Beyond the Boiler Room

'A Nightmare on Elm Street' continuation

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello all readers. As some of you may know, my story 'Beyond the Boiler Room' was recently deleted. I have now put up the rest of the story, although it is still not completed yet. So sorry about the little mix up, the rest of you can read on and enjoy! Don't forget to comment if you wish to do so! Sincerely: draculamomma

The grey streak was still with her. She looked at her skinny reflection in the mirror and sighed. For as long as she could remember she had had that ugly long grey streak in her hair, due to an unforgettable experience many, many years ago.

Nancy Thompson considered the grey streak in her hair a small souvenir compared to what had happened to Tina and Glen, her best friends, both of whom had been murdered. Nancy glared hard at the mirror, as if trying to break it to pieces with just her eyes.

There was no one in the whole entire planet that made her blood boil as much as Freddy Krueger did. His full name, Frederick Charles Krueger made her mind spin even more. How she hated him. He had taken everything from her, leaving her alone in the world. It was still a miracle she hadn't gone insane, like so many of the others.

"How do I get rid of this?" Nancy said out loud. Her reflection simply stared back at her, as if mocking her. Suddenly, the doorbell of her small home rang. Nancy jumped. It was Megan, her old college friend. Ever since she had graduated, Nancy and Megan had decided to keep in touch, considering they were both survivors on Freddy Krueger's past attacks.

Nancy raced to her doorway happily, forgetting her hair. She ripped the door open so hard, it was as if she had pulled it off its hinges. There, before Nancy stood Megan. Nancy smiled with enthusiasm. She had invited Megan over for a little chat, and to help her with her hair.

"Come on in silly!" Nancy pulled her friend inside. Megan walked calmly toward Nancy's kitchen table and set down her purse, and a small bad she had in her coat pocket. "This I brought for you." Megan pulled out of the bag a hair colour package.

"Megan! You didn't forget!" Nancy cried happily. She tore the package out of her friend's hands.

"Uh…you're welcome." Megan said heavily. Nancy threw her arms around her friend's neck.

"I'm sorry Megan…it's just that this damn streak won't go!" She tugged at her hair, as Megan opened the package and began setting Nancy down on the chair for a new makeover.

"Relax Nancy, once I'm through with you, every man on the street will be asking you out on a date!" Megan exclaimed, dabbing hair dye all over Nancy's streak.

Nancy huffed. "Oh don't be crazy Megan; you and I both know well that I haven't been rock solid with relationships after what happened to Glen." The sound of Nancy's dead boyfriend wiped Megan's smile off her pretty face.

"That was a long time ago Nancy, you've got to simply let go of Freddy Krueger and move forward with your life! How many times do I have to tell you?"

Nancy shook her head violently. "No Megan!" She shrieked. "You don't understand one bit!"

"I don't understand what Nancy? Tell me!" Megan cried, washing her hands in the sink.

Nancy shut her eyes in pain. "Everything Krueger has done to me…every night, when I want to sleep, I pray…I pray that he ends up burning in the pits of his dark home, with every nightmare set loose upon him to experience!"

Megan sat down beside Nancy at the table. "Nancy, please, don't get yourself all worked up on Krueger. He was a sick bastard that is long dead! He won't bother us anymore!"

"That's a lie Megan! And you know it!" Nancy looked back and forth. She was suddenly so afraid again…she was trying to hold her fear back, for she knew Freddy Krueger always gained his power and strength from her fear.

"But times have changed…I am not a child anymore. Freddy still thinks I am one. But now, I can actually beat him Megan!" Nancy laughed. Her friend gave her an odd stare. She still didn't understand.

"Nancy, I swear, if you keep this up any longer you'll wind up in a mental institution like all the other kids from Elm Street."

Nancy was about to add a nasty comeback to her friend's remark, but she suddenly felt a new light dawning upon her. She had an idea…she knew how to capture Freddy Krueger once and for all. She would drain him of his soul. She would trick the three demons within him to turn against each other, and destroy each other, as well as send Freddy Krueger straight to hell once and for all.

