by A. Eggleston
Steven had reached out his hand to grab the book, when Ash pulled it back, just slightly away from Steven's reach.
"You sure about this?" he asked.
Steven leaned further and grabbed the book from Ash's hand, indicating that he meant, "Yes". "It's just reading." he said nonchalantly. "How hard can that be?"
Evelyn stood up and touched Ash on his shoulder, prompting him to turn to her. "Ash." she called. "What's going to happen when Steven reads from the book? You've done this before, right? How does it work?"
A look of uncertainty washed over his face. He knew what had to be done. The problem was that, last time Ash tried to get rid of the evil, he ended up wandering through time and space, eventually ending up in the year 1300 A.D. "Yeah, I've done this before, sort of." he answered meekly.
Steven stepped forward, eager to hear what answers Ash had for him. "How'd you do it?"
Ash turned to Steven. "Basically, you--recite the, uh--pages, and--that causes the evil to manifest itself in the flesh. Which in this case, would probably be Freddy. Judging from what we saw outside, I think that part's taken care of." Ash looked at Steven sternly as he gave him instructions. "By reading these pages, what you're gonna do is open up a rift in time and space, and send the evil back."
"Back where?" asked Steven.
"Wherever it originated, I guess." replied Ash. "With Freddy, I'm guessing that'd be right before the parents torched him."
Steven opened the book and thumbed through the thick, wrinkled pages. "Okay, so, what pages do I read from? There's a lot in here."
Ash took the book from Steven's hands. "Let me look at that." he scanned each pages, quickly turning each one. He hoped that the sight of the reversal spells would jog his memory.
Faith questioned him. "You don't know where they are?" she asked, a little doubtful.
Ash snapped. "It's been awhile, alright?" Once he had reached the last two pages in the back of the Necronomicon, he had found the pages. "Ah, here they are." He handed the book back to Steven, his thumb marking the spot where he should read from.
Ash began to walk off, when Evelyn joined behind him. "When was the last time you had to do something like this?"
"Thirty years, give or take."
Steven wanted to make sure his own worries would be at rest once the whole ritual started. "And it worked?" he asked.
"Well, it's not like I got rid of it for good, but for a while it worked, yeah."
Evelyn glared at him and studied his face. "So, you don't really know if this is going to work?"
"Listen," he said. "last time I had to do this, I had no idea what the hell I was doing. I--I was careless, and...I made a few mistakes. That's probably how I ended up here. But, I know what I'm doing now."
Evelyn nodded. She muttered just quietly enough for Ash to hear. "Okay..."
They both went their separate ways.
Steven had kept the book open to the passage that Ash had showed him. He mouthed the pronunciations to himself, insuring that when the time comes, he wouldn't screw up the incantation.
He looked up and saw Evelyn walking toward him. He lowered the book, giving her his full attention. "Hey." he greeted.
"Are you nervous?" she asked.
Steven half-smiled and expressed his sympathy. "Yeah." he said. "A lot, actually."
"I am too." said Evelyn. "A lot’s happened in such a short amount of time. It doesn't really give you a chance to think and let it sink in. Although, I guess that's a good thing, because a lot of bad things have happened lately. It's not good to dwell on it, you know? You just have to not think about it, and keep moving."
He admired her bravery. How, even in the most dire situation, she was able to take charge protect them all when she needed to. Even though he tried to, he wished he could instantly be like that when the situation called for it. "If it weren't for you, I don't think we would've made it this far."
Evelyn was taken by surprise by Steven's remark. It both flattered and humbled her. "Really?"
"Yeah." Steven looked back at the page he had been studying. "It looks like Freddy's gotten pretty powerful now. But, we'll get through it." Steven wondered whether he would be able to do his part, or crash and burn when the time came. He looked back at Evelyn. "Um, Evelyn? If anything happens to me," he could already see the worried look on Evelyn's face as he spoke. "I know that you'll do the right thing and take over for me."
"Nothing is going to happen to you." she said adamantly.
Steven faintly smiled again. "Just promise me that you'll be there." he lowered his head so that he was now staring at her intensely. "Just in case."
