A Nightmare Reborn Ch. 04

A hand fell on his shoulder. Sean spun and almost blew Will Rollins head off. He jerked back and held his hands up. He shouted, "Is there a back door?!"

"Through the holding room!" Sean grabbed Tessa and lifted her up. "Help me!"

"Fucker twisted my damn leg," she winced as Will and Sean braced her up on her good foot, her arms slung over their shoulders. She looked and saw Myers was getting up again, finished with his assailant and his death stare fixed on them. She turned her head and shouted, "Don! Move your ass! We're out of here!"

"Go!" Don squeezed off a shot at Jason, backing up slowly towards the front desk as the killer relentlessly pursued him. The huge man flipped desks over and sent them crashing into the walls as he followed Don. Sean realized that Don was about to buy them escape time by sacrificing himself. Sean was ready to hand Tessa off to Will and go back for him when Don yelled, "Don't fuckin' sass me, Sean! Just go!"

"Come on!" Will shouted and grabbed Sean by the wrist, "There's nothing you can do!"

With one last look at their best friend, Sean and Tessa led them back into the hall away from the carnage. They managed to get into the holding room without falling as Michael followed, slowly pursuing them and wasting no energy. Lori and Loomis were waiting there, trying to open the exit to the basement level. He looked to Will and said, "Shut the door."

Will released Tessa to Sean and ran back to the door. He slammed it shut and it clicked in place just as Michael Myers arrived. He looked at Will through the small window of shatterproof glass in the heavy door, head cocked to one side. He could feel Myers trying to open the door as those dead eyes marked him for death. They were like a sharks eyes, going obsidian black at the scent of blood. Will wanted to run, but found himself momentarily hypnotized by the killer's impassive stare.

Behind Michael, further down the short hall that connected the front office with the holding cells, he saw Don fire his last shot at Jason. It had no effect. The deputy valiantly brought the butt of the shotgun up and smashed it into the killer's face. In a last ditch effort, he slammed the butt into Jason's chest. But Jason was unmoved. He grabbed the deputy by the head and began squeezing. Will cringed as he heard the man cry out. Don's eyes burst with blood and his skull shattered under the vice-grip of Jason Voorhees.

"Jason got the deputy!" Will turned to Sean, who was now unlocking the exit door. The lock was sticking, and Sean wondered if Freddy hadn't somehow arranged that too. He looked up, his eyes glassy and angry. He thought he might say something, but then glanced down and went back to the lock.

'Goodbye Don,' Sean grieved.

Will turned back to the window and saw Michael Myers was gone. He pressed his face to the glass and tried to peer around the bloody front office of the Springwood Police Department. Bodies were everywhere, and the once gray and blue décor of the building was now red and dripping. Beyond one of the overturned desks he saw the body of Deputy Frank twitching and convulsing.

The door thumped under Jason's fist and Will staggered backwards, slipping in the combined blood of Mary Stilfreeze and Mickey. He landed on his ass and Lori came to him. What amazed him about Jason was how stealth-like the killer could be despite his size.

"You alright?" Lori asked and jumped as the door thumped again. Jason was on the other side, his hand pounding the thick metal door. WHAM!

"Can he get through there?" Will asked as they stood up.

WHAM!

"That's a steel door," Tessa said as she leaned against the cell Mickey's body was in, "I don't think so."

WHAM!

The door bent inward as the hinging moaned against the silent fury of the Jason Voorhees.

"What about the door frame?" Loomis asked.

WHAM! WHAM!

"Fuck me," she gaped at the door as it began to give way. The metal and wood doorframe began to splinter and crack under Jason's attack.

"Got it!" Sean shouted as the exit door unlocked and swung open. He went to Tessa and braced her against himself. He said to the others, "This leads to the basement and the emergency exit. Once outside, we bolt for my car, got it?"

WHAM!

The door suddenly popped from its hinges and fell forward with an earsplitting crack and deafening impact. Loomis grabbed Lori and Will, "Time to go."

They descended into the long tile and concrete hallway of the basement, led by Sean and Tessa. Loomis could hear Jason following them, and suddenly wondered about Michael. Why wasn't he following? He was thankful that he wasn't, but he knew that Michael Myers was not so easily thrown off from his prey. Lori followed close behind him, her hand on his back and Will bringing up the rear.

"It's just ahead," Sean called back and then stopped suddenly.

