The End of Dreams and Nightmares

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You want to know who Fred Krueger was. He was a filthy child murderer who killed at least 20 kids in the neighbourhood. Kids we all knew... It drove us all crazy when we didn't know who was doing it but it was even worse when they caught him…lawyers got fat and the judge got famous, but someone forgot to sign the search warrant in the right place, and Fred Krueger was free, just like that…Bunch of us parents tracked him down after they let him go. Found him in an old boiler room…We poured gasoline all around the place, left a trail out the door, locked the door, then…

…So he's dead Nancy. He can't get you. Mommy killed him.

(Marge Thompson, 1981)

They say it was like a plague, a disease, the next Black Death…but it turned out to be much, much worse…the end of all human life itself.

It's hard to believe that fifty years ago it started off as an urban myth in a small town. It was inconceivable to think that it would turn into a worldwide epidemic. But maybe that's what happens when something breaks the laws of physics, turning everything we thought we knew upside down.

A man. A man born sinful, and proud of it. Freddy Kruger was the bastard child of a hundred maniacs. He was a monster…the monster.

Killed by vengeance, he was brought back by vengeance, taking his revenge on the things that his killers treasured most…their children, in their dreams. As the months turned to years, children would die under mysterious circumstance. Either through mutilation, sleepwalking into the wrong places, or simply dying of fear itself, the authorities couldn't figure it out. The children spoke of a name, Freddy Krueger, and the parents would do nothing. Their children were dying, and they did nothing.

The years turned to decades, and soon, the town of Springwood lost almost all of its children before they decided to leave and never look back, but by then it was too late. Something was happening to Freddy. He was becoming, more human, not in the way of losing his power, but in the way of wanting more. Each death brought new thirst, the urge to kill increase with every victim, he began losing control and soon…it was no longer the children of Springwood that would suffer, but anyone that dared to close their eyes and dream.

Within twenty years, three-quarters of the world's population was gone. Dead. Many it may seem, but sleeping is inevitable, it was all too easy for Krueger. There were some who fought back. Resistances were formed in the dream world against the one-man tyrant. The adults were the first to fall, so it was left to the children, and their dream powers to fight back. But as their families fell so did their determination for fighting, and many took their own lives.

Within forty years, there were only a few hundred left…the ones who never gave up. But the power Freddy has was almighty, he was beyond a simply monster in dreams, he was Satan himself. Nothing could stop him. All hope seemed lost for anyone that faced Freddy. But there was still one that continued to fight on, one that not only kept believing that they could win this war but also on many occasions proved they could…Alice Johnson, the Dream Master.

Right from the beginning, she fought on, helping whoever she could, fighting for freedom. Starting off as a girl who didn't know her place in the world, and could never believe she was someone, only in her dreams; she was Freddy's ultimate match, and there were times when it looked as if Alice would be the saviour, but it was no use, by this time Freddy was too strong.

Fifty years…the year 2031.

Alice Johnson passed away.

Not by Freddy's claws. Breast cancer. It's hard to believe in a war-torn world that those kinds of deaths still exist. She died peacefully in her sleep. No nightmares. With Alice's death, came the death of any hope of stopping Krueger.

Now, the population on Earth was down to three.

Robert opened his can of beans and drank it down in one large gulp. He was a man in his late sixties, short and quite chubby with black rings around his eyes, and cuts all over his arm. He couldn't remember if they were from Freddy or by his own hand. He threw the can to the side, and found another, sat back on his bed and drinking the beans down like there was no tomorrow, and in a way there was.

''Robert, any faster and you'll choke!''

''Better that than letting that son of a bitch do it for me!'' He spat back at Rachel.

Rachel was in her late seventies. Black curly hair with strands of white began to dominate. The same black rings hung under her eyes, and her left ear missing. She sat on the bed of the other side to Robert. By the corner, there was another man in his early fifties, tall and with white hair and a beard.

''She's right, man, and we don't have that much food left.'' He said to Robert before finishing the last of the food in his own can before tossing it away. He rose to his feet, never taking his eyes off of his troubled comrade.