Evelyn took a deep breath to both relax and prepare herself. "I promise."
"Thank you." Before he walked off, what he said to her would linger in her mind. "You're stronger than you think."
She watched him as he left her to join Faith, who embraced him with a hug. His words still left an echo in the back of her mind. You're stronger than you think. She then heard Ash's voice speaking to her from behind.
"Kid's got a point, you know." said Ash.
Evelyn turned her head to look next to her, and up to see Ash's face. She couldn't help but become transfixed with his scars, his bruises, his cuts. This beaten and wounded man had placed so much trust in her. "If it weren't for me, Freddy wouldn't have hurt you so badly in the first place."
Ash shrugged it off. "I've had worse."
She kept beating herself up for things she had no control over. Maybe if I had gotten to the police station sooner, Ash wouldn't have gotten hurt...If I hadn't traveled to the dream to see Freddy for myself, he wouldn't have hurt me. And I wouldn't have given him the fear that he feeds off of.
She had to ask him. "Before, when you said that you trusted me." She needed to know: why was she the one everyone relied on? "Why? Why, do you trust me with all this?" Evelyn kept looking at the floor, already embarrassed at the question she had just asked him.
He thought back to the first time he met Evelyn. She was the only one who didn't treat him like the ego-centric, paranoid, freak that people made him out to be. Even when everyone else had doubted him about Freddy, she gave him a chance. He didn't meet people like that often. He saw something in her. It was the way she kept fighting, no matter what was being thrown at her. It reminded Ash of himself. "Because you trusted me."
Evelyn lifted her head to look in Ash's eyes briefly before he turned away. She couldn't quite explain it, but Ash's kind words caused her lips to curve into a smile. She felt more sure of herself, and in her mind, she started to agree with them.
No more second guesses. No more doubts. No more fear. The self-pity and insecurities had stopped there.
Ash marched, putting more distance between him and his little army of twerps. He turned around to see the three of them standing next to each other, almost in a perfect line.
There they stood: Scraped, bruised, and shaken. This was not what he expected to have fight alongside him during his battle with evil himself, Freddy Krueger. But, they were all he had.
This preparation. This anxiety. This pre-battle fear. It wasn't new to him. He had led a war against an army of the dead once before, so it wasn't like he was treading new territory.
But at least then, he had an army of over two hundred men backing him up. They were armed, well-trained, and clad head-to-toe in 14th Century armor. And who did he have now? Two eighteen year olds and a sixteen year old who didn't know a .44 Magnum from their own asses? This wasn't Lord Arthur and his brigade. Nor was it Henry the Red and his men. He knew it would be a challenge.
And this time, Ash wasn't dealing with merely a Deadite version of himself, Bad Ash, in this battle. He was up against Freddy Krueger, the ruler of nightmares, and invader of minds. Someone who actually had the powers of the Necronomicon already in his arsenal. Getting beaten to a pulp in his dream was bad enough, now Ash had to face him again with his hoard of Deadite minions.
It was time to prepare them for the fight
of their lives.
Ash put his index finger and thumb in his mouth and let out an ear-piercing whistle.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Ash.
"Now that I have your undivided attention." he said, his voice commanding like a drill sergeant. "I'm gonna to tell you some stuff you might not wanna hear." Ash slowly paced around them, judging their faces to see if they would break already.
Steven lifted his head from the book and said snidely, "Oh no, 'cause up until now, everything you've said has been so cheery."
Ash leered at him, annoyed that he had interrupted him, but still amused by his sarcasm. "You back-talkin' me, boy?"
Steven laughed quietly as he resumed reading. "No sir, Sergeant Cliché."
"As I was saying," continued Ash. "There's four of us in here, and by now, probably Deadite-riddled version of Springwood out there. It doesn't look good for us right now."
Evelyn jumped in. "But what about the police?" she inquired. "I thought Lt. Moore was going to have the whole department backing us up."
"That's true." he said. "But, judging from those bats on steroids flyin' around, I'm pretty sure there won't be much of them left either."