Shortly after midnight Megan left Nancy's home. Together, they watched some T.V., cleaned up Nancy's streak, which was now dark brown, matching the rest of her hair; they talked a little more about Freddy Krueger, and had some snacks.

Nancy turned off the T.V. soon enough, and headed for her room. She was not afraid to go to sleep now. Her plan still wasn't fully finished yet, but she needed to build her way up. She brushed her teeth quickly, not taking her mind off of Freddy Krueger. She was going to catch the infamous child murderer and make him pay for all the troubles he had caused her earlier.

Nancy walked to her nice cozy bed, still a little shaky as to how she was going to go about this insane plan. Once the lights were out, and her head was softly resting on her fluffy pillow, Nancy closed her eyes for the first time that night with a grin accompanied on her face.

It wasn't long before Nancy felt incredibly hot and sticky. She touched her forehead. Sweat! But it was in the middle of January still! Unless…no, it couldn't have been…impossible…unlikely. Nancy turned to her right; she was no longer in her bedroom back home. She squinted off into the distance. She recognized this place…it was Freddy Krueger's boiler room back in Elm Street.

Nancy swallowed harshly. Why was she suddenly scared again? She knew what had to be done. Nancy wanted to badly take off her nightgown that flowed down toward the ground. She was so hot…she needed fresh air.

"Pull yourself together Nancy!" She thought in her mind. She had a job to do. Nancy walked on forward, turning quickly at the every sound in the boiler room. Every swish, clank, hiss, tick, and bang made her jump up.

What she feared most was still not there. Nancy walked toward a flight of steps, taking her up to a high catwalk above the main floor of the dark boiler room. How could anyone work in this mess? She thought. She ducked quickly as a blast of hot steam blew across her face.

"Eew!" She cried. This was disgusting!

"Screech! Screech!" Nancy's heart suddenly stopped dead in its tracks. It was the sound she had been dreading to hear for years.

"Screech!" Nancy didn't want to turn around. She knew perfectly well what was behind her.

A deep throaty chuckle erupted from the shadows behind her. "Well, what have we here?" The voice of Freddy Krueger sent shivers up her spine. But she sent them back down. No way was she going to feed Krueger with her fears.

"Let me guess, is it…Amber? No, you're much too tall for her…how about, Pamela?" Freddy growled. Had he really killed all those poor innocent children? Nancy shook with fear. Although she was an adult now, all her childhood fears were returning. Freddy so far was winning.

"Come on you little bitch, turn around and let Freddy have a good look at you before you die." His voice was mocking her. Every limb, every bone, every nerve. He was getting to her inner core. Slowly, as if she had mysteriously turned into a puppet controlled by Freddy, Nancy turned to face her old nemesis.

"You-" Freddy stopped his statement short. After all these years, she had returned to him. Freddy, a big dreamer himself often sat alone in his boiler room during the daytime, thinking of Nancy. She had been the first child to defeat him many years ago, and his pride killed him. He had wanted her dead so many years, attempting her life as many times as he could, yet every time he came close to harming her, she somehow eluded him, as if she was trying out a new magic trick.

Nancy gazed at Freddy's physical appearance. He had not changed one bit. He still had on his old dirty red and green striped sweater that was losing its colours; he had on his black pants and black matching boots. Above all else he still had his claw glove that he wore on his right hand at all times, ready to attack.

Freddy was still in a bit of a shock. Quite honestly, he hadn't expected Nancy to look so…beautiful. Well, years ago, he had found her a little cute, but that was girlish cute…now, she was a woman. A mature woman ripe in her early thirties. Freddy could feel himself blushing, and he wondered with his horrible burn scars how the heck that was possible. But that didn't matter much to him. What mattered was Nancy Thompson; the girl he had often wondered about was standing right before him.

Nancy no longer had her childish freckles. Replacing those was fair coloured skin, large round blue eyes, thick, wavy dark brown hair, and a magnificent body. She had a slim build, and was pretty tall for her age. Freddy didn't know what to do except stare on forward.