''So what if we don't have much food left? We haven't got much time anyway. Now with Alice gone, there is no hope, we haven't had a message on any of our radios in weeks, what if we're the last ones alive, Wes? What do you suppose we do?''

Wes didn't answer. He always kept a calm manner about him, even in the direst of situations. He turned to Rachel, a look of defeat on her face, and then he turned to the crumbled remains of their last food supplies. It had been at least a week since they last slept, and that was when Rachel lost her ear. It was just them against Freddy, and they were lucky that they woke in time.

''Gather all the food we have left.'' He addressed before rising to his feet.

''We're leaving?'' Rachel asked. Robert was about to protest but Wes stopped him, holding his hand up before continuing. ''No, we're just going to have a nice meal, talk and maybe rest our eyes for a bit.

''Rachel and Robert stared at him in shock, unable to comprehend what their influential leader just said. Robert started laughing hysterically. ''I can't believe this. He's lost it! He's really lost it! You want us to fall asleep?''

Wes didn't reply, but the look on his face said it all. He did want them to go to sleep, there's nothing to give anymore. Freddy had won, and he knew it, instead of going on like this, he thought it might as well end tonight one way or the other.

The three of them found whatever food they could find, made a fire using the dirty old bed mattresses and just tried to enjoy their last meal, which as you could imagine was difficult. But, Wes wanted to keep the mood light. He started talking about when the three of them were kids, how they always used to go fishing or see a new movie and cause chaos throughout the cinema.

It did bring back some good memories for them. However, where those memories end, the nightmare begins. They remember hearing of the children in Springwood dying in their sleep. Soon, it was spreading across all of America. As they grew and travelled hoping to run from Freddy, they watched as people around them died in their sleep. Sometimes, there was nothing but torn pieces of flesh in the morning.

But despite all they've been through, they haven't really changed much. Robert was still the same old nervous wreck he always was. He wanted to be the first to know everything and overreacted to the slightest worry. His girlfriend was the first victim that he knew personally and soon followed by his family and remaining friends. He's always tried his best to fight on in their honour, but the things Freddy's done to him made it hard.

Rachel was still the shy and quiet girl that didn't think she needed a boyfriend. She'd always been afraid, even when her friends would need her most, she would be too scared of what Freddy would do to her, as he done to her sister. She hated herself for not being brave, for never raising her head to Freddy and hoping for someone else to save her.

Wes was always a natural born leader. Despite being the youngest of the group, he was confident and the quickest thinking. But when the Freddy nightmares came knocking, he really suffered. When he lost his family, he doubted if he could carry on until someone came to his aid, and taught him to never moving forward. Alice. The two of them met, and have fought Freddy for years. Thanks to her belief, he had regained his and will keep it until the end.

''I've got ammo,'' Robert mumbled, interrupting Wes's stories. ''Back of the head, quick and easy won't feel a thing.''

''No, we're not going to need them where we're going,'' Wes said quietly.

''I'm not going back there. Why do you want him to kill us? At least we'll be sure to make it as painless as possible.''

''I said we won't need them.''

Unconvinced, Robert reached behind and pulled out a handgun from his tattered rucksack. Rachel instantly backed off as Robert held the gun to his own head. The weapon trembled as he placed the end of the barrel against his temple. A bead of sweat dripped onto it.

Wes got up slowly and walked towards his friend. ''Robert, put down the gun.''

''No, he isn't going to get me, or us. Wes, if you don't want to do it, I will!''

''We're not going to kill each other!''

''We've lost! Don't you get it? That bastard's taken everything from us. We did what we could. We put up a fight. There's nothing more to give.''

''Robert, stop!'' Rachel pleaded.

Robert slowly withdrew the gun away from his own head. Before Wes or Rachel could breathe a sigh of relief, the weapon was then fixed in Rachel's direction. ''You first,'' Robert whispered. ''You won't have to see anything.''

A vice gripped around Wes's heart and lungs. He didn't know where to focus his attention. On the Gun? Or the terrified man holding the gun and aiming it at Rachel with his finger over the trigger. ''Robert! Put down the gun!'' He shouted. ''Just one more time. We'll go under, and it will all be over.''

