Night of the Hunter

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Chapter Nine

*Jeff's P.O.V.*

I had been sedated before being thrown in here, and I couldn't fight it off any longer. I knew I had given in a few times, nodding off, but coming out of it moments later. I couldn't let my guard down, no matter what. I knew how stupid I had been earlier, and I regretted my actions. I knew that getting myself locked up in here made me an easy target, but not only that, I couldn't protect anyone else. Sure, I might have been able to link up with someone, but I didn't know who Freddy could potentially go after. I was like a sitting duck in an open fucking pond, and even though I was scared and unsure of how to defeat him on my own again, I would rather fight Freddy as opposed to not being able to save someone else. But the only person I could think about was Jared. I feared him dying more than anyone. Jared and I were the strongest players on Krueger's court, and I was positive he knew it was well. If he could eliminate one, the others would become weak.

As I sat there, thinking I heard that familiar screeching of knives, piercing through my ear drums. He was here, somewhere, and here I was, not able to do anything. Standing up, I kept myself focused on the room, putting myself in the middle. There was no way I could be near the walls. When the sound stopped, I continued to look around, expecting him to appear out of nowhere, because that's what he was good at doing. Suddenly, at a louder rate, the screeching began again. My hands instantly covered my ears as I closed my eyes, trying my hardest to block it out.

"Wake up, Jeff.. Wake up... Wake up" I repeated to myself over and over.

The sound came to a stop, and I opened my eyes, uncovering my ears slowly and letting my arms rest at my sides. I watched as the door to the Quiet Room opened on it's own, basically setting me 'free' so-to-speak. I was cautious though, because I knew I was dreaming, and once you are there, Krueger usually wasn't to far away. I was debating in my head whether or not to try my luck outside the room, or brave it in here. I knew no matter how I looked at it, I could be killed, so it didn't make a real difference. Stepping closer and closer to the open door, I stayed aware of my surroundings. Getting to the doorway, I glanced both ways before setting foot out there. No signs of anyone. Taking in a deep breath, I headed to the left, knowing that it would take me towards my room and Jared's. All the doors were closed in this hallway, and there was no way I was stopping to check any of them out. As I rounded the corner, I immediately collided with something solid, causing me to fall back to the floor.

"Holy shit!" a voice exclaimed.

Looking at who was in front of me, and also sitting on the floor from our collision, I realized it was Jared.

"What are you doing here" I shot.

"Looking for you! Apparently, I fell asleep at the dinner table, and everyone started saying you were dead.. And Freddy appeared, saying he was going after you" he explained.

We both got to our feet again, making sure we stayed alert and ready.

"So he's here?" I asked.

"I guess. But I haven't seen him since that run in. I was too busy trying to find you" he answered.

"Great" I sighed.

"Are you... dreaming too?" he questioned.

"Yes, but I... I don't get it" I spoke, becoming confused.

"Don't get what?" he asked, raising his left eyebrow a bit.

"How we linked up... I wasn't trying to..." I noted.

"Maybe I pulled you into mine? Do you think it's possible?" he questioned.

"It could be..."

"I was thinking about you when I dozed off, because I was worried about you" he added.

"I think you did it. See, I told you that you were strong, Jared, you just had to put your mind to it" I smiled.

"But, Jeff... If Kruger isn't after us, then where is he? He has the two strongest people here and at his mercy, and he's not striking" he replied, snapping us both back to reality.

"I don't know... You would think he'd want to eliminate us first" I agreed.

"He told me he was going after you, and that's when I panicked and came looking for you" he spoke.

"Fuck! He's playing with us again" I shouted, feeling completely duped.

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"Think about it Jared. He told you he was coming for me, because he knew you were thinking about me... He's completely mind fucking us again, like he did the night we went after Adam and he got Carlton instead" I cleared.

"He's going after someone else" he shot.

"Exactly, come on!" I encouraged.

We both rushed in the direction I had been heading in, running down the hallway and looking for any sign of him.

"Who do you think he's targeting?" Jared questioned as we ran.

"I don't know.. Who's the weakest one at this moment?" I asked.

"Adam, or Elijah. They both lost someone" he reminded.

"Wait, stop" I spoke, panting heavily.

Jared stopped in his tracks, and looked at me as he attempted to catch his breath.

"What?" he asked.

"It may be a stupid idea, but we should split up. You look for Adam, and I'll look for Elijah. If we find them both, we have a better chance at saving them" I suggested.

"But, Jeff... This doesn't add up either. No one else should be asleep. Remember? I fell asleep at the dinner table, and the guys were all there. No one else was out of it" he reminded.

"Maybe you are right... Lets just stick together and look around, just to be sure" I replied.

We walked again, making sure we checked certain rooms, and stayed alert for signs. We had to find a way out of here so we didn't die in the process as well. We searched all of the important rooms that we possibly could, coming up empty handed.

"Where the hell could he be?" I shot, getting frustrated.

"I don't know. This dream is too odd. He's not coming after us, or trying to get us. I have a feeling he has other plans" Jared stated.

At that second, we heard a loud scream, echoing through the seemingly empty building.

"Fuck, come on!" I insisted, leading Jared in the direction the scream came from.

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