"What is it?" Will shouted.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me!" Tessa groaned and pointed.

Michael Myers was blocking the open exit, blade in hand and slowly walking towards them. He had gone around the outside of the building. He had known they would try this.

"Fuck you!" Tessa screamed at him.

"Back!" Sean ordered, shoving Loomis into Lori and Will as he squeezed Tessa past them in the narrow passage. He turned and saw Jason at the other end of the hall. The behemoth blocked the entire width of the corridor, like some freak Frankenstein's Monster. Sean felt his heart sink as he realized they were trapped. He pulled his gun and readied himself.

"The armory," Tessa said suddenly.

Sean looked over his shoulder. The door to the armory was further down the hall, back towards Jason. There was no exit from there, but if they could get in, they might have a better chance of making a stand. He licked his lips and held Tessa tight. He handed his gun to Will, who looked at it like he was holding a live snake.

"It won't bite," Sean told him and said, "Take up the rear and keep that fucker at the exit. Tessa, blast Gretsky's fucking face off. Let's go!"

Will ushered Lori up between him and Loomis as they ran back towards Jason. Tessa fired and hit Jason in the leg. She kept aiming for his knees, but the jerking around from being carried by Sean was fucking with her aim. The bullets zinged and rebounded off the tile walls, shattering the concrete beneath in small clouds of dust. Jason, for his part, kept coming. Sean grunted and flipped through his key ring as they neared the door to the armory. He looked and saw Jason was only twenty feet away now. He glanced back down the hall and saw Michael was closing in on them fast.

Will squeezed the trigger and wasn't ready for the kickback of the gun. His hand jumped back and the shot went high and wide. Michael paused and looked at the ceiling where the bullet had punched through. He then started forward again, his knife raised high. Will steadied himself and brought the gun up, squinting his eye and aiming as best he could. He had never handled a gun before and prayed against his inexperience that he wouldn't miss again. He didn't. The second shot blew a patch of Michael's coveralls away from his right arm. The killer recoiled, looked at the wound and then snapped his head back at Will.

"Shit," Will growled and fired again. Behind him, Tessa had fired her last round at Jason. Loomis could feel his eardrums ready to pop from the deafening blasts.

"I'm dry!" she shouted and ejected the empty cartridge. It clattered to the floor and lay with the spent brass shell casings.

Sean unlocked the door and it swung wide open. He tossed Tessa into the armory with one strong shove. She landed hard and skidded across the floor. He felt bad for being so rough, but there was no time for tenderness or tact. Sean grabbed Loomis by the back of his trench coat and pulled hard, "Let's go!"

"Will!" Lori shouted at her husband as Sean grabbed her by the waist and pulled her inside, "Come on!"

Jason's machete whistled by her face and sparked off the metal doorframe, inches from her nose. Lori screamed, lost her balance and fell backwards as Jason stood poised for the kill. Will turned and saw his wife tumble into the hallway. He saw her hit the ground and roll as Jason stood over her, his blood stained machete raised high. In the gleam from that bloody weapon, Will Rollins found a sudden crisp clarity. He felt a calm come over him and all his doubts purge from his mind. All his questions fell silent to the fact that Lori would die here if he didn't act.

He felt the fear leave his body, even as Michael Myers walked up behind him, his boots strangely loud in the calm. He was suddenly aware of everything around him. He could hear Tessa reloading her gun and he could hear Sean going for another weapon, anything he could use to save Lori. Will even heard Loomis shouting for Lori to get up and run, his heart thundering in his chest as he knew there was nothing he could do for her now. And Loomis was right. There truly was nothing he could do for her.

But Will could do something.

Will gritted his teeth and charged forward, summoning all the rage he could muster from the bottom of his soul. He brought forth his imprisonment at Westin Hills and the death of his best friend at Freddy Krueger's hands. He remembered the people Jason had killed two years ago, and he brought to mind the innocent lives taken. He saw Kia, Lori's friend who bought them time to escape by distracting Freddy only to see her life end on Jason's blade. Her remembered Linderman who tried to save Kia by attacking Jason as Will did now. He remembered Freeburg the stoner, cut in half by Jason in the halls of the ward. He remembered Mark and let loose. Their voices called to him, demanding he not let Lori die.

She would not die here tonight.

Lori looked up, flat on her back and saw Jason ready to strike.