''It already is over! I can't take it, I have to do this! You can't stop me…'' Drawn back to reality for a split second, seeing the absolute fear in his friend's eyes, it was enough for Robert to move the gun away from Rachel and point it back at his own head. ''I'm giving you the choice. Are you going to let that son of a bitch tear you to shreds? Or are you going out the decent way?''

''What's decent about going out before the last fight?''

Robert was silent, staring at the ground shamefully. He wished for a peaceful sleep, but that was never going to happen. Freddy would be waiting. Except for the one place he would never be allowed to enter. Robert gazed towards Rachel. ''You?''

There was a part of her that wanted to agree. It was the easy way out. But, while it may be easy now, would she find it easy contemplating her life while in the next life? She slowly shook her head. ''I can't…'' Her weak voice caused the world around them to go quiet.

A genuine smile crawled on Robert's face. ''Close your eyes.'' He told her, and she did as instructed. He turned to Wes. ''There are five bullets if you change your mind. Take care of Rachel, she doesn't deserve this.''

''None of us does,'' Wes replied with tears in his eyes. He walked over to Rachel and held her tightly, looking away while she pressed her face against his chest.

BANG!

Wes threw down the last bit of dirt, covering Robert's body and laying him to rest. After all the years they've fought side-by-side, it shouldn't have come down to this. All because of one man's inhuman quest for revenge and power.

Rachel stood over Robert's grave and said a quiet prayer for him. Wes remained stoic, keeping his heavy eyes awake for as long as he could. The quiet murmurs of Rachel's sweet voice almost caused him to drift into a slumber. Finally, when Rachel finished her prayer, she turned to her friend. ''Why do you want us to fall asleep?''

He stared up at the darkening sky. ''Cause it's that time of the day, and I'm tired.''

''What are we going to do when we find Krueger?''

''We stop him!''

''How?''

''Don't worry, we'll stop him. I promise you.'' Wes assured.

A smile tugged at Rachel's lips as she squeezed Wes's arm tenderly. ''I trust you. I always have.''

''Always,'' He smirked. ''What about the time we strayed from the school path and got locked in a cemetery?''

They shared a light chuckle. ''Yes, well, I trusted you to get us out of it. And you did…mostly.''

''Oh, that reminds me…'' Wes reached into his trouser pocket and pulled a silver necklace with a mermaid on it. Rachel's face lit up like a flame, burning with joy. After losing it that night in the cemetery, she feared that she would never hold it in her hands again. As he handed it to her, he kept his smile warm and friendly. ''Guess I got you out of it all the way now, huh?''

''Thank you so much, I haven't even been able to dream of wearing this again.'' She gushed.

''Sure you have,'' He replied. After she threw him a perplexed look, he continued. ''We're dreaming right now.''

She couldn't even release a gasp before the clouds above changed, moving at incredible speeds until there was nothing but darkness. Rain poured from the heavens. The droplets were coated in a bloody red. Feeling the warm liquid shower onto them, Rachel's body convulsed. She didn't know where to turn or what to say. Her heart was in her throat, ready to explode at any second.

The only thing keeping her from having a severe panic attack was Wes's reassuring hand placed on her shoulder. ''Don't worry, this will only take a moment.''

Shadows glided around them, shifting into many demonic forms of varying shapes and sizes. The sound of raspy laughter, screeching metal and singing children echoed across the dark horizon.

''One, Two, Freddy's Coming for you…

Three, Four, Better Lock your door… Five, Six, Grab your Crucifix… Seven, Eight, Better stay up late… Nine, Ten…''

It went deathly quiet.

BOOM!

A loud bang exploded in all directions, and from the ground beneath Wes and Rachel, the souls of children erupted out of the soil and flew into the air. They screamed for help, circling the two, as they watched the hellish scene helplessly. Before long, the souls melted into the ground, creating a blue puddle. As the final soul disappeared, everything was silent and still once more. Then, four metal knives spewed out from the puddle, followed by an arm covered and a body.