Nancy felt slightly uncomfortable. Was it her twisted imagination, or was Freddy Krueger, the demon master of dreams actually checking her out? Nancy didn't want to think much about that, but she couldn't help but bring the thought forward.

Finally Freddy spoke. "What do you want?" His voice had suddenly lost its cruel mocking tone, and it was a little shrill instead of deep and throaty. What was going on?

Nancy snapped back to reality. "I'm here for you Krueger." She snapped. Freddy grinned. He licked his lips suggestively. Nancy shuddered. Secretly inside though, she wondered what Freddy thought of her.

"Not what you're thinking Krueger. You have a real dirty mind!" She walked a little closer to him, still afraid of his glove. "I'm here to make you pay. To make you suffer as you hade made me suffer over the years. It's time you got a taste of your own medicine Freddy!" She yelled.

Freddy swiped at the air with his left hand. He had no intentions of killing Nancy now; he wanted to hear more about her 'plans'. "Really? Do tell, I am just 'dying' to find out what you have planned for me!" He sniggered at his own little joke.

Nancy rolled her eyes. "I want you to go to hell Freddy Krueger! And this time you are going to stay there and pay for all the horrible things you have done!"

Freddy simply kept staring. He was totally relaxed compared to Nancy. All the tiny hairs on her arms and neck were standing high in the air. She had never stood up to anyone like Freddy before. Inside, it made her happy, and a little…excited? NO! That's not the feeling she wanted! Nancy wanted to be in control for once, not like a silly school girl! What was she doing?

Freddy tapped his claws on a large metal wall. He grinned. "I'm proud to hear that Nancy. I knew it. You're turning more like me everyday! Way to go kiddo!" He turned and began walking away from her, hoping she would wake up soon and leave him to his thoughts.

Nancy's mouth fell open at once. "What? What are you talking about Freddy?" She began following him. Freddy walked slowly down the catwalk and laughed.

"You're sick, crazy, and, and, sick!" Nancy yelled. She didn't like the fact that Freddy was so calm about this whole situation. She had come so far to kill him and make him fear for once, and he was treating it like some silly April Fool's joke!

Freddy turned and ran one long sharp claw down Nancy's neck. "Nancy my dear, you'd better go back home, to your nice warm bed, to your cozy little house, to your friend Megan, and continue living your boring routine of a life." His claw made a small scratch on Nancy's neck, and she winced in pain, but dared not to move or say a word to anger him.

Freddy looked down at the ruby coloured blood droplet that was beginning to grow and drip slowly down Nancy's neck. "Oops." He said lightly.

He stepped closer to her. "Let me clean that up for you…" With that, Freddy stuck out an unusually long pink tongue, and lapped up Nancy's blood slowly. He ran his tongue gently over the wound, sealing it up. Nancy whimpered in his arms. He held her tightly, trying to make it as quick as he could.

Nancy whimpered even more when Freddy pulled his warm mouth off of her neck. Although she hated to admit it, she had enjoyed that quite a bit. After all, it was the first sign of affection coming from a man that she had received in so many lonely years.

Freddy stared deep into Nancy's eyes. She slowly drew in a sharp intake of breath, and began to lean forward for a kiss. She was unaware of what she was doing, decided Freddy. He stepped back from her before things got out of hand. Nancy opened her eyes once she felt no contact on her lips.

"What?" She asked. Freddy smiled. He would see her again very soon.

"Good night." Freddy's last words lingered in Nancy's mind over and over as she fell back from the dream world into the real world. She awoke with a startled scream. The cool night air made her feel better.

It had all been a silly dream…Freddy wasn't back…was he? Nancy couldn't trust her own judgement. She stood up from her bed, and walked toward her dresser. She turned on a small nightlight, and looked at her reflection for the tenth time that night.

"Oh…no…" It was true. On Nancy's neck, even though it was tiny, it was there. A long scrape mark outlining Freddy's claw on her neck. The area he had licked was healed, but still red from irritation. Just before she turned away from the mirror, Nancy noticed it again. No matter how hard she had tried to get rid of it, it had come back. The grey streak was once more on Nancy's hair.

