A Nightmare Reborn: FVJ 02

"Freddy's dead," Tessa cringed as they watched Jason spin and flip Freddy around. The dream killer bent six-foot diameter pipes in with his backside and broke concrete with his head as Jason unleashed his fury. All of the teasing and taunting Jason had endured, the pain and the humiliation suffered at the hands of Freddy Krueger was being brought to light now. Their fight on the dock two years ago had only been a prelude to this moment. Jason had found time to think about what had happened to him, he had had time to consider the blasphemy of Freddy's desecration of his mother. After a brief moment of consideration (as thoughtful as Jason Voorhees could be about it at the very least) Jason followed through on the impulse to kill Freddy.

Loomis eyed his shotgun, only a few feet away from where Michael Myers lay, his legs sprawled and head hanging forward. He wondered for a moment if Freddy had actually killed him. There was so much blood drenching his coveralls and the cuts on his body had been truly grievous. Loomis wanted to believe that Myers might be dead, but he knew better. Michael was too smart. There was the possibility that Michael, in his quiet contemplation and secret agenda, might even be smarter than Freddy Krueger.

"We have to get them into that basin," Loomis bit his bottom lip, "And we have to make sure Jason doesn't have his machete..."

"Why?" Lori asked.

"He used it to climb out," Loomis pointed at the opening of the basin. There, lodged in the rusty metal was Jason's weapon of choice. He had stabbed it into the side of the basin and used it to escape by pulling himself up on it and then standing on it. It looked to be an arm's length from the lip of the basin, within reach if someone was brave enough to go and grab it.

"I'll get it," Tessa said quietly.

"Its lodged in there pretty good," Loomis eyed the weapon.

"I'll handle it," she said and squeezed his shoulder, "Just blow their fucking heads off."

Loomis nodded, "All right. Let's do this. Lori, stay put for a moment."

As Loomis broke to the left and Tessa went right, Michael sudden stood up. He looked at the doctor with bloody red eyes as they shared an exchange of "got ya!" Loomis cursed himself and skidded to a halt a few feet shy of the shotgun. Michael had been waiting for him to come out. He had been playing possum to avoid Freddy and Jason, his black heart intent on the doctor. Loomis felt sweat beading on his back and winding down his spine as he and Myers locked eyes.

Jason continued his beating of Freddy. He spun the weakened killer around again by the arm and let go. That was when Krueger crashed into Michael and sent them both toppling over. Jason stalked over to them like some kind of post-modern Prometheus and grabbed them by their necks, one in each hand, hoisting them up. Michael twisted in his grip and freed himself, his black eyes flaring above the bloody marks dripping from his sockets. Freddy slashed out with right hand but found it caught by Michael. Jason pulled on his left hard as Michael refused to let go.

"Oh Jesus," Tessa looked over her shoulder as the two monsters pulled Freddy apart. She thought maybe there was a mutual understanding between them at that moment, a sort of unspoken agreement in regards to their shared hate of Krueger. Or maybe it was just that they were caught in a bloodlust and Freddy was in their way. In either case, Freddy was holding the short end of the stick.

Krueger howled and threw his head back as the muscles and bones began to fail his body. There was a definitive tearing sound as the flesh began to rip and sinews of the meat split apart. Black blood splashed to the dusty floor as Freddy became the wishbone between Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers. His eyes bulged from his sockets as the connective tissues and bones in his arms pulled away from his torso.

The power plant was filled with his agony as he fell forward and smashed face first into the floor. Jason tossed the severed arm aside as it sprayed the foul smelling essence of Freddy Krueger all over his tattered clothes. The screams echoed throughout and acted as a death knell for the dream killer. Jason kicked Freddy hard and cracked his ribs on the left side as Michael drove his hand down into Krueger's back. He punched through the fabric of his burnt clothes and through the slimy flesh to the spinal cord beneath. Michael gave the slippery backbone a mighty yank and Freddy's Krueger's back was broken in two.

"Oh God," Lori covered her mouth and closed her eyes as her stomach lurched.

There was a loud squealing shriek of metal against metal as the machete came loose from the basin. Tessa flipped over and held the weapon up, but her triumph was short lived as Jason and Michael both regarded her with an intense glare. She laid there for only a second before they both began moving in on her.