"So, we don't have anyone to come help us?"
"Nope." Ash answered. "Just us, baby. Just us."
The look of anguish on their faces was too strong to ignore.
Come on, Ash. he reminded himself. You're supposed to tell them, "It's gonna be alright", not "All hope is lost". Ash changed his tone. "Look, guys." he said. "I've been where you are. I know you think this is a suicide mission. That we're gonna be trapped here while the world goes to Hell, but it's not like that. We can beat Freddy and those creatures. I know you're scared, I was too--"
CRASH!!!
One of the florescent light fixtures that suspended below the ceiling fell and shattered on the floor. It landed just a few feet behind Ash.
"Aah!" he shouted as he turned around to see what the noise was all about. He saw broken glass everywhere.
Baffled by what had happened, the four of them looked up in unison to see what had caused the light to fall.
In the middle of the ceiling, there was a glass window pane that allowed part of the sky to be visible to them.
On the other side of the skylight, was a group of winged Deadites smashing their clawed fists against the window pane. They opened their mouths and ran their slimy tongues along the glass, dirtying the window. Their muffled screeches sent chills down each of their spines. The center of the glass was already started to crack.
"Shit." muttered Ash. "It won't be long before they break through." He then turned to Evelyn. "Did you block access to the roof?"
Evelyn nodded. "No, we only had enough wood to block the front door. I didn't even think to lock it."
"Then it looks like we're gonna have to get up there and weed 'em out. Because, if they break through that glass, we're screwed."
Curiosity struck Steven. "How are we gonna do that?" he asked. "There's like a dozen of them up there."
Ash smiled faintly, and took a few steps over to the Sporting Goods department. "Maybe." he said coyly. He stopped once he reached the display of hunting rifles, shotguns, pistols, etc.
They were all locked behind glass. Each arranged by brand, model, and price. On Ash's left were rifles, to his right were shotguns, and in the counter in front of him were pistols of varying caliber.
Ash held his arms out, gesturing toward all of the weapons at their disposal. "But, we have a dozen or so of these down here." He could see the figurative light bulbs flicker above their heads, and the grins form on their faces. "So," he said. "who's with me?"
"How many do you need?" asked Evelyn as she walked with Ash to open the lock.
Ash replied. "One for each of us, at least."
"Okay." Evelyn mumbled. She brought out her keys from her pants pocket and searched for the one that unlocked the glass doors. "Hold on a second." she said quietly.
Ash walked behind the counter and grabbed the barstool behind the register. Gripping it with both hands, Ash swung the chair in front of the glass, breaking it.
SMASH!!!
The sound of breaking glass made Evelyn jump and lift her head. She saw Ash dropping the barstool to the floor that was now littered with glass shards. He grabbed two or three guns at a time.
"That works too." Evelyn said.
Ash crouched down to grab the appropriate box of ammunition for each gun. He then turned to place each on the counter. Soon, Ash had the entire counter laid out with guns and boxes of ammo.
He let Evelyn, Faith, and Steven pick out whatever gun they wanted, but not without telling them that they should probably go with something lightweight. "It's easier to run when you don't have a shotgun on your back, weighing you down."
Ash unwrapped most of the bandages from his arms. He then unfastened the leather shoulder straps that usually held his 9mm pistol and his double-barreled shotgun. Instead, he replaced them with two bullet belts, each crossing over his chest.
Making his way to the hardware aisle, he grabbed a 10 ft. metal chain. He laid it out on the counter and intertwined it with thin barbed wire.
In the garden department, Ash got an extra tank of fuel for his chainsaw and filled it to the rim.
Finally, he joined Evelyn, armed with the revolver she had before, Faith, with a small rifle with double over/under barrels, and Steven, with the Necronomicon in one hand and an axe in the other. They all stared at him, eagerly awaiting his signal to go to battle.
Ash grabbed both of his shotguns from the glass counter in front of him, spun them around with his thumbs and rested both of them in the holsters he had fashioned behind his back. They made an "X" shape behind his back. He then attached his chainsaw to his right nub, and pulled the rope, starting it.
RRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRR!!!
He looped the barbed, metal chain around his left palm, securing it in his hand. Using it like a whip, Ash wrapped the chain around a support beam for one of the shelves. He pulled the chain hard, tipping the tall shelf to the ground. Various merchandise broke and sent glass and other scraps spreading out around the floor.
"Groovy."
Chapter Thirty
Their howls filled the night air. Their dirty claws scratched against the skylight looking into the inside of the Springwood S-Mart. Their slimy tongues, still fresh with the blood of the living, were used to lick the glass. They salivated in hunger. Long, thick ribbons of saliva dripped from the corners of their monstrous mouths. The rooftop of the S-Mart was littered with the foul presence of Deadites.
Thirteen winged Deadites crawled on the rooftop, waiting for fresh souls to bring to their new Master. The demons had wings made of skin, each side was six feet in length. The corners of their wings had sharp, curved talons to eviscerate the innocent people of Springwood.
The faces that belonged to these hideous creatures were inhuman. Their eyes were blank white. Eyes that were soulless, evil, glowing in the dark of night. Their brow bones were prominent, and arched into a constant expression of anger. Their jaws were elongated, revealing rows of jagged, rotting, fangs. Above were a set of ears that were pointed and elfin.
The Deadite in the center of the rooftop, amid the swarm of its winged brethren, rose up. It stood in the crowd of demonic monsters. The Deadite tilted its head, facing the clear night sky. It flapped its leathery, fleshy wings and unleashed a spine-chilling, high-pitched, screech into the air. The airborne creature was calling forth more Deadites to surround the building.
The foul creatures were starving, they had not eaten in hours. But, they knew that Ash and his band of misfits were for Freddy, their master. The souls of the children may give him strength, but the soul of the Chosen One will give him immortality. He had commanded his Deadite followers to bring Ash to him, so that he may devour his soul and truly be eternal.
Other Deadites joined in the howls, creating a chorus of unnerving, demonic
sounds. They raised their claws to the sky, sticking their slimy tongues out, licking at the fresh night air.
It was not just the roof that had been run amuck with the presence of evil. On the front of the building, there were twenty Deadites and counting. They scaled the walls, hoping to reach the top of the building. They had failed in trying to bust through the front door, so they had opted for a different route.
They piled on top of each other until one had reached the bottom curve of the blue "S" in the large, florescent, "S-Mart" sign. Once the Deadite had reached that point, he pulled up more to join him. This Deadite, who had once been a teacher at Springwood High before his body was possessed (hence the button-up shirt and tie), helped another Deadite up.
His voice was raspy, like a hissing snake. "Pick up the pace!" he shouted. "We must hurry!"
Another Deadite, who was previously an auto-mechanic at the local body shop, explaining the oil-stained coveralls, replied. "I'm going as fast as I can!" His voice was slightly lower than his counterpart. "You lousy bag of bones!"
The male demon shouted again. "We must bring him to Freddy before dawn!"
There was a demon behind him, climbing over him to catch up. This demon was younger than the previous two, and female. She couldn't have been more than sixteen. Her brown hair covered most of her pale gray face. "Our Master is waiting!" she added, hitting her foot against the demon behind her as she climbed above.
The coverall-clad Deadite had a look of scorn washing over him as the young demon's foot hit his face. He hissed. "Don't hit my face, you harpy!"
The adolescent Deadite turned her head back to face him before scaling the wall. "Try to keep up, you old sack of bones!"
The male demon shook his fist at her. "Why I oughta..."
The Deadite, now at the top of the "S-Mart" sign, heard the commotion and spoke.
"We must not bicker!" he said. "It will take all of us to bring him to Freddy! Ash must die!"
The others below heard him and began chanting. "Ash must die! Ash must die!"
Behind the crowd of demons climbing to the top of the building, were even more, filling the entire parking lot. The entire lot was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with hideous demons. They all ran past each other, laughing in psychotic glee, and climbing over any Deadite that was too slow to keep up the pace.