Back in the boiler room, Freddy kicked his old black boots roughly into a pipe. "Damn it!" He screamed. It was not because of the pain, but because of the events. Freddy had been so close. He could have killed Nancy Thompson tonight! He had her in his arms momentarily and he had let her go like that! What was wrong with him?

Freddy paused when he heard three voices somewhere in the room. It was the three dream demons within him, trying to get a hold of him. The demons were the ones who had given Freddy his power, and were always instructing him to kill.

"Freddy Krueger. We are deeply disappointed in you." The first demon's voice spoke, echoing all over the boiler room.

Freddy growled. "Shut-up! It wasn't my fault!"

All three demons laughed. Then who's was it Freddy? You're hormones?" They laughed again. Freddy growled. Now was not the best time for mistakes.

"Freddy, you are literally killing us!" Another demon spoke up.

"Yes! We need more energy soon. We need you to finish her off." A second demon said.

"I'm doing the best I can!" Freddy barked. Damn her! Damn Nancy for stopping him.

"Don't try and lie to us, we saw the whole thing." The first demon said again.

Freddy paused. "What are you talking about?"

"You. Instead of killing her, you healed her. Why?" The third demon whispered.

Freddy put his clawed glove hand up to his chin and thought about it. Why hadn't he killed Nancy Thompson? She was nothing but trouble to him all these years; she was the reason why all the children on Elm Street were no longer afraid of him. She was giving them hope instead of worries, taking away Freddy's power and strength slowly and painfully.

"Maybe it's time we found someone stronger than you Krueger." The second demon suggested.

"Yes!" The first demon hissed.

"What? Why? I am the only murderer on Elm Street! I have outlasted everyone else!" Freddy cried, circling the boiler room.

"You've gone too soft Krueger. We need someone who is not in love with Nancy." The first demon said.

Freddy shook his head and growled. "I'll shove you! I am not in love with that girl! I'm just trying to trap her! I'll make her like me, but then I'll kill her slow…draining all the life out of her, first her heart. I'll play with her emotions…make her think I like her. And then, when she least expects it, I'll slit her throat!" Freddy laughed evilly, slashing a pipe in half with his claws.

The demons laughed. "Now that's the Freddy Krueger we know!"

Nancy was late for work again. She worked at a children's hospital down town, and was usually never late for work. Her boss had given her quite the lecture of a lifetime. Afterwards, with even more paperwork to be updated on her desk, Nancy decided to go grab some cookies down in the cafeteria on her break.

She got some raisin cookies, with some milk. She grabbed a newspaper off a rack and sat down. Her head had been pounding the whole day. She was not feeling any safer, especially with the knowledge that Freddy Krueger was still around, gaining more power.

Nancy yawned gently as she flipped past the obituaries. Suddenly, she felt her heart thump harshly in her chest. She flipped back to the obituaries section of the paper. She squinted hard, and with trembling eyes she read:

Nancy Thompson, died last night. She was thirty-one, and not in very good health. She had been found in her home around five in the morning with four deep claw marks engraved in her chest.

"No!" Nancy cried. She threw the paper down violently. When she looked up from her paper, she found herself staring into scorching red eyes. It was Freddy!

Nancy screamed and leapt from her seat at the table. Freddy pushed a chair aside and picked up her paper. "Hey! I wanted to take a look at the jokes for the day!" He laughed demonically.

Nancy wiped sweat off her face. "No! This is a dream!" She cried, wiping tears off her face too.

Freddy smirked. "I wish it was too Nancy." He turned the paper towards her, showing her a picture of herself. The Nancy in the paper was walking down the street happily. She was smiling and having a good time, until, from behind her, Freddy Krueger's claws plunged through her chest.

Immediately, the Nancy in the paper spat out a flood of blood. The Freddy in the paper laughed and waved at the Nancy outside the paper.