"Oh hell no," she grunted and got up as best she could, her wounded shoulder throbbing and sending bolts of pain through her right side.

Loomis aimed the shotgun at Jason, even as Michael noticed him approached him. He knew if he didn't disable Jason, then Tessa wouldn't stand a chance. He aimed and fired. The shot went wide and blew apart a pressure valve. Steam hissed and billowed outward, the hot air whistling as it enveloped Jason's hulking frame. Loomis turned and fired at Michael. The blast caught Myers in the left shoulder and sent him flying backwards.

Tessa realized too late that she had backed herself into a corner as she bumped up against the wall of the generator housing. She looked and saw Jason emerging from the steam, his shadow hiding her from the light. She glanced to her left and saw the open basin where Sean had been pulled in. Tessa took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the machete as Jason bore down on her.

"I fucking hate hockey," she growled and then charged forward, the machete held out in front of her. Instead of going for Jason's stomach or chest, she brought the huge blade up and with all her might drove it into his left eye. She let loose a cry of primal rage and fury as she drove the machete deep into Jason's ocular cavity. The tip of the machete exploded out the back of his skull as he lost his equilibrium. The hockey mask split at the damaged eyehole and revealed his deformed face to her as she smashed into him, her momentum carrying them backwards.

"Just die!" she screamed and toppled over into the basin with him. Before his fist smashed into her face and shattered her skull, Tessa was able to pull the machete out and throw it back up and out of the pit. As everything went dark, despite the pain, she felt strangely at peace. A flash of blinding light and a spray of blood saw Tessa leave this world for the next.

***

Loomis heard Tessa shouting and turned but could only see roiling steam, but no sign of her or Jason. He looked down at Michael, who was not moving again. Loomis walked up to him slowly, the only sound being that of the hissing steam from the broken valve. His eyes stung with sweat and blood as he leveled the gun at Michael's face. His clothes were stained with blood and dirt, his legs shaking. His heart was pounding so hard he thought it might bust his ribs loose as he held the shotgun with hands that trembled.

"Michael?" he whispered and kicked the killer's boot.

Nothing.

"I don't believe you're dead, Michael," Loomis said.

The masked killer did not move.

Loomis steadied himself and took a final aim.

Here, tonight and finally forever he would put an end to Michael Myers. Maybe he couldn't kill him permanently, but a shotgun blast to the head would insure that Michael wouldn't be out and about any time soon. The curse of the Thorn would end here for as long as it could. He didn't fool himself into believing his act was anything other than a temporary solution. Loomis simply took comfort in the fact that he would avenge his father's death and finally give the elder Loomis peace. He would give the world a reprieve from the Thorn.

"Damn you," he said, his voice weak and broken. He pulled the trigger and was shocked to hear only any empty click. The shotgun was empty.

"No!" he shook his head and reached into his pocket for another shell. He fumbled with one for a moment and then quickly reloaded the gun. He finished and snapped the gun back up to find Michael gone. There was trail of blood leading into the shadows of the pipe works and corridors. He sighed and lowered his gun.

"Damn you."

He turned to find that Lori was gone from her hiding place. He looked to his left and saw Krueger's body was gone as well.

"Lori?"

***

The journey from the generator housing to the outside was symbolic for Lori. To her, she had been walking through the shadows and darkness for years now. Ever since Freddy Krueger had set her life on this course she had not known any peace. Everywhere she looked, there was danger and death. Her life had been ruled by fear of him, and it had taken her so much to realize it. The journey to freedom had come at a terrible cost.

She dragged the still living corpse of Freddy Krueger through the old halls and walkways of the power plant. She could hear the souls trapped here. She could feel them as she had felt the others in her dream. Lori thought of Alice and Will as tears streamed down her face. The memories of her father and mother before Springwood ever happened flashed before her as she struggled to pull Krueger out of the power plant and onto the loading dock.

Morning sunlight was filtering through the muddy windows and cracked glass as the star rose into the sky. Her fingers were flaring under the strain of pulling Krueger's weight behind her, but she pressed on. As she stepped into the receiving bay at the loading dock where Sean and Tessa had entered earlier, she noticed a squeeze bottle on one of the dejected workbenches. It was caked with grime, yellow and marked with permanent ink the phrase "lighter fluid." She grabbed the bottle and felt the weight. It was half full and she took it along with the book of matches she found in a greasy jar just behind the bottle.