Freddy Krueger had arrived.

''You thought you were going to get away from me, did you?'' Freddy mocked before laughing maniacally. This laughter sent chills down Rachel's spine, but Wes stayed as motionless. For some reason, he wasn't intimidated, and Freddy noticed this. ''What's the matter? No final words or curses to throw at me? Maybe I've not been doing my job right, how's this?'' Freddy raised his arms, and the surroundings were set aflame in a crimson fire.

Wes and Rachel held each other tighter as they tried to stay clear of the intense flames. Soon, the fire took on the shape of hands clawing towards them.

''Why?'' Wes asked, not paying attention to the nightmare going on around them. Instead, he focused intensely on Freddy. ''What could you possibly gain from all this?''

''You know what I gain? The thrill of the kill! This is what I am, and what I was made for. To become eternal!''

''This is insane and pathetic! You've done all this because you didn't want there to be justice for your crimes, and so you attack the innocent. You're nothing but a coward!'' Wes continued to taunt. Rachel stared at him in disbelief. He couldn't win this battle. So, what was he up to? What was his strategy?

Angered by Wes making a mockery of him, Freddy set his own body alight, causing his sweater to burn off and have his skeleton pushing against his skin. In seconds, Freddy grew three times…no, four times bigger, towering over his victims. New rows of jagged teeth jutted from his jaw, resembling the mouth of a piranha.

''A coward? Me? I'm not the one afraid. I've won. I am now God!'' Freddy extended his right arm, and three knives exploded from his glove and hurtled towards Wes. He was too shocked to move and could do nothing but watch as the weapons came towards him before Rachel leapt into their path. He saw the ends of the blades gut her, emerging from her back.

A startled gasp escaped him as he grabbed her before she collapsed. He gently kneeled down, holding her head aloft as she coughed blood and locked eyes with him. ''What were you thinking?'' He whimpered.

''Sorry, I had to.'' She replied weakly.

He tried to smile. ''It's okay, it's better this way. I don't think I could have left you alone with that maniac.''

''It's about time I did something right.'' She breathed one last time. Her body stopped moving and the lights left her still open eyes. Wes carefully shut them for her and gently kissed her forehead.

''You were brilliant.'' He whispered. Rachel's body disappeared in a blue aura, leaving him alone with Freddy in a hellfire.

Freddy's bellowing laughter drummed in his ears. ''What's the matter? Your girlfriend didn't get time to say bye?''

''How many families have you killed?'' Wes yelled defiantly. ''All because you couldn't control your own!''

''Who needs a domesticated life? I'm an old-fashioned kind of guy. The woman cleans, cooks and lets the man be in charge if you know what I mean. Life really is simple, I mean, it's not like I was fully to blame. How long did the parents of Springwood cover-up my hobbies? Why didn't the government want to help the children with their therapy? Because I'm not the only monster in this world.''

SLASH!

Wes grunted and chocked. Before he could blink, Freddy had closed the distance between them and stabbed his claws into Wes's gut. He gripped the man's hair and drove his claws deeper into his body, twisting and turning to make this moment as slow and painful as possible. Wes screamed. All around him, the flames screamed as well, echoing loudly.

''But, I still love being the monster.'' Freddy chuckled as he plunged his claws into Wes, feeling the man's life fade away in the palm of his hands.

As Wes's life faded, so did everything else around them. Freddy turned, watching the flames change from dark red to a calm blue before weakening until they were gone. Everything began to vanish. Even the sky above turned white, sinking into an empty void. The sound of the children screaming crumbled into utter silence. Freddy watched as the world literally disappeared before his very eyes. Hoping for answers, he glared at Wes and backed away instantly when he saw the sly grin upon the pale man's face.

''What did you do?'' He questioned worriedly, returning to his more humanoid form.

Finally free of Freddy's grip, Wes staggered backwards, clutching his bleeding wound. Despite knowing it was the end, he continued smiling. ''Don't you get it, Krueger? You couldn't win without losing everything. I realised that not too long ago. You need victims to dream, and with no victims…no dreams.''

