A NIGHTMARE REBORN: FREDDY VS. JASON 2
CHAPTER 06
BASED UPON CHARACTERS CREATED BY:
Wes Craven: A Nightmare on Elm Street
Victor Miller: Friday the 13th
John Carpenter: Halloween
Victor Salva: Jeepers Creepers
Clive Barker: Candyman, Hellraiser
CREATIVE CONSULTANTS:
Sean Renaud, Tessa Alexander and Miriam Belle
EDITOR:
Miriam Belle
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
-"In truth, these final two chapters were originally written in one piece. I tend to write longer chapters and while I think the stories improve overall, it is more difficult for the reader to take in everything in one sitting. With that in mind, and considering the great length of Chapter 05, I have split the final chapter into two acts. Enjoy!" –bluefox07"
***
THINGS FALL APART
Monday, May 16th 2005
"Hello and good evening," Kate Hunt stood in front of her cameraman, Chip Baker, as rain poured down from the heavy, thick clouds above. She wore a yellow rain slicker and held her microphone close as lightning flashed overhead, startling her for a moment. A thunderclap followed shortly thereafter and shook the ground on which she stood. She smiled and composed herself as the live feed continued, "I'm reporting to you live from what is left of the Elm Grove Minute Market on Langenkamp Street just south of Elm Grove High. As you can see, the small independently owned business has been burned to the ground-"
Behind Kate was the smoldering ruin of the Minute Market. Flames were still arching into the sky as firefighters hosed the building down. Like the blaze miles away in Springwood, this fire seemed to be unyielding to the rain and the efforts of the fire fighters. She stepped aside to allow Chip a good view of the ruined building. After a few lingering moments, she then snapped her fingers and the camera was back on her again. After three years of doing this, Chip knew that the camera loved only one image, and that was of Kate. It might stray for the purpose of establishing the setting or the interviewee, but it was in love with Kate completely. At least, that was how she had explained it to him.
"This is the latest in a bizarre and catastrophic series of events that officials are calling the worst act of arson ever to be committed in the state of Ohio," she continued as the fire began to subside behind her, "As we speak, an estimated three quarters of the city neighboring Elm Grove to the south, Springwood, is burning to the ground. A mass exodus of refugees from Springwood have been spilling into Elm Grove, Crystal Lake and other neighboring communities as this crisis goes from bad to worse."
Kate cringed as another thunderclap assaulted her ears, "In the midst of these acts of arson, there are unconfirmed reports that several police officers were killed in the fire at the Springwood Police station. This incredible series of events began Saturday night when an apparent rash of teen suicides occurred in Springwood, prompting extreme acts of random violence and what many are calling mass hysteria.
The Governor has declared a state of emergency as rescue crews and police try to contain the situation. The current instructions for everyone living in the Springwood area is to evacuate in an orderly fashion and proceed to safe locations in neighboring towns. The Elm Grove chief of police, Edward Chang is expected to make an announcement giving further instructions within the hour. Reporting to you live from Elm Grove, Ohio I'm Kate Hunt."
Chip shut off the camera as smoke curled through the air, "Great job!"
"Shut the fuck up," she rolled her eyes and slapped her microphone against his jacket, "That was terrible. Did you hear that thunder? I couldn't even think let alone talk. How did I look?"
"You looked great," Chip smiled and followed her to the van. The side door slid open and they stepped inside, "You were perfect."
Kate took off the slicker and looked at it, her nose crinkled and a look of pure disgust etched across her face, "And what the fuck is up with this 'Gilligan's Island' rain coat? Chip, I'm vying to move into network news. I have to look as good as I sound."
"Hey, it looks good with your hair," he shrugged as she tossed it to him.
"It's shit," she said flatly, "I have short red hair. Get me a raincoat that compliments a sexy red, okay?"
"But-"
"It's shit," she repeated.
"We don't-"
"It's shit," she warned.
"I couldn't agree more," he wadded and threw the coat into the back of the van as Kate worked her way up to the passenger side seat in the front. Chip watched her as he absently put his camera back in its case. She wore her typical neutrally colored business skirt and suit combo with the open v-neck and wide lapels. Her short red hair was wet and plastered to her forehead as she passed him, her green eyes smoldering. She shoved past, bent over and giving him a generous view of her shapely ass and her toned legs. Her pantyhose zipped and pulled hypnotically as she walked by. He shivered as he felt the beginnings of an erection.
"Where to now?" he asked and locked the carrying case. Outside, the sirens from the fire engines wailed and then silenced.
"Let's see if we can't shoot some footage of all the people leaving Springwood. We need to get some really depressing images here for me to play off of," she pulled down the sun visor and looked at herself in the mirror, adjusting her hair. Then, she snapped her fingers, " Oh wait, I know. Let's go to the city offices and see what the mayor is up to."
"What?"
"We either need some serious human interest bullshit or some footage of the mayor trying to explain this mess."
