A Nightmare Reborn: FVJ 02

"Martial Law?"

Tessa winked at him and they stepped inside.

***

Michael heard the gun shot and shattering glass and stepped back, retreating to the safety of the mayor's office. He cracked the door enough to see out into the reception and office area. He watched as the doctor and a cop came slowly walking in, cautiously looking around and amazingly not even noticing the two bodies pinned to the desk. But it was dark, and he doubted they would see them.

Michael waited.

***

Tessa and Loomis slowly walked through the darkened offices.

Like Kate Hunt had known something was amiss before her, Tessa could instinctively feel it now. There was something wrong with the air. She held her side arm comfortably in her hands, assuming a typical search crouch as she checked the light switches. When nothing turned on, she looked to Loomis and said, "Be ready."

"Always," Loomis said and then asked quietly, "Is this your work, Michael?"

In the area of the secretarial cubicles, Loomis spied a few working lamps. He asked, "But why do those work?"

"They're battery powered," Tessa told him as she unhooked the small flashlight from her belt and turned it on, "I have one of those on my desk at the police station... well, I had one on my desk..."

The small flashlight lit up and exposed a small moving circle of vision as they walked forward. Tessa sniffed the air and then cringed, "Blood. Lots of it too."

"Is that what that is?" Loomis frowned.

"Well, people generally tend to lose bowel control after they die too."

"Of course," he muttered and pulled out his handkerchief, covering his nose.

Tessa circled around the office and began walking past the empty cubicles. Her hand was steady, but she felt she was anything but at the moment. Her eyes were wide open and she could sense the arid presence of death filling the room. She thought of calling out and seeing if anyone was alive, but she decided against it. If there was a killer in here, then it was likely to be Michael or Jason. Tessa had no desire to bump into either of them yet.

"Here," she said to Loomis and handed him the gun, "The plans are in here."

Tessa opened a large, wide black file cabinet. The metal drawer slid open and after a moment of fumbling around inside, she found the power plant schematics. She pulled them out and laid them on the desk nearest them. After she closed the cabinet drawer, she reached back for the gun, her hand open.

"Thanks," she smiled at Loomis and then paused. There was blood all over her open palm, bright and red in the harsh illumination of her flashlight. She shined the flashlight on the file cabinet and saw it was speckled with blood. Tessa felt suddenly sick as she looked to Loomis and then behind the doctor. He saw her eyes bulge out and her mouth fall open, and Loomis almost stopped himself from turning to see what she was gaping at. But he turned anyway. Later, he would wish he hadn't.

There were two people, both naked and apparently killed in the act of sex, impaled to the desk just behind the reception counter. They were displayed like a work of sadistic art, a horrific tribute to the ingenuity of the evil mind. He recognized the handiwork immediately, only in this case the violence was deeper cut, angrier somehow. The flagpole that Michael Myers had used to pin the couple to the desk was protruding through clear to the floor where the blood stained brass point stabbed into the carpet. The American flag that been attached to the pole was pulled through the two dead bodies, only a small portion of the red and white stripes visible from the hole in the woman's back. The cloth was soaking and turning crimson before their eyes

"This was recent," Loomis cleared his throat. The woman's head was turned to the side, her dead green eyes looking directly at him like one of those paintings that can follow you wherever you go in a room. Her red hair was caked with blood and her mouth hung open in a slack expression of surprise. The face of her lover couldn't be seen from where they stood, but he thought maybe that wasn't a bad thing. Loomis followed the circle of light as Tessa shined it down the woman's corpse, following the trails of blood that streamed down her buttocks and stocking-clad thighs to her feet where the thick liquid fell away to the washable carpet below in fat drops.

"We gotta go," Tessa grabbed him by the shoulder and motioned towards the door.

"This was Michael Myers," he told her as they hurried out, the gun still in his hand as his stomach flipped over, "It was him. He was waiting for us...."

"Then we don't have much time."

Loomis handed the gun back to Tessa and grabbed the schematics from the table. They hurried out of the office quickly and as calmly as they could without panicking. Loomis could feel Michael watching him, waiting for the moment to strike. His pulse was racing fast and making him feel dizzy as they ran out into the smoky, rainy afternoon. Once the police cruiser pulled away, Michael emerged from the mayor's office and walked down the hallway to the rear entrance.