"They've really got the facts down correct, don't they?" Freddy laughed, throwing the paper at Nancy. Nancy lunged back. The paper was now attacking her. It had grown rows of sharp tiny teeth, and each and every one of them was snapping its way at her.

Nancy screamed and pushed the paper aside. But it was tightly stuck to her. It was biting her hands and fingers as she battled to push it to the floor and stomp on it. She managed to get it onto the floor, but it flew back up and whipped her in the face.

"Help!" Nancy yelled horrified. The paper had disappeared, but Freddy hadn't. He ran his claws across the top of the table, causing horrible screeching noises again. Nancy covered her ears and ran out of the cafeteria.

"Nancy! Come back!" Freddy yelled after her. But she didn't, Nancy ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She made her way quickly across the hospital grounds, heading straight for any office with a door she could find.

Eventually, Nancy reached the freezer. But it hadn't been turned on. Yes, she could hide in there; Freddy wouldn't follow her in there, as he was always in warm places, such as the boiler room. She raced inside and slammed the bolts shut.

There were a few dead people's body parts wrapped in bags and stocked in containers on shelves, but Nancy was not afraid of those. She had seen them at least a million times and was used to their presence among her at the hospital.

From outside the room, Nancy heard nothing but silence. Freddy must have disappeared. Nancy walked forward, but was aware that Freddy might have been hiding behind the door, trying to trick her out of the room. She held her breath, hoping he wasn't listening.

Silence lay still in the freezer room. Nancy soon thought it was ridiculous hiding from Krueger. He was only going to find her again later on, and try to kill her again. She might as well face him while she had the chance, and hopefully wake up alive.

Nancy was about to open the big door, when she heard a rustling sound behind her. Slowly, she dropped her hand from the bolts on the door, and stood still. The sound was gone. She listened as hard as she could, but nothing seemed to be moving.

"Whatever." Nancy muttered to herself, turning back to the door. Just as she was about to open the door again, the same rustling sound was made. Nancy turned as best she could in the direction of the sound. It seemed to be coming from the frozen limbs. She felt her blood freeze right in her veins.

"Hello?" She called into the freezer. There was a small bag, but it didn't seem to be moving.

"Freddy?" Nancy called. Was he behind this? Naturally. Nancy looked at the black bag. It was labelled: HAND. Inside the bag must have been the hand of a dead guy. Nancy shuddered. She hoped to God the hand wasn't what was moving.

But she had to find out. Nancy shifted her cold feet toward the bag. Her knees felt like they were centuries old. They felt so stiff and cracked as she moved slowly toward the black bag. As she stretched a couple of fingers toward the bag, it jumped a few feet into the air.

Nancy jumped back and screamed in fright. This was like an enactment of a horrible horror movie! Nancy wanted to scream more and pull her hair out of her head. This was insane! Why wasn't she awake by now?

The bag kept rustling. Nancy glared at it. "Oh God…" She reached toward it again, stretched her arm closer, closer, so close she could feel the tips of the bag…she reached for the opening…BOOM!!!! Nancy screamed and fell back against the shelves of the freezer, knocking containers and many other substances over.

The hand, detached from the body, frozen with icicles stiff was flying towards her. It wrapped its cold fingers around her neck, and began to squeeze hard, tightening its grip on her neck. It was chocking her!

Nancy reached up and clawed at the hand, but that only made it tighten around her neck even more. Soon, water began to fill Nancy's eyes. She gasped as much as she could for air. The freezer around her was getting blurrier and blurrier by the second. Soon, little black specks began appearing in her vision. She struggled to keep her breath, her heart slowing its steady tempo.

She was dying…slowly, painfully dying. Nancy said a silent prayer in her head, as the hand tightened even more. Her throat felt crushed beyond belief. From a far distance, she heard her name…no, it couldn't have been…was it?

She struggled upward a little more, trying to hear. "Nancy! Stop it! Hold on Nancy!" The voice was getting louder and louder. Nancy opened her eyes. She gasped for air.

