."

            For a moment Jack and Marvin stood there looking at each other.  Jack thinks that this guy must be putting him on like he always does.  One time Marvin convinced him that a machete they had locked up in another cage once belonged to Jason Vorhees, but it actually belonged to a black kid a while back.  Jack then laughed knowing that Marvin was joking.

            "You almost had me there," Jack said.

Marvin smiled, chuckled along and said, "You wanna see it?"

            "Yeah right, you're just shitting me," Jack said.

            "You think huh?" Marvin said, "Ms. Borrough gave me explicit instructions to never open this box up.  I'm thinking this place will go out of business soon, and I'll be out of work.  Besides she won't know for about ten dollars?"

            "Freddy Kruger's glove is really in there huh?" Jack wondered.  Now Jack has a hobby.  People call him Jack "Ripley" cause he like to collect strange rare oddities.  And the though that a man who raped killed a dozen kids fascinated him.

            "All right, here," Jack went into his wallet and broke out a ten-dollar bill and handed it to Marvin.

            Marvin took the bill placed it in his pocket, then he took out his keys, and unlocked the box.  He looked at jack who was looking in anticipation at the box, like a kid at birthday party.  Marvin then slowly opened the box and behold.  Inside, rusting away was the claw that killed a bunch of kids.  Its four long sharp razor knives still have faint bloodstains covering it like paint.  Jack looked at it in aw and was about to reach in it and touch it, but Marvin shut the lid so fast it made Jack jump a bit and retracted his arm away.

            "I didn't say you could touch it," Marvin said.

            "How do you know its his?" Jack asked.

            "Well if you don't believe me ask Maggie," Marvin replied. "Now I gotta take a leak," He placed the box back in its place, "Finish cleaning up and leave."  Marvin and Jack stepped out of the cage as Marvin locked it.  He then went across the hall and up the stairs and was out of sight.  Jack looked at the box and thought that would be an excellent addition to his collection.  But he knew that he couldn't have it, even when the shelter closes.  He continued to sweep the floor up, minding his own business.  Suddenly, he heard a whispering sound.  Jack looked around to find out who or what that was.  He then thought it could be nothing and continued to sweep.  He then heard it again, but this time he thought someone was calling his name.  Franticly he looked about trying to find out where it was coming from.

            "Hello?" he said. "Marvin is that you?"

            "Jack," the whisper said again, "Over here."

            Jack spun his head towards the metal box inside the cage.  No it couldn't be coming from that direction.  He knew it was probably Marvin scarring him.

            "Ok Marvin I know it you're doing that," Jack said "now cut it out.  I don't like it."  He then heard the whisper laugh at him.

            "Like what?" Marvin said as Jack spun around to see we he was coming down the steps.

            "Very funny Marvin," Jack said.

            "What are talking about?" Marvin wondered.

            "You making whispering sounds," Jack said.

            "Whispering sounds? Jack I was in john.  I think you been working too hard." Marvin said, "Why don't you call it a night and go home and get some sleep."

            Marvin was right Jack thought, he has been overworking him self.  Jack went upstairs, put his cleaning supplies away, clock out and went home.