Lori screamed.

"Jason!" Will bellowed.

The killer turned.

Will rammed into him and bear hugged him with all his might as their feet left the ground and kicked in the air. They toppled over, not because Will was stronger or weighed more than him, but because Jason had been distracted. He had been off his guard just long enough for Will to make his move. They fell into a tangled heap as Jason's machete slid away from his grasp. Will looked over his shoulder and saw Loomis reach out and grab Lori.

"Lori!" Loomis shouted, "You must come quickly!"

"Will!" she screamed, her voice breaking as she struggled to stand up and help her husband. It was then that Sean joined Loomis and together they yanked her into the armory. Once she was inside, Will turned to Jason.

Straddling the killer, Will brought his clenched fist up and slammed it into Jason's throat as hard as he could. Jason tensed and then backhanded Will hard and sent him flying. Will felt his nose break as he landed hard on the unforgiving floor, his eyes unfocused and sparkling with stars. He looked and saw Michael Myers was almost on them. He saw Lori scrambling to get to him as Loomis and Sean held her back. He would have thanked them if he could, but realized that Jason's blow had damaged his throat somehow. He couldn't talk.

Michael Myers arrived and reached out for him.

He looked at Lori, his eyes focused just long enough for him to stand and slam the door shut to the armory. She was screaming, fighting at Sean and Loomis. He had no doubt it was taking both of them to restrain her. Will noticed the keys were still in the door lock. He locked it and looked through the small window in the door, cross-hatched with thin black support wire.

He could hear Jason's machete scraping on the floor in a metal whisper as the killer picked it up.

"I love you," he mouthed and let everything go.

He saw Lori crying, screaming for him as she ran to the locked door and pulled on the handle. He could feel Jason and Michael bearing down on him, their breathing methodical and eerily sedate for the act of murder. He could have focused on the pain to follow, but instead closed his eyes and pictured Lori as she had been when they got married. She was dressed in white, her blonde hair lit by golden afternoon sun and her eyes focused on him and only him.

He used to wonder why moments like that stuck. And now he knew.

It was for times like this.

Will put his hand to the window and looked away as Jason's machete caught him in the shoulder and Michael's blade sunk into his left flank. The pain dulled after an eternity and he fell away into the light.

***

In the hallway, as the body of Will Rollins fell to the floor and lay between Jason and Michael in pool of blood, they paused. The two killers were silent for a minute, each of them studying the other and preparing for the fight. Outside, thunder rolled loudly and shook the foundations of the building. Michael could hear the other people in the room, screaming and knocking things over. He could feel their fear. But he also felt the rage from this masked killer.

Michael gripped his knife and his knuckles cracked.

Jason made the first move. He stepped over Will's corpse and brought his machete down hard. Michael raised his blade, the knife laid flat against his arm and blocked the blow. It dented the knife and reverberated through his body as the two deadly metal weapons sparked off each other. Michael wasted no time and stabbed the knife into Jason's shoulder where it lodged in a nerve ending. Jason's hand spasmed and he dropped the machete to the floor.

Michael felt his opponents' powerful hand on his shoulders as Jason spun him across the hall and slammed him into the wall. The ceramic tiles shattered and cracked under the force of the impact. Michael counter gripped Jason's thick arms and returned the favor in full. Jason collided with the opposite wall, destroying tile and concrete. Wicked cracks opened up to the ceiling as they smashed each other into the walls again and again.

Jason lashed out and caught Michael under the chin with his hand, trying to crush his face as he had done the policeman upstairs. But Michael brought his hands to Jason's head and matched his move. Blood squirted from both their eyes as the pressure built up in their stalemate. Finally, Jason relented and settled on grabbing his attackers arms again. He pulled them away slowly, their strength being tested to the maximum limits. Michael's arms burned under the power of Jason's fury, but he would not relent.

***

Inside the armory, Lori slid down the door and slumped to the ground.

Her eyes would not stop crying. She wanted to find the strength to carry on, to stand up and help her friends, but it was as though her heart had been cleaved in two. It was like Jason's blade had cut her into two pieces as well when he killed Will. Her Will. The man she had loved since she first knew what love was. The man who had come back for her, who had broken out of Westin Hills and come to her just to see if she was safe. The man who had stood by her against Freddy and Jason two years ago and had not left her side since. The man she had committed her life to, her lover and the only one true friend she had left.