The hand around her neck was suddenly gone. She was no longer in the freezer. Nancy found herself still at the cafeteria, but she was surrounded by her fellow colleagues and friends. Megan had woken her up, saving her from Freddy's close murder.

Nancy looked down to see Megan's hands around her shoulder…she had been dreaming after all. Nancy jumped up from the tables. She ruffled her hair, others were whispering about her. Megan looked at her with shock and concern.

"Nancy? What happened?" She asked. Nancy looked around at everyone else. Some people were looking at her…but not directly into her eyes. Something was horribly wrong. Nancy ignored Megan's calls after her, as she pushed past the crowd around her, heading straight for the Ladies' rooms.

Nancy pushed open the heavy door, and headed straight for the mirror. It was getting worse and worse. Nancy looked at the clear five finger marks around her neck. She touched them gently, and winced in pain. Her throat felt dry and really itchy.

As Nancy studied the marks closely, she noticed that they were large and thick. It definitely wasn't Megan trying to wake her up and leaving the marks there by accident. No, the marks were made by a man's hand. The hand belonged to Freddy Krueger.

Freddy stumbled through his boiler room, even angrier than he had been before. He was at his closest now, and she had gone…again! How could he have been so stupid? He had seen Megan earlier, rushing toward the cafeteria, just before Nancy fell asleep. He had somehow let her ruin his plans.

Freddy tore off his dirty brown fedora hat and stomped on it until it was flattened into the floor. "Shit!" He screamed. Strangely however, he felt a little relieved. Freddy was oddly glad he hadn't killed Nancy Thompson yet. He had been close, yet again, but he was deeply glad that Megan had woken Nancy up.

From above the boiler room, three voices cackled with delight. It was the demons. Freddy's eyes widened in fright. "Oh hell no…" He gasped.

"I knew it! I knew it! Didn't I tell you? I knew he was too afraid to kill her!" The second demon's childish voice came out of nowhere.

"Yes! Freddy, you are a complete failure. You are pathetic." The first demon said, laughing along with the others. Freddy picked up his hat and plumped it down on his head, hoping to hide his embarrassment.

The demons laughed even harder. "Freddy loves Nancy! Freddy loves Nancy!" They chanted over and over again. Freddy covered his ears and shook his head. It wasn't true! It wasn't…was it? Was he…no…was Freddy Krueger actually attracted to Nancy Thompson? Did he…have feelings for her? Maybe the demons were right about him after all.

The demons stopped laughing all at once. "What's the matter Fred? Afraid of true love?" That started up the laughter again.

"I am not in love with that whore! I hate her! I hate all of them!" He said, clenching his fists tightly, unaware of his claws digging into his hand. Freddy eventually clenched his fists so hard; blood began dripping from his right hand due to his claws sinking in his flesh. He didn't notice.

"Just give me a chance to prove it!" He yelled at the demons.

"We already did Krueger! You said you were going to toy with her emotions, and yet when you came close to killing her, you intentionally let her stupid friend get in the way!" The third demon shouted angrily.

Freddy shook his head so hard; he almost knocked off his hat. "No I didn't! I thought she was alone! I never saw her friend!"

The demons suddenly became silent. Then the second demon spoke up. "Don't you dare lie to us Freddy Krueger. For we know what you do all the time. We watch you, wherever you go, whoever you talk to, how you do your work. We are a part of you, never forget that."

Freddy looked down at his boots. They were right; the demons would always be the nasty part of him. He really wasn't all bad…it was the children he hated. They drove him crazy. The demons disappeared once more, leaving Freddy to himself.

He was about to give up this whole idea of scaring Nancy to death, when he heard a shrill scream throughout the boiler room. It was Nancy's scream. Even though she had grown up, Freddy recognized her scream anywhere. He turned toward the direction of her screams. Nancy was in pain. He would have to go to her.

In truth, Nancy was not in any pain at all. She was screaming however. Nancy was back at her house, trying to heal the little scratch marks the attacking newspaper had left on her fingers. The little marks stung as Nancy put cream over them. "Shit!" She screamed.