"What do you think Lori?" Freddy gurgled behind her, half laughing as his useless legs flopped back and forth, "You think this will be the big one?"

"Maybe," Lori replied and gritted her teeth as she strained to pull him out onto the loading dock. Her muscles were burning and crying out in pain. Her body felt as though she had run a decathlon. Her lungs ached from smoke and the toxic air of Freddy's dream world. Her eyes had gone red from irritation, the left cornea rimmed with blood. Her skin was streaked with dirt, blood and grime, her hair tangled with sweat and gore.

The heavy clouds above were melting away as pastel blue sky filled the horizon. The smoke from the Springwood fire was still thick and casting an orange tint over the sun, but it was shining nonetheless. The light caught the fleeting raindrops and mist causing it to glow as Lori dragged Freddy out onto the dock and into the light.

"I'm not a fucking vampire, you bitch," he laughed bitterly.

"I know," she said and then let go of his burnt clothing. Krueger fell on his back with a heavy thud, his head smacking hard against the cement. Lori flipped the spout open on the bottle and began squirting him with lighter fluid, dousing him from head to toe as his stumps bled more of his oily blood.

"What the hell is this?" he sputtered as some of the fluid splashed in his mouth, "This isn't over, Lori!"

She made sure to soak his chest and legs thoroughly, "You're right, it will never be over."

"You can kill me now, but I'll come back for you. I swear I'll come back for you!"

Lori took out the book of matches and ripped one of the blue-tips from the cardboard backing. She took a deep breath and looked at Freddy, her eyes alive and bright blue in the smoky morning light. Her tears had cleaned twin streaks of pale flesh down her dirty cheeks as she licked her bloody lips. She placed the match head between the folds of the cover and pulled.

She looked at the flame and then at Freddy.

"You bitch," he seethed at her.

Lori dropped the match.

It tumbled through the cool morning air and then landed on Freddy's stomach. Blue flame erupted in an "fwoosh!" of ignited air and kerosene. The blue edge of the fire fanned out across his body, traveling up his chest and down his legs and then finally to his face. Freddy writhed and jerked as his body burned and his clothes flamed and fell away. The stench of burning flesh invaded Lori's nose as she stood back from the immolation unfolding in front of her.

Freddy's hateful yellow eyes fixed on her through the blaze as he thrashed about on the concrete dock, ash and blackened flakes of his dead body blowing into the breeze as the sunlight illuminated him. He howled and mewled and screamed as fire consumed him once again. The tendons in his legs fried and stiffened while the flesh and muscle sizzled and cooked. His internal organs boiled and finally burst inside his flaming body. Freddy wildly flailed his torso about as his boots caught fire and the rubber began melting.

"I'll be back for you, you cunt!" he screeched, "Your children will never be safe! I'll come for them and rip their fucking hearts out just to make you scream! I'll be back for you!"

Lori looked down at him impassively, "And I will be waiting for you."

Freddy moaned one last time as his face burned away to reveal a blackened skull. The yellow eyes inside the sockets withered and shriveled as his body burned up in a blaze of hatred. The energy inside this physical incarnation of Krueger erupted from the corpse and ignited in the flames. It arched through the air and then bolted into the ground like red lightning. Lori stood back as the unearthly power of Freddy Krueger was returned to the depths of Hell. The smoldering monstrosity convulsed once, and then twice and finally was no more.

Lori turned her back on the pile of ashes and looked to the burning orange sun rising in the east.

"I'll be waiting for you," she said again and then collapsed.

***

Dr. Alexis Rowan was riding in the first of several cars that pulled into the Springwood Power Plant around noon of Tuesday, May the 17th, 2005. The phone call she had received from Matthew Loomis earlier that morning had been both amazing and unbelievable. Rowan trusted few people in both her professional and personal life, but Matthew Loomis was one of those few people she could rely on. And if he told her that he had captured Jason Voorhees, then she was more apt believe him than anyone else.

As her driver pulled the sleek, blue Crown Victoria around the plant she saw on one side of the complex two police cruisers. One was overturned and smoldering with dark black smoke. As the car rounded the south end of the facility, she saw two people sitting on the loading dock. One of them was Loomis and the other was a blonde woman she didn't recognize. It seemed a small fire was smoldering behind them.