Freddy froze. Any colour he had in his face drained as the reality of his situation dawned on him. He spun around, trying to catch sight of anything remaining, but there was nothing left. Everything was crumbling into dust and leaving him.

Wes stumbled forward. His eyes were too heavy to keep open. ''Why do you think I didn't want to kill myself? Because I wanted to see the look on your face, you realised you killed yourself!''

A roar rumbled out of Freddy's throat as he twisted his body to slash at Wes one final time. However, the man was already dead. He faded into a blue aura and passed on, causing Freddy to claw at empty air.

Everything was gone. Everything was dark.

The outline of his body blurred into the background after the colours of his world had vanished. He tried to change the scenery. He tried to conjure any kind of dream, no matter how small. Even the flicker of a light would suffice. However, nothing happened. Alone, and dead to reality, Freddy couldn't dream his own dreams. There was nothing to feed on.

Freddy wandered the Dream World for what seemed like an eternity. He was the last of anything and everything. There wasn't even a heaven or hell for him. The complete silence was overwhelming. It left a sickening feeling in his head and stomach. He pretended to hear voices, but that proved futile. When nowhere led too more nowhere, and Freddy's legs couldn't carry him any further, he collapsed to his knees and screamed.

He lashed out at himself, clawing the ground. All he did was scratch out black dust. There were times where he thought he could see others, but his cries would go unheard and with no reply. Soon, he became mad, but his thirst for power didn't leave. He was still the most powerful being alive, with no power at all.

Freddy finally began to question himself, what was he trying to accomplish?

He killed many children, in the beginning, just a test of his powers, and as he grew stronger and more children would fall at his blade, that lust for more consumed him. At first, he wanted to punish the parents that killed him, but all this power meant he could do so much more. But he let the power get the best of him. He couldn't stop. He didn't want to stop.

''They gave you what you desired!'' A deep voice bellowed. A voice other than his own? Freddy turned sharply, coming face to face with a troll-like figure standing over nine feet tall and shrouded in a black coat. Three glowing eyes pierced out from the shadows of his hood. ''The demons granted whatever evil desires.''

Freddy crawled towards the figure. ''Please…my power. I need it!''

''You were already given a gift many can only dream of. Tell me, Krueger, what is power to you?''

''Enough of your stupid riddles! I need my power! My children!'' He begged.

''You are weak,'' The figure spoke coldly. ''You did not know what you had. The demons offered you their power, and you used it to end life itself! You are not worthy, you are merely a waste. Farewell.''

Shadows hovered over Freddy from behind. Freddy turned in time to see three serpent-like demons open their elongated jaws and drain a red aura from Freddy's body. He was powerless to do anything other than watch as the dream demons took their gift back. Once his power was gone, Freddy slumped to the ground, vomiting heavily.

''Please, give it back'' He whimpered, refusing to give up.

''To do what, Krueger?'' One of the demons asked, swimming in the air above Freddy's head. ''You are nothing more than what is left. The power of Gods and demons belong to those who are truly eternal. You were never that. You were a lamb in a lion's body. Youth was yours to take, not life.''

The three dream demons disappeared instantly, taking back what was theirs. Then the Dream Troll turned and walked away, but Freddy wasn't finished.

''Wait!'' Freddy called out. ''What kind of God are you? Leaving me like this. Haven't ya ever heard of the Good Samaritan? Give me something, give me a morsel…give me life, so that I can sink my teeth into it!''

The impossible happened. The dreaded and merciless Freddy Krueger broke down in tears. He waited for a response but heard nothing. He looked up to see that he was alone once again.

Freddy clutched his fist and gritted his teeth. ''I don't need you,'' He whispered, his fury returning in full force before he stared up at what should have been the sky and cried out. ''I don't need anyone. I became what I am because of me. I became all-powerful. You hear me Demons and Gods? You worship me! I killed a world that didn't even believe in me! You should be honoured. I don't need you, you need me!''

Suddenly, a feminine voice spoke softly behind Freddy. ''It's always been about you, hasn't it? Krueger.''