He looked at her for a moment, feeling briefly disgusted by her. No one should be so cold and heartless as to look at arson victims in a way to further a career. Kate was acting despicably and he felt his ears ringing from her words. He wondered if he just shouldn't slap her hard and see if that didn't wake her up to reality a little. As he contemplated this, Kate looked at him in the visor mirror, her eyes expectant and impatient as she applied a new layer of dark red lipstick, "Hello Chip?"
"Sorry," he shook his head, "Wandered off there."
"You don't get paid to wander off," she blinked, "Now get moving."
"Sure thing," he nodded and started the engine as the headlights came to life. The windshield wipers flipped back and forth rhythmically as rain spotted the glass. Chip shook his head, feeling suddenly certain he had sold his soul to the devil by working for Kate Hunt. But then, considering the fact that he was sleeping with her on the side he didn't have any room to make a whole lot of moral judgments.
"Chip," she popped her freshly painted lips and looked over at him, "Let's stop somewhere before we get going. I need to tinkle."
'Tinkle?' he thought to himself, 'The cast iron bitch who doesn't take shit from anyone, anywhere at anytime needs to tinkle? Be a man and take a piss out the window...'
Chip smiled and resisted the urge to laugh. If he hadn't seen her naked for himself, he might've believed she actually had a set of balls.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing," he grinned and popped the parking break.
The van pulled out from the Minute Market parking lot and down the hazy street as the afternoon rolled in unnoticed.
***
From up in the sky, a lone helicopter made a quick flight over Springwood. The cameras attached the chopper recorded images that the rest of the nation would never forget. The city was blazing despite the record rainfall, looking more like a bombed out ruin from a World War II French metropolis. It seemed water had no effect on fire here in Springwood as house after house ignited and went up in a flash of brilliant light and heat. Black smoke had blanketed much of the town and was blowing to the west, but there were some places where the smoke was thin and one could see the flames. The only untouched portion of the city was the south end of town, but from the looks of the inferno racing towards Elm Grove it wouldn't be long before the entire city burned.
Lightning flashed near the blades of the rotor as the news helicopter flew low, trying to capture the carnage. From this viewpoint, the stretch of freeway between Springwood and Elm Grove was packed with cars as people fled the disaster. The pilot could even see the red taillights of cars driving to Crystal Lake off to the north. Everyone was abandoning ship as Springwood sank into the pits of hell. Only the glare of red and blue emergency lights and the near continuous howl of sirens indicated people were still in the city.
The pilot watched as one of the two water towers in town, burning for about an hour before the helicopter passed overhead, finally collapsed under it's own weight. Thousands of gallons of water splashed through yards and turned over a few cars as he hovered above. He could see trashcans and toys and even a few bikes being swept away into the streets as the flood of water raced along. The pilot shook his head and nearly shit himself as another bolt of lighting seared through the air just a little too close for comfort.
"Jesus," he whispered and looked to the cameramen recording the disaster in the side and rear passenger seats, "Gentlemen, I think we better cut bait."
"Do we have to?" said the one sitting next to him, sounding more like a disappointed child denied a trip to the carnival than a grown man.
"Yes," the pilot said, "Unless you'd like to have a bolt of lightning up your ass."
"Point taken."
The pilot banked easily to the left and away from the dying city. They would have just enough to fuel to get back to Cincinnati before the evening news. In the distance, he spied the old Springwood Power Plant. Lighting seemed to be dancing off the old relic as the storm intensified. In fact, the worst of the storm, the darkest of the clouds appeared to be roiling just over the derelict facility. He had always heard weird shit happened in Springwood, and he believed some of the stories he had heard. But he didn't like the looks of the monster storm raging overhead.
The chopper sped through the rainy sky and left Springwood to burn.
***
Tessa felt sick as she and Loomis cruised slowly down the razed streets of northern Springwood. She had seen the city in both good and bad times, but then this was the first time she had seen it completely fucked. There had been the pictures taken of Springwood in the late nineties when the city folded, but they hadn't really made an impression with her. She hadn't been there, so it wasn't quite real for her. As horrible as that had been, this was even worse. This was real.
Seeing the fire-gutted houses and charred trees in the dismal rain made her feel displaced. Everything looked different now, all the color and life burned away. Thick black smoke curled and hazed through the air as the police cruiser navigated the crowded streets. Tessa turned on her lights and sounded the siren a few times to clear a path as angry and frightened people abandoned their homes to the inferno.
"I've never seen anything like this," Loomis muttered as he looked out the passenger side window, "So much destruction..."
"I doubt Springwood will bounce back from this," Tessa said and then added a moment later, "Maybe it shouldn't."
Ahead of them was a gridlocked traffic jam at the intersection of Miller and Salva Streets. Horns were blaring and lights flashing as Tessa sighed and prepared to stop, "Ah shit, that's just great."
