by A. Eggleston
Her eyes widened in fear. She felt her whole body shake as Cooper lowered down and growled, "Join us..." She didn't want it to be real. In the back of her mind, the wanted the past two days to simply be part of a bad dream that she could wake up from, unharmed, without Freddy Krueger to worry about. But she knew it was real. She had to accept it. She had to accept that the man she loved was dead, and his body was now a puppet for those demonic spirits. She had to accept that everyone she knew and loved was in danger, and if she didn't do something soon, and if Ash didn't show up within the next two minutes, they too, would die.
Luckily, her hands were free. She shook her head and yelled. "No!" She pushed Cooper off of her, sending him rolling across the dirty, crumb-filled carpet. She picked herself up and sprinted towards the kitchen. She pulled open the top drawer and grabbed a silver steak knife with a black handle, and then quickly detoured to the hallway.
As she ran across to the narrow hallway, she saw Cooper lifting up off the ground where she pushed him. He wasn't that far from her. She knew she had to keep running. But still, she couldn't help but notice the quick, and terrifying, way Cooper stood up. It was instant, like she blinked her eyes once, and there he was. She looked down and saw that his feet never touched the ground. He was levitating.
Although he could not see her, he could sense her fear, and allowed that to guide him. Cooper jerked his elbows up, holding up his arms so that they were parallel to his shoulders, and pointing his jagged claws at her like an old, Hollywood monster. Still hovering over the ground, he swiftly charged at Evelyn.
She kept running as fast as she could, just barely escaping him as she went into his bedroom, slamming the door shut and locking it.
He stopped in his tracks and lowered back down to the ground. He hissed in discontent. In that moment, something in the air had changed. Cooper twitched his nose and jerked his head in every direction to find where it was coming from. It smelled like burnt flesh. He could sense Freddy standing beside him, speaking to Cooper from his realm. And he could feel his horrid breath against his ear. "Make her one of us." sneered Freddy.
And just like that, Freddy was gone. Cooper yelled from the top of his lungs. "EVVVEEELLLYYYNNN!!!" He banged against the door repeatedly.
Evelyn stood against the door, feeling Cooper's fist hitting against it over and over again. She looked up and saw the door coming off of its hinges. She needed to find a way to block it. She looked to her left and saw a small television stand. Evelyn grabbed it and inched it in front of the bedroom door.
The noise stopped. It was quiet. It was so quiet, that Evelyn could hear the sound of her heartbeat echoing in her eardrums. She hesitated at first, but eventually put her ear to the door to find out if he was still there. She heard the floorboards creaking, each sound getting quieter as it happened. He's actually walking away. she thought. But I'm still stuck here. Even though Cooper had left her alone for now, she was still trapped.
She breathed a sigh of relief and pushed herself away, when Cooper's hands busted through the door, making a small hole in the center. Evelyn shrieked. "Aaah!" He grabbed her head, tilting it so that she faced the front of the door and saw Cooper on the other side. Long ribbons of saliva dropped down from his open mouth.
Still gripping the knife, Evelyn held it up and sliced Cooper's fingers until he finally let go. Evelyn backed away as far as she could, but Cooper had busted the door completely off of its hinges, and threw it aside. He leaped over the television stand and ran to Evelyn.
She acted quickly. She ducked down and ran past Cooper, and jumped over the stand. Evelyn ran back into the living room and prepared to open the front door when she heard--
"Evelyn, wait!" It sounded like Cooper's voice. His real, true self, was calling to her.
Evelyn spun around and saw Cooper, looking alive, and without a spot of blood on him. He stood at the end of the hall. He looked shaken. "Don't leave me." he said, meekly.
She still kept her hand on the doorknob, shaking her head in disbelief. She ordered him, her voice cracking as she spoke "Get away from me." She gripped the knife even tighter, causing the bones in her hand to cramp. "You're not Cooper."