He was dead and lying outside this very door. He had given his life to save hers, so she would survive. As much as she wanted to join him right then, she knew she owed it to him to live. She wiped her eyes and gathered her resolve. As she listened to the battle outside between the two murderous titans, she wondered if Will had considered what her life was without him?

"Lori," Loomis knelt by her and put his arm around her, "Please, come away from the door."

Lori quietly stood up, her spirit broken beyond repair for the moment as the doctor led her to workbench where Sean and Tessa had been not more than a half hour prior, cleaning and loading guns. Now, Sean was sitting on the floor with Tessa checking her leg for any breaks. He looked up briefly at Loomis, his eyes filled with genuine concern for Lori.

"You got it under control, man?" he asked softly.

Loomis sat Lori down on one of the stools, "As much as one can."

Sean nodded gravely and turned back to Tessa, "I don't think anything is broken, baby..."

"I'll be okay," she gritted her teeth and Sean worked her leg over, stretching and bending her joints, "Just hurts like a mother fucker."

"I'll bet," Sean said.

The wall shook again under another impact. Dust wafted down lazily from the ceiling.

"Jesus," Tessa whispered.

"I think we need all the help we can get from Jesus right now," Sean muttered and helped her to her feet. He supported her and led her to the stool by Lori. She kissed Sean on the cheek and then turned to Lori. The young girl was looking off into nothing, more a shell than a person. Tessa opened her mouth to speak but could find no words. So instead of trying to talk to her, she simply put her arm around Lori. To her surprise, Lori leaned against her and rested her head on Tessa's shoulder.

Sean tapped Loomis on the back, "You ever fire a gun, doc?"

"Once," Loomis remembered dismally, "My father tried to show me when I was a boy. I'm afraid I never got the knack for it."

"I believe in second chances," Sean handed him a large shotgun and a box of shells, "You'll do fine."

"Deputy?" Loomis followed him to the far side of the armory. Sean felt for his keys as he went to unlock the storage for the handguns. With a mournful look to the entry, he remembered that he left them in the door and cursed himself for being so careless. But then, when Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers are coming for you, can you really expect to remember every little detail? Sean slammed his hand against the metal locker and looked around. "Fuck!"

"Deputy?" Loomis repeated and sat the shotgun down on the table in the middle of the room.

"Yeah?" Sean said absently, deep in thought.

"We have to come up with a plan," Loomis said, "Our only hope of surviving this and containing this situation will be to catch those two."

Sean looked up, sweat pouring down his dark skin. His full lips curled into a wry half smile, "Did you hit your head?"

"Not at all," Loomis said.

"Are you high?" he asked and leaned back against the workbench, "Would you like something to help you think more clearly?"

"We can't kill them, deputy."

"No fucking joke," Sean laughed and then lowered his voice to a whisper, "But listen here. I just watched everyone in this department get cut down like tall grass, including my best friend. That little girl's husband just got cleaved in two and let me tell you right now I'm not waiting around to see who's next for the chop. You got that?"

The wall shook again, and this time Sean heard the concrete crack and give way a little. If the fight outside lasted much longer, they'd all have ringside seats to their own deaths.

"That's precisely why we have to catch them," Loomis ignored the thunderous fight outside the armory, "No matter what, people will know what happened here. But maybe if we catch them, the world will do exactly what your sheriff wanted and blame them for it, not Freddy."

"We're gonna get in that squad car," Sean said smoothly, "We're gonna get the fuck out of here and call the goddam military. Saturation napalm bombing is what I'm thinking. End of story."

"Have you learned nothing?!" Loomis shouted and shoved Sean back against gun locker. He could feel his cheeks burning hotly as his normally calm demeanor slipped. He said, "Bullets only make them angrier. It's not that they're tough to kill, deputy. They can't be killed. Whatever evil drives them won't let them die! Freddy Krueger isn't dead and neither are they. They'll never die. They're the masks evil wears to do it's bidding. Wake up!"

Sean took absolutely zero shit from people. He had conditioned himself to be that way his whole life. Little as he tolerated from people back talking and jiving him, putting hands on his body in anger was a fatal mistake. Despite this, Sean felt a calm over his soul. Considering he and Loomis both knew Sean was stronger and faster, the bold move on the doctor's part to get his attention somehow clarified the reality of their situation and their relationship.