Rowan stepped out of the car even before it stopped completely, straightening out her smart black business suit. As she approached them, she began to realize that they both looked as though they had been through a meat grinder. The girl was stained with mud and grit, bleeding in several places and her hair matted down in wet locks. Loomis, normally always so professional in his suit and ties wore only his dress shirt, slacks and shoes. He too was covered in dirt, though the side of his face was bloody and gashed. He looked up at her and waved.

"Dr. Loomis," Rowan gasped as he and the blonde woman stood up and greeted her, "What the hell happened?"

"Jason Voorhees happened," Loomis took her hand and smiled as best he could.

"Your face," she cringed sympathetically, "Oh, Matthew."

"A flesh wound," he reassured her.

"Are you okay, miss?" Rowan looked to Lori.

"Yes," Lori crossed her arms and walked away from them. Loomis looked after her for a moment, as though he might say something and then decided against it.

"You said you captured him?" Rowan looked at Loomis as an ambulance, with its lights flashing and sirens wailing, pulled up beside the five white vans that had followed her in.

"Actually, two of the local police officers caught him," Loomis grimaced and felt like crying as he thought of Sean and Tessa down in that awful place, "It cost them their lives, Alexis."

"I'm so sorry," Rowan put her arm around the doctor and led him to the ambulance. She glanced over at Lori, who was standing alone to the side of the dock, "Miss, would you come this way?"

Lori looked as though she had been woken from a dream, startled. She took her fingers from her chin and followed them over to the paramedics.

"The entire city has been burnt to the ground for the most part," Rowan told Loomis as one of the emergency workers tended to the wound on his face, "It's been all over the news for two days now. Jason did all this on his own?"

"No," Loomis shook his head, "Michael Myers had something to do with it as well."

"Thee Michael Myers?" she asked, her beautiful Mediterranean features gaping with awe, "he was here?"

"He was here and he escaped," Loomis said dismally.

Rowan, who had spent her years in graduate school under the tutelage of Loomis, knew all about his work and history. She was in many ways the daughter he never had and it was her enthusiasm for the work that had reinvested Loomis after Mary split. She knew the stories of Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers by heart, and she also knew Springwood was famous not for either of them but for another reason. She said, "The latest reports have the mass suicides numbering over two hundred now."

Loomis looked at her, understanding her completely, "Yes, I imagine they'll discover more such cases as the investigation goes on."

"Was it him?" she asked discreetly, the name of the dream killer on her lips.

"Oh yes," Loomis nodded and then winced as the paramedic sterilized his wound, "It was very much him."

"What happened?"

"Lori," he nodded to the silent woman beside him, "She exorcised the demons, so to speak."

Rowan nodded and looked to Lori with a healthy respect. She shook Lori's hand and said, "Well done."

"Thank you."

Loomis watched as several men in what looked like generic military uniforms deployed out of the vans and scrambled about. They had all kinds of gear with them, including harnesses and chains. They carried assault rifles with them as they hurried into the complex through the loading dock. They trampled Freddy's remains with the thick boots. Loomis was seized with the urge to tell them to go around the pile of ash, but thought better of it. He sighed and braced himself for the second round of disinfections.

"Dr. Wimmer has already tried to take control of this," Rowan said to him confidentially as the paramedics turned their attention to Lori.

"Wimmer?" Loomis laughed, "Oh good God, I only called you two hours ago."

"I had to get clearance to throw together a team. Wimmer's my boss, unfortunately," she shook her head and crossed her arms across her chest, "He almost came with me, but I convinced him it might be dangerous... asshole can stay in Dayton for the rest of his life, for all I care. He believes Jason should be studied for his regenerative abilities."

"Jesus," Loomis looked at her seriously, his eyes haunted, "Kill him. Work on a way to kill him, Rowan. Jason's too dangerous."

"I intend to," she smiled reassuringly and squeezed his shoulder. She looked around and lowered her voice, "What should be my official statement to the press?"

Loomis thought for a moment and said, "Tell them that the Springwood Police department valiantly fought and trapped Jason Voorhees. Tell them that he and Michael Myers were responsible for the mass fires and for the death of every single police officer in town. Tell them that two women in particular, Lori Rollins and Alice Johnson, helped the officers who trapped Jason. The mass suicides were a result of mass hysteria and panic... mob mentality."