"No!" he tried to convince her. "You don't understand. I found a way to come back. Freddy thought he had me, but I slipped away from him, somehow." A tear came down his face as he took slow steps closer to Evelyn. "I mean, it did die, but it was only for a minute. You believe me, right?." His voice was filled with desperation. "Please...please, Evelyn." he begged. "You have to believe me. I'm alright now." A tear streamed down his face. "I'm so sorry I hurt you, Evelyn. I love you. Just, please!"
Evelyn refused to fall for it. She kept shaking her head and muttered, "No...no...get away from me..." under her breath.
He walked closer to her. "Do you remember the first day we met?" he asked. "I woke up late for work, so I was in a big hurry. I passed by you in the parking lot and tripped on my shoelaces. My face smacked right on the ground. I remember, everyone else laughed at me, but you didn't. Do you remember that?"
Evelyn loosened her grip on the doorknob and gazed at him. She answered him. "Yes..." whispered. "Of course, I remember that."
He now stood a few feet away from her. "Evelyn, I love you. Please, don't leave me. I need you."
She slowly took her hand off the doorknob as Cooper walked towards her. He wrapped his arms around her. She slowly returned his hug, feeling safe in his arms again. She kissed him. She thought she would never have the chance to do that again. "I thought I lost you." she said.
"I'll never let that happen again, I promise." He held her tightly and whispered in her ear. He smiled. "You know what I'd really like right now?"
She answered his question with a question. "To get out of here?"
"No." He shook his head. "What I really, really want to do..." He squeezed her ribs tightly. "...right now..." he tilted her head up to face him. "...is to..."
Evelyn immediately felt that something was not right. Not only was Cooper holding her too tight, but she couldn't feel the ground beneath her. NO!!!
Cooper's face morphed back into is evil Deadite form, instantly. He bellowed with that demonic voice. "RIP OUT YOUR SOUL!!!"
Evelyn screamed, kicking and punching Cooper, hoping he would loosen his grip. But he was too strong. She felt betrayed and foolish. Above all else, she thought she was going to die.
Evelyn heard a loud crash. The front door burst wide open. She averted her gaze away from Cooper to see Ash standing below them. He kicked the door behind him, slamming it shut. He had changed from his blood-soaked white shirt to a dark blue one.
Ash looked surprisingly calm and clean-cut. At least, compared to Evelyn, he was calm. He looked straight at the monstrous Deadite known formally as Cooper. "Let her go!" he ordered.
He didn't hesitate to drop Evelyn to the ground. Why would he waste energy gathering that measly soul when the Chosen One was in right in front of him for the taking? Cooper lowered to the ground as well, and set his sights on Ash.
Evelyn got up and stood by Ash. "You okay?" he asked her, not breaking eye-contact with the demon.
She didn't answer. She noticed how Cooper prepared to charge at him. If anything happened to Ash, Evelyn wouldn't know what to do. She would be left to fight Freddy alone. As she stepped closer to him, she felt a gun hidden inside his leather jacket. Without a second thought, she stole Ash's 9mm pistol and pointed straight at Cooper.
She hesitated for a second before pulling the trigger. It's one thing to lose the love of your life. But, to be the one to actually kill him? She didn't want to do it.
"What are you waiting for!" Ash shouted. "Kill him!"
Cooper began to charge at them quickly, raising his long fingernails above his head. He screeched like a banshee in that petrifying voice.
Evelyn squeezed the trigger.
BLAM!
A large, gaping hole appeared in the center of Cooper's face. His blood and brains sprayed in the bullet's directio
n, splattering on the wall behind him, leaving a large, red splash on the wall, his television, and the stack of games next to it.
Mimicking the high-"C" that still rang in her ear from the blast, Evelyn screamed at the top of her lungs, which seamlessly turned into sobbing.
Cooper, the Deadite, was finally dead. He dropped to his knees, and then landed face-first on the floor, completely silent and still.
Tears ran down her face. She couldn't stop herself from crying. Her knees went rubbery. They shook and no longer supported her. She dropped to ground while Ash lowered with her.