***

"Okay," Sean slammed the bag down the table in the middle of Alice Johnson's kitchen. Around him stood Dr. Loomis, Lori, Tessa and Alice. All of them looked tired and worn out, though Alice looked to him with bright greenish-blue eyes. He glanced away from her, still reeling from the dream he had endured. In it, he had cheated on Tessa with Alice in a very carnal way, but not before Freddy Krueger had twisted the dream and tried to kill him. Sean still felt sick at the memory and forced the thought away, "Here is what we have."

"I'm not much of a weapons expert," Loomis smiled weakly. The beginnings of heavy, dark circles were forming under his eyes, betraying his resolve to finish. Sean figured he could understand that. On top of losing his ex-wife to Freddy Krueger yesterday, he had been nearly killed by both Jason and Michael Myers to top it all off. Of course, they all had suffered losses in the last forty-eight hours.

"That's not a problem," Sean said, trying not to reveal his fatigue. He held up a long, solid looking 12-guage pump action shot gun, "To the layman, this your 'boomstick'..."

Loomis smiled at the reference, "Well said."

"Tessa will show you how to load it quickly," Sean handed the shotgun to the doctor, who held it and felt the weight. Lori thought he looked a little bit like a boy getting his first air rifle, "That's one of the simplest guns there is to fire."

"All right," Loomis nodded.

"Tessa, we'll have our side arms and these..." Sean pulled the two automatic machine pistols out of the bag. The snub-nosed guns looked angry and sleek as he handed one to Tessa. She smiled and patted the weapon.

"Lori," Sean pulled a standard issue Sig 9mm handgun out from the bag and gave her three fresh magazines. The gun felt heavy in her hand as she looked down at it doubtfully. As with their escape from the police station, she found herself in possession of a gun and, once again, she was totally uncomfortable.

"It's easy Lori," Tessa smiled at her, "Just point and shoot."

"Sure," she laughed uneasily, "Before this shit happened, all I'd ever handled was water guns. I might be able to hit the broadside of a barn."

"Well," Tessa offered, "Jason and Michael and are big guys."

"Alice," Sean handed her another gun identical to the one Lori held, "You know how to use one of these?"

"I get the concept," Alice smiled amiably as she put her index finger to the hole at the end of the stocky gun, "This is where the bullets come out right?"

Sean smiled a little and then said, "We have limited ammunition, so if you're going to shoot make sure it counts. We know we can't kill these fuckers, so just do your best to take out their arms and legs. If you can get a head shot, take it."

There was a silent word of approval between all of them as Loomis stepped forward. He pushed the duffle bag aside and spread out the plans for the Springwood Power Plant. It was a blue and white nightmare of a schematic, but in the midst of the jumble of corridors, catwalks and pipes were visible seven large circles in a huge rectangular housing just big enough to contain them. Loomis pointed to the large circles and said, "These are empty generator basins. There are seven of them along this connective path in the middle of the plant. Our goal is to lure Jason and Michael into one of the basins where they'll hopefully stay until we can figure out what to do. Based on the schematics here, they are fifteen feet deep and twenty feet wide so there's not much of a chance that they'll get out once inside."

Tessa spoke up, "The basins are deep inside the plant, about a hundred yards from the loading dock where we'll be entering. There's really no other way to access them easily without getting lost. There are three ground level access corridors leading into the generator housing and one catwalk that begins at the entrance and ends just above the seventh housing."

"The plan is this," Loomis looked at them all, "Sean and Tessa will be responsible for finding and luring Jason in to the complex-"

"Excuse me," Sean held his hand up, "How the hell are we supposed to do that?"

"I have a fool proof plan, Honey Drop," Tessa smiled wickedly.

"We have a plan?" Sean asked doubtfully and then frowned, "Honey Drop?"

Tessa laughed.

"Lori and Alice will accompany me and we will be the bait for Michael," Loomis continued, "Timing is essential to success. Once we have them both inside we'll basically have to lead them into this central housing and then force them inside one of the generator basins, apart or together makes no never mind. But, once we're in there, we'll split up and I'll be the sole bait for Michael."

Loomis looked to Sean and Tessa, "While the three of us try to stay a step ahead of Jason and Michael, Alice and Lori will get Freddy and pull him out into the real world."

"Just like that, huh?" Sean asked.