A soft knock on her door made her gasp in surprise. "Who is it?" She yelled.

"A neighbour! You okay in there?" A slightly muffled voice came through her door, barely audible. Nancy dropped her bandages and walked towards her door. She didn't know of any neighbours, Nancy's house was the furthest from any other house on the street? How could anyone possibly have heard her from that far away?

"I really must have been screaming hard…" Nancy thought to herself. She walked to her front door, and opened it, still a little hesitant. When the door was fully opened, Nancy found herself staring into the most beautiful pair of eyes she had ever seen.

"Hi." It was a man, around her age, maybe a little older. He had short clean blonde hair that seemed to shine in the light of her hallway. He had big round deep blue eyes, and they seemed to be staring past her, into her soul…Nancy literally felt her heart stop.

"H-hi." She stammered. The man smiled. His smile sent butterflies in Nancy's stomach. He was so cute!

"Are you okay ma'am?" He had a strange accent to his voice, but Nancy was unable to tell where exactly he was from.

She smiled back. "Yes, I'm fine."

"I was just coming home through my driveway, and I couldn't help but hear your shouts, so I rushed over, to see if you were okay." He eyed her clothes and smiled. She had a very good sense of fashion.

Nancy suddenly snapped to reality. "Wait, there, there must be some mistake. I actually have no neighbours near enough to hear what's going on in my house, how's it possible that you heard me?" She asked, a little suspicious and frightened.

The man frowned slightly. "Really? Well, that's strange, because I live right over there." He turned into the street, and pointed to a large grey house right across Nancy's. Nancy felt her eyes widening. She had never seen that house before…in her life…how did it appear there now?

The man turned back to her, puzzled. "You sure you're okay?" He asked once more. Nancy kept looking at the house. She didn't answer.

The man shuffled his feet impatiently on the mat on Nancy's porch. "So, uh, my name's Chris Barrington, it's a pleasure to finally meet some new people here I guess." He held out his hand for Nancy to shake.

"I'm Nancy Thompson." Nancy reached out as well and gave the man's hand a firm quick shake. He laughed and looked down at his hand. Nancy felt herself blushing.

"Well if there's anything I could ever do for you Nancy, please feel free to let me know, and don't be shy to come over some times. I usually work at home behind my computer, and don't go out often and find company."

Nancy nodded. In a way she knew exactly what he meant. "Yeah, sure. You are always welcome over here too." She said softly.

Chris nodded. "Well, good night then." Nancy nodded a good night, and closed the door gently.

As soon as she woke up the next morning, Nancy phoned Megan right away. Megan answered the phone grumpily. "Nancy, it's six in the morning, what do you want? Please, it's not another dream of Krueger, is it?"

"Megan! No! To tell you the truth, it's all weird actually." Nancy flopped down on her bed, surrounding herself among her stuffed dogs and cats. She giggled.

Megan sighed. "Are you drunk Nancy?" She asked.

Nancy straightened up. "Megan! Would you stop?"

"I met a really cute guy last night. His name is Chris Barrington. He apparently lives in the house right across mine Megan!"

"But I thought you were all alone up there?" Megan asked tiredly.

Nancy frowned. "Yes, that's what I thought too! But I've seen his house, it's actually there!" Nancy walked toward a window and checked the world outside. Yes, the house still stood, lights turned off at this time in the morning.

"So what's he like?" Megan inquired.

Nancy giggled again, taking her mind off the house again. "Oh Megan he has the sexiest eyes ever! They are deep blue, and round like an angel's!"

Megan snorted rudely. "Oh please, since when do you ever look into anyone's eyes?" Nancy growled. She had noticed his eyes; in fact, she had noticed them before anything else.

"Whatever, you keep laughing all you like Megan. I at least have someone now." She answered childishly.

Megan burst out laughing. "What? Nancy please! Before you run off like some school girl with a crush, please listen and get the facts straight."

Nancy paused, what did Megan mean?

"Nancy, you don't even know the guy! Sure, you might know his name, but that could also be a lie. I mean what if he's some sick sexual predator like Ted Bundy, and he's just trying to make you his next victim?" Megan rose up a good point.