He took the gun away from her shaking hand and put it back in his holster. He held her and patted her head to console her. "I know." he muttered. "I know." he related to her. "It'll be alright." He wasn't absolutely sure about that last remark. It had been so many years since Linda had succumbed to Deadites, but he still never fully got over her death.
For the both of them, it felt like they had been sitting there in the same spot for hours, even though only a couple of seconds had passed by. Reality struck them hard when they heard the sound of police sirens coming from outside the building.
They both poked their heads up at the same time, realizing what they were hearing. Evelyn thought about it for a moment and realized the neighbors must have heard her and Cooper screaming earlier. And the gun blast only added to the worry. She felt her entire body stiffen. The last thing she wanted was for the police to discover what happened and get locked up for the rest of her life.
Ash and Evelyn looked at each other and realized they had to get out of there as soon as possible. "C'mon," Ash grabbed her arms. "we gotta go!" He helped her up until she stood on her own two feet.
Evelyn detached her gaze from Ash and back to Cooper's corpse. What about Cooper? she pondered. We can't just leave everything like this. She looked back at Ash and pointed at Cooper's dead body. "No! Ash, wait!" she protested. "They're gonna know something's wrong if we just leave him like that."
There was no time left. There was too much of a mess in that apartment to try to cover anything up. The police were on their way and could burst through that door at any second.
He shook his head defiantly. Ash pushed Evelyn, leading her to the window in the living room. "There’s no time." he told her. "We gotta leave now!" Ash pulled the curtains back and opened the window, while Evelyn briefly stared at the front door. She could already hear footsteps shuffling up to the entrance.
As soon as he lifted the window pane up, a gust of wind blew in his face, along with little droplets of rain. A storm had blown in just before Ash had arrived. He let Evelyn go first onto the metal stairwell that descending to the bottom floor of the building. He followed behind her. They raced down the flight of metal stairs as quickly as they could. As Ash descended, he could already hear the police banging on the front door.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Police! Open up!"
That guy sounds familiar. Ash thought as he walked down the last flight of stairs. Was that...Officer What's-his-face?
A loud crash of thunder and a bright flash of white light lit up the area as they descended, all the while being drenched in the rain.
The front door busted open, and three police officers swarmed in, pointing guns and looking all over the apartment. Lagging right behind them was Officer Harris and Lt. Moore.
Officer Harris walked slowly into the living room. He stopped as soon as he heard a crunch beneath his shoe. He looked down, and saw what he thought was the most revolting, mangled body he had ever come across in his career. It was Cooper. He had never seen anything like that. He nearly gagged from the sight of him. This kid was shot. His eyes are cut out. His jaw's been ripped, and his skin's all...he didn't want to look at him anymore. "Jesus!" he exclaimed.
Lt. Moore appeared right behind him, catching a glimpse of the rotting Deadite. Unlike his partner, who looked absolutely disgusted and wanted to throw up, a mere look of confusion came upon Harold's face. "We just missed him." he said to Officer Harris. “Damn it!”
He responded. "So far, that makes nineteen of these kinds of murders."
One of the policemen came up to Officer Harris. "The place is all clear, sir." he looked down at the body, and his face contorted in disgust. "Holy shit!"
Harold looked at the officer. “You and the rest of the squad go out and see if our killer’s still out there.”
He nodded as he and the remaining officers left the room.
Nathan lead him away, while Lt. Moore walked to the other side of the living room once he noticed the open window. The cold wind blew through the room, making the thick curtains flutter uncontrollably. He stuck his head out the window. Through the darkness and the rainfall, he saw Ash and Evelyn climbing down the ladder. Well, I'll be damned. he thought. If it isn't Ash Williams.
From the moment he first saw Ash, he had a gut feeling he was involved in this mess. And now, seeing him and Evelyn fleeing from what obviously was a murder scene, only sealed the deal for him. It's enough that he and the entire Springwood PD tries to keep the whole Freddy Krueger ordeal under wraps, he doesn't need anyone else coming in and tearing it all apart. The last thing we need is someone else to create fear in this town.