"There are some invariable risks," Loomis conceded.

"Do you all realize how crazy this shit is?" Sean looked around the table, "Because this shit is fucking crazy. You're all talking third-act desperation here. You'll just mosey on into dreamland and grab Freddy Krueger? Are you fucking high?"

"I've done it before," Lori said, "And with Alice helping me, I think I can do it again."

"Look," Sean put his hands up, "I'm with you on your plan to catch Jason and Michael. It's crazy, but it's just crazy enough to work. But Freddy? This mother fucker ain't just going to come along because Lori and Alice ask him to."

"We'll have to force him," Alice said evenly.

"Shit," Sean sighed, "You do know you're fucked if he gets you in there. We're all going to be too busy trying to keep Michael and Jason from getting out."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," Lori said, her dark blue eyes set on Sean's.

"Me too," Alice added.

"Even if you get him and pull him out," Sean asked, "What are you going to do with him?"

"Throw his sorry ass into the basin with Jason and Michael," Alice smiled knowingly, "Let him meet them face to face."

Sean shook his head and chuckled incredulously.

"If you have a better plan, I'm open to suggestions," Loomis said.

"Crazy fucking white people," Sean looked at the doctor and then cocked a wry half grin, "Sounds like a goddam plan."

"Good," Loomis sat his shotgun down on top of the plans for the power plant and looked at them seriously, "Before we do this, I just wanted to say that the odds of all us getting through alive are very slim. I want you all to be aware of the risks, because this is as dangerous as it gets. If anyone wants to back out, now is the time."

Lori spoke first, "I said I'm in, doctor."

"Me too," Alice said.

"Show me the way," Tessa examined the magazine for her Uzi and then locked it into the weapon with a hearty slap.

Loomis looked to Sean who shrugged.

"Let's go get killed," Sean slapped him on the shoulder, "Who wants to live forever anyway?"

He looked at the ragtag team of people before him and felt grateful. It was so strange feeling that grateful in the midst of all the death and destruction. On the eve of what might be their last few hours on earth, he wasn't thinking of how he might have wasted years of his life foolishly or lamenting over his past transgressions. He felt a swelling in his heart and camaraderie for these four people that was as close to family as he had ever known.

Loomis felt hopeful despite his fear and smiled, "One hour. Make your peace, say your prayers and prepare."

***

Alice sat alone on her porch, watching Sean and Tessa drive away in her truck. It was the same model and year truck that Dan Jordan had owned in high school. Alice remembered how proud he had been of that truck and how equally depressed he had been following the wreck that turned it into scrap. Her truck was nowhere near as nice as his had been, but the shape of the body and the red paint made her feel like she had a little piece of him with her physically in this world.

"I miss you," she whispered.

It was growing late and she could feel the night encroaching on her, trying to shroud her with doubt and fear. Alice wasn't beyond admitting that she was scared and in the clearest points of honesty even terrified. The stories Loomis and the others had told her about Michael Myers and Jason chilled her to the bone. It was bad enough to have Freddy Krueger running around loose, and having two killers out and about was next of kin to madness. But the three of them all in the same city, all of them functioning under their own murderous agendas with only five lone survivors to stop them was beyond the limit of reason. Alice recalled Loomis's prediction that not all of them would make it to see the end and couldn't help but agree.

"God help us," Alice closed her eyes.

"I think he will," Loomis startled her. Alice looked up as the doctor crossed the wooden porch slowly, his hands in his coat pockets and eyes thoughtful.

"You believe in God, Doctor Loomis?" Alice asked him after a moment. She stood up and sat against the porch banister, "Are you a man of God?"

Loomis smiled and ran a hand over his bald scalp, "I like to think of myself as a believer in truth."

Alice nodded and then said, "You didn't answer my question."

"Oh, I know there is a God," he looked at her, "In a world that can give birth to such horrors as these we face, I believe there is ultimate good and ultimate evil. Reality is often lost in between."

In the distance, thunder rolled across the dying light of the cloudy sky.

"I used to wonder why God would allow men like Fred Krueger to walk free," she said quietly and brushed a strand of her red away from her troubled face, "I used to ask him why he would allow good people to be taken so violently. Why he would allow such evil to be at all."

Loomis leaned against the side of the house, his shoulder between the door and window as he listened, "He doesn't choose our paths for us."