Nancy sighed. "Look, Megan, what I felt last night was real! I'm really positive about him! He didn't seem like type of person!"

"Fine. Let's forget the possibilities of him being a pervert. What if he's already married? Or what if he already has a girlfriend? You yourself told me how cute he was. If he really is that cute, I'm positive he's already with someone as good looking as himself." Megan said quickly.

Nancy shook her head. "Whatever Megan. You're just a jealous bitch! You can never be happy for me!" With that she hung up the phone. Nancy couldn't believe it. All her life Megan had been trying to set her up with different guys, and now, right when the perfect man came along, she acted like he was some freak show!

As soon as she had eaten breakfast, Nancy decided to repay Chris for last night. She was going to make him a pie. She didn't know what his favourite fruit was, so she just went with apple pie. "Everyone loves apples!" She said as she began working on the pie.

As soon as she was finished, Nancy put on her most presentable clothes, put on a little bit of make-up, and headed off across to his home. The weather was very good today. The snow was gradually melting, and there were tiny buds blooming on trees.

As Nancy approached the house, she saw a small girl in a purple jumper playing hopscotch on the pavement near Chris's house. Nancy smiled. She hoped to have children of her own one day.

The little girl was humming an odd tune as Nancy drew closer to her. Nancy stopped and listened closely, and she recognized it immediately. The girl threw her rock into her game, and jumped happily.

"One, two, Freddy's coming for you. Three four-" The little girl went on singing out loud. Nancy dropped the pie into the grass, not caring that it got crushed. She hurried toward the girl and shook her in her arms.

The girl dropped her hopscotch stones and screamed. "Tell me where you learnt that song! Please!" Nancy beckoned. For over twelve years not one single child had been singing that song. It had been diminished. Now it was alive again.

"Let me go!" The girl shrieked. Nancy let the girl go, and watched her run toward the end of the street.

"Is something wrong?" Nancy jumped when Chris's voice came out from behind her, scaring her out of her wits. Chris looked down at the pie; face down in the wet snow and grass.

He smirked. "That wasn't for me? Was it?"

Nancy eyed the pie as well. "Oh my goodness! I am so sorry Chris, I was j-just, well, that girl, s-she scared me."

"Why?" Chris asked, walking with Nancy toward his house.

Nancy sniffed. "Well, she was just-oh never mind. I'm fine now." She smiled to prove it. Chris didn't smile back.

"Well, do you want to come in? I don't want to leave you hanging here in the cold for too long." He pushed open his front door.

Nancy thought for a second again about what Megan had said, and nodded. There was nothing wrong with this man! He was right for her! She was going full on and taking her chances,

Nancy stepped up to the porch and followed Chris in. He closed the door silently behind her, grinning behind her back.

"Go on, have a seat and make yourself at home. I want you to feel as comfortable as you can. If you need something don't be shy to ask." Chris began making coffee for Nancy, as she waited for him in his family room.

"Thanks Chris!" Nancy called back into the kitchen. As she waited for him, Nancy looked up at Chris's fireplace mantle. She had to admit, she was slightly jealous of his home. He had better decorations than she did, better taste in colours, lights, and wallpaper.

However he didn't seem to have many pictures. Nancy smiled as she looked at all his awards, sports awards, music awards. He was a pretty active guy.

"So what do you do for a living?" Nancy asked Chris.

"Well, everything and nothing to tell you the truth. I'm all over the place really. I've taught at schools, gave lectures at Universities, you name it I've done it." Chris boasted.

Nancy nodded. "Wow, so, I guess you don't have a family then right?"

"Why do you say that?"

Nancy felt a little embarrassed. She had forced her opinions out too soon. "Nothing, I, I just meant, that well, if you're really all that busy, it'd be awfully hard to settle d-down and have a family you know." She felt her face flushing red right away.

Chris shrugged. "Well, in a way that's true. I'm all alone. No one here but me in my big, old, mysterious house."