If only he knew the truth...
Lt. Moore brushed his wet, blonde hair away from his face, and turned to Officer Harris. "Harris, get over here."
Officer Harris immediately followed his command, and walked towards the window where he was standing. "Yes, sir?" he asked respectfully.
He pointed outside. "I think we just found our murderer."
Officer Harris poked his head outside and saw Ash and Evelyn. "Ash?" he said with confusion. "What's he doing here?" Harris knew Ash was a little strange, but didn’t initially peg him as a murderer. A weirdo? Yes. But, not a killer. If anything, considering where Ash lived, he thought the only reason he was acting odd because he knew about Freddy. "And isn't that one of the kids we interviewed earlier? Evelyn Marshall?" Officer Harris looked back at Lt. Moore, expecting him to give an order.
"That's it." said Lt. Moore. "I want that son of a bitch arrested. As for her," he referred to Evelyn, who was about to make a run for it. "Take her, and anyone she's come in contact with in the last forty-eight hours up to Westin Hills. That's an order."
"I'm on it." he replied.
Both of them ran down the alley, making tiny splashes in the puddles with each step they took. Ash's Oldsmobile was just across the street. As long as they could make it across without any trouble, they would be in the clear.
Ash was lagging far behind Evelyn, he found it hard to run as fast as she was. His breathing had become strained, and his heart was beating out of his chest. Are you kidding me?! he thought. Why can't this ever happen when I'm not being chased?!
The tone in her voice was hurried. "Ash, come on!" yelled Evelyn. "They're going to catch us!"
Ash could hear the sound of multiple footsteps gaining on him. He looked behind him and saw three police officers running after both of them.
"Freeze!" one of them yelled.
He tried to pick up the pace, but he couldn't move fast enough. He knew Evelyn would be able to escape them, but Ash already knew he was done for. He dug out his car keys from his front pocket and gripped them in his left hand. He called out to her. "Evelyn!"
She her turned her head back and slowed down.
"Think fast!" Ash threw his car keys at her.
Evelyn watched where they flew in the air and caught the keys with both hands.
"Go!" he told her.
Another burst of thunder and lightning filled the sky.
Anguish struck across her face. She didn't want to leave him. She wouldn't know what to do next. But she knew it was the right thing...the only thing...to do. She spun back around and sprinted to Ash's car, narrowly escaping the police. Evelyn opened the door, got in, turned the ignition, and peeled out in matter of seconds. She looked out in the rearview mirror and saw Ash being cuffe
d by Officer Harris.
He cuffed Ash's wrists tightly...a little too tightly. Officer Harris adjusted his thin-rimmed glasses and led Ash to the squad car, reading him his Miranda Rights as he did so.
"Ash Williams, you are under arrest for murder. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. If you do not have an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights as I've read them to you?"
As he was being lead to the squad car, Ash just stared off into the distance, feeling the rain run down from the top of his head, to his nose, and his jaw line. His anxiety level rose the closer he got to the car. He knew that the longer he would sit in that cell, the less there was for him to do about Freddy. Time was running out, and there was nothing he could do.
There was no smooth-talking his way out of this one.
Chapter Twenty
When she looked in the rearview mirror, flashes of red and blue lights came into view. The police were chasing her as well. Evelyn pressed her foot heavily on the gas, speeding down the glistening streets. Raindrops pattered against the windshield. The wipers smoothed across it every few seconds. After making a few sharp turns at the end of each block, Evelyn was relieved to find that they had lost track of her.
The first place she was headed to was Jill and Steven's house. At the same time, she knew the police would probably suspect that she would go there, so there was no time to linger.
Evelyn took one hand off of the steering wheel and reached in her back pocket for her cell phone. She slid down in her seat for a moment so she could reach it. The gap between the seat and the pedals were already so far apart, that when Evelyn ducked down, she lost sight of the road ahead of her, causing her to almost hit the curb. "Jeez!" she muttered. As soon as she took the phone from her pocket, she sat straight up and adjusted herself.