"Is that so?"

Loomis shrugged and said, "Fred Krueger was once an innocent baby, as were Jason and Michael. As were we all. The events of our lives, the choices of those around us mold our opinions and morals into a unique individual vision. I'm sure there was a defining moment when Krueger decided to give in to hate and reject his humanity. There was a moment when Jason Voorhees ceased to be the poor tortured retarded child at Camp Crystal Lake and gave in to anger and vengeance. The night a little boy named Michael Myers came home from trick or treating and killed his sister there was a choice made as well."

"And my son?" she asked, "What about his father and my brother? What choices led them to death?"

"The choice to stand for what was right," Loomis suggested, "To be true and loyal to those they loved?"

Alice hugged her arms across her chest as a wind blew through the air and smoke rolled across her shadowy lawn in ghostly blue clouds, "And what of your choices, doctor?"

"I occasionally make the right choice," Loomis said with an embarrassed smile, "Very often I don't and I make a boner of a mess. But I always try to follow my heart and what I know is right. My father did the same thing, as did Lori's husband. Staying and fighting when others won't is a difficult choice."

Alice looked at him, her eyes glassy with the beginnings of tears, "Did you know that Dan died trying to get to me? He was trying to come and protect me."

"He chose to follow his heart," Loomis interjected, "You had no say so in the matter."

Alice looked away.

"It's not your fault, Alice," the doctor said gently, "Nor can you bear the burden of what is happening now."

"If I had been stronger, Freddy never would have come back," she whispered as a tear streamed down her cheek.

"I don't know that he can be stopped permanently."

Alice shook her head.

"Even if you made a mistake," Loomis said carefully, "You have a chance to redeem yourself now."

The woman called the Dream Master looked at him, her eyes pink and puffy.

"It's the choices we make that define us and determine our course, not God."

"That's a bold statement," Alice smiled and wiped her nose.

"Not really," he replied, "I take comfort in knowing God has faith in me to make the right choices when all else fails."

"You think he has faith in me?"

Loomis put a hand on her shoulder, "If he didn't, I doubt very much you would be the Dream Master."

Alice closed her eyes and hugged Loomis. She glanced out into the yard and said, "The rain stopped..."

"Rain can't last forever," he said.

"You're a good man, Matthew Loomis," she said to him.

Loomis smiled broadly and replied, "It's the company I keep."

***

"I was wrong," Sean said as he and Tessa sat in the bed Alice's weathered Ford pick-up, rain drizzling down around them, "Loomis isn't crazy. You are."

Tessa smiled at him and patted his shoulder, "Ye of little faith."

Sean looked at his watch, "It's one in the morning now. We've been here six hours waiting and we haven't seen anything yet. What makes you think he'll come here?"

"Look," she sighed, "If there's one thing I've figured out about Jason Voorhees, it's that he's nothing if not routine."

"And this isn't going to be conspicuous?" Sean asked. He still felt uncomfortable being in civilian clothes, but he knew as Tessa did if they had any shot of pulling this off they couldn't look like cops. He was dressed in plain blue jeans and a black t-shirt with matching hiking boots. Tessa was in khaki cargo pants and a white tank top, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. He shook his head, "Never been shopping before at Wal-Mart. Don't know what's more scary, the checkout lines or Jason."

"It'll work," she said, "I think it's time to move to phase two of our plan."

"You're serious about this?"

"Yes."

"In the rain?"

Tessa nodded as she turned to him and hauled off her tank top, "If there's someone having sex in the woods, then Jason Voorhees will be there."

"That is so fucking thin," Sean smiled, feeling a little better about this aspect of the plan.

"Just remember," she said as she straddled him, "Don't get so involved in me that you don't pay attention. I don't want to die like this."

She thought of the two people Michael had killed back in the city offices and shuddered.

"Baby, you're talking to a man who can multitask," he leaned in and began kissing the swells of her tits, licking and suckling gently. He looked out into the shadowy depths of the Elm Grove City Park, scanning for any movement. With one hand on Tessa's ass he reached down with the other and felt the stock of the tranquilizer gun. The long rifle was placed on its side, the butt against his hip.

Tessa scanned the park as she pulled his face to her chest, her slender fingers caressing his shaved scalp slowly and sensually, "Remember not to fire until he's right up on us..."