Freddy's body flinched. The voice was so familiar. Too familiar. The sickness in his stomach returned as he slowly turned, almost blinded by a brilliant stream of blue light. A figure emerged from the light, standing before him. He couldn't tell if what he was seeing was real or a mirage. Were there mirages here? He couldn't tell. ''Nancy?''

''You're not above God. You're not even above the Devil. You're just a man.''

Freddy ignored her words and advanced like a predator on the hunt. His knives flickered and scraped together. ''Hey, little Nancy, as you can see my business is a little slow today. I killed them all. You lost!'' He cackled, relieved to have found some enjoyment for the first time in what felt like forever.

Nancy stared at him with pity. ''Really? We are here with our families and friends. What do you have?''

''I know this place is a little small for me, but I'll be back to my old ways. In fact, I feel in the mood right now.'' He charged and tried to strike. Out of nowhere, a hand shrouded in blue grabs him by the throat and holds him in place with unbelievable strength.

Standing next to Nancy was none other than the Dream Master, Alice Johnson. ''It's rude to interrupt when someone is speaking!''

Freddy chuckled darkly. ''Well, well, my two favourite girls have come back for me, how sweet. How about we get to know each other really well, I'll even let you girls go first.''

''You're disgusting.'' Alice spat.

BAM!

She punched Freddy in the gut, causing him to cough violently and drool blood.

''Alice,'' Nancy said, causing Alice to back away. When she complied, Nancy returned her attention to the weakened monster. ''Krueger, you've got what you wanted, there's nothing more for you to give.''

Freddy panted. ''So what? You giving me a medal?''

''No…a way out.'' She said with such serious, Freddy actually stopped to listen. ''You deserve Hell. To be punished for what you've done and relive what your victims felt when you killed them. No one, not even you deserve to have nothing forever. That's why we're here, to offer you a way out.''

Freddy couldn't believe what he was hearing. He could finally leave here and escape to a better place. Hell? A better place? Who'd a thought? It shocked him that this offer was coming from Nancy of all people. He almost agreed and accepted their offer.

Almost.

He then remembered who was standing before him. They were his enemies. People that have stopped him before and sworn to kill him. It sickened him that they had come to look down upon him and give him sanctuary as if he was a grovelling bum. His anger flared up like a volcano. Alice kept a tight grip on him, holding him back as he roared in their faces. ''No! After everything I've done to you both, you want to help me? I'd rather be stuck here. I refuse. Not you! Never from you!''

He felt worse when he saw the defeated look in her eyes. Was she upset that he refused? No, not upset. They would be happy to never see each other again. But, did she actually want to offer him a way out? He didn't want to know.

Nancy sighed quietly. ''Fine, but know that this is the last time anyone will save you. We won't be able to come back for you, even if we wanted to.''

''Don't let the door hit you on the way out.'' He spat.

Alice threw him back. ''One last thing,'' She growled. ''Say the rhyme.''

Freddy furrowed his brow. ''What?''

''Your rhyme, say it!''

Freddy looked back and forth between the two. Confused at first, he eventually mustered up his pride and began to chant. ''One, Two, I'm coming for you. Three, Four, Better Lock your door. Five, Six, Grab your crucifix. Seven, Eight, Better stay up late. Nine, Ten…'' He hesitated, realising the last words to his rhyme. Fear clutched his black heart and pulled it out of his burnt chest.

''Never sleep again?'' Alice finished. ''That's exactly what it is, Krueger, never. Once we leave you, there is only you.''

Nancy nodded. ''Alone forever. No death, no way of ending it. This was always going to happen, Krueger. Like I said before…your nothing, your shit.''

With that said, Alice and Nancy turned and walked back into the ray of light, before it closed forever.

''No, no, wait…'' He called out, but it was too late. The door closed, and nothing surrounded Freddy. He continued to scream and plead into the never-ending distance. Only after losing everything did he realise there was no coming back from this. When he's been resurrected, there's always been a world to go return to and victims to attack. But this was the end…the end of life, the end of Freddy Krueger.

The End!

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