by A. Eggleston
Freddy sneered at him as he began to slowly walk closer to Ash. He twiddled the knives on his glove. "At least I'm not out of breath every time I kill." He pointed to Ash's chainsaw, was on the ground a few feet away from him. "Tell me, do they make walkers for people with chainsaw arms?"
Ash retorted. "Do they make special straws for people with buck-shots to the mouth?"
"Shoot me all you want, Ash." replied Freddy. "Sooner or later, you'll run out of bullets."
Ash cocked his eyebrows and subtly nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that." he said to Freddy's surprise. "The thing is, it won't take me very long to get rid of your undead ass..." He looked past Freddy and saw two Deadites emerging from the streets and towards them. "...even with those bags of bones you call bodyguards over there." he added. "Hold that thought." Ash grabbed the handles of both of his shotguns from his back holsters. He pulled them out and aimed the barrels at the two Deadites, who had come running from Freddy's left and right sides. He pulled both triggers.
BOOM!!! BOOM!!!
The heads of the two demons practically exploded from the shotgun blasts. Blood sprayed from the back of their heads. There were large holes where their faces used to be, now littered with shrapnel. Their heads tilted upward and their arms flailed in the air before they fell to their death. Simultaneously, the two of them dropped dead on the concrete.
"Now that the gruesome two-some are out of the way," said Ash as he gripped his pump shotgun by the stock and shook it, reloading it. "Where were we?" He aimed both shotguns at Freddy. "Oh, that's right." He pulled both triggers again.
BOOM!!! BOOM!!!
The blast from the shotgun shells caused Freddy to step back and nearly fall on the ground. He stumbled to regain his balance. There were now small holes in his striped sweater from the bullets. Small streaks of blood raced down his chest and his legs. As he put his left palm on his chest to stop the bleeding, Freddy raised his gloved hand. "Wanna play rough, eh?" he said. "Let's see how tough you are when you play with the big boys." He flicked his index blade upward, manipulating his demonic powers to force Ash back with a powerful, invisible push.
Ash felt a presence, an unseen entity, force him back far away from Freddy. It was a violent shove across the lot. He shouted, "Wh-Whoa!" as the bottoms of his boots scraped across the concrete. He slid back twenty feet away, keeping his balance the entire time. When he finally stopped moving, Ash fell forward, his head lowered to the ground and his knees fell on the concrete.
His trusty Boomstick was out of shells, and he knew he didn't have time to open the chamber and insert two more bullets in time. He quickly slid it back inside the holster and cocked his pump shotgun, as it still had two more bullets left in the chamber. He muttered under his breath. "Alright. Let's see how you like a skull full of lead."
Ash looked up. The first thing he saw was Freddy standing over him, looking down. Less than a second after seeing his burned, scowling face, Ash was met with the sight of Freddy's knee to his chin.
Freddy kicked his leg up towards Ash's face. His knee cap crashed against his chiseled jaw. Freddy saw a look of both shock and pain in his eyes as Ash's head was forced up to the sky. Tiny drops of blood escaped the corners of his mouth and fell onto Freddy's dirty, smoke-stained pants.
Ash shook his head, reeling from the pain. He turned his head to the side to spit out a tooth that had been dislodged from the kick. Before he could give him another chance to strike, Ash held his shotgun by his hip, pointing the barrel at Freddy. He pulled the trigger.
BOOM!!!
A hole the size of a fist appeared on Freddy's stomach. Dark red blood sprayed out of Freddy's body. Droplets of his blood found its way on Ash's forehead. The dream demon was forced back from the blast of the gun.
Ash quickly got back on his feet. He turned to his side and bent his left arm, launching his elbow between Freddy's eyes.
"Argh!" Freddy squinted his eyes and grimaced. He quickly regained balance and prepared to attack Ash. He extended his gloved hand out to his side and prepared to swing from right to left, eviscerating Ash. He was about to slice him, when Freddy felt metal on his forehead, pushing him away.
Ash placed his metal hand on Freddy's head, blocking him from attacking. He looked down at Freddy as he still tried to slice him apart. His blades swung from side to side, but the only thing Ash felt was the wind from his flailing knives.
"What's the matter, short-stack?" taunted Ash. "Can't quite reach?" He took a wide step to his left, taking his hand off of Freddy's forehead. As a result, Freddy fell hard on the concrete, as if there was a magnetic pull between them.
While he was on the ground, Ash quickly ran across the lot to his chainsaw, which was laying on the concrete. He grabbed the small canister of gasoline and unscrewed the cap, refueling it. He unlocked his metal hand from his wrist and placed the appendage in the empty side holster. He lowered down to his knees to pick it up. The blade was splattered with blood, leaving ribbons connecting the saw with the concrete until Ash latched it onto his arm.
Just before Ash pulled the rope to start the chainsaw, he could faintly hear the maniacal laughs of a Deadite coming from behind him. He quickly hooked the pull rope to the bullet belt across his chest and lowered his arm, starting the saw.
He quickly spun himself around to face the demon, letting his chainsaw carry the momentum. He knew that the demon had to be right behind him. As soon as he turned, he felt his blade make contact with rotten, Deadite flesh.
He had turned with such speed that the chainsaw sliced through both of the Deadites legs, like butter. The demon's legs were sawed off by the knee. Blood gushed from all directions as the demon fell on his back. His feet and calves were sprawled on the concrete next to his knees, which poured blood to no end.
The rotted fleshed demon flailed his arms, and the bloodied nubs that were his legs, crying out in pain. His screams were monstrous and warbled, far from anything that could be considered human.
Ash came into the demon's view, stepping over his body with one foot next to his right side. He cried out, "Hyah!" as he lowered down close to the Deadite and rammed the chainsaw blade into his face.
The demon's already hideous face had become obliterated by the saw blade. The blade, moving so fast that it was but a blur, sliced and ripped through his skull and brains easily. His blood, brains and fragments of his skull shot out into the air like a sprinkler.
When it was over, the demon's head had been jaggedly sliced in half. Ash stepped back to fully take in the carnage. A pool of blood varying in color formed around his body. The demon’s arms and sawed-off legs subtly twitched as he awaited death. His eyes, milk white and bloodshot, blinked rapidly.
Ash stared at the face for only a few seconds when he noticed a dirty work boot step on the demon's forehead. Freddy...
He stomped on the Deadite's forehead, squashing his head and killing him. When his foot lowered down on his head, the demon's left eye shot out of his socket like a cannon ball. The optic nerve was still attached to the eyeball when it flew out of its socket, making it resemble a vein-y, shooting star.
Freddy swung his gloved hand in front of the eye, piercing it with the blade on his middle finger. He lowered the remaining three blades and held up the middle one, both showing Ash the eyeball and flipping him off at the same time.
"No more dicking around, Krueger." said Ash. "Drop the eye and let's get down to business."
Freddy tossed the eyeball from his blade and scowled at Ash. "Fine," he said. "we'll have your way." He raised his glove up to the sky.
Ash raised his chainsaw, gripping the handle with his left hand as he held it over his head.
They both lowered their weapons down upon each other at the same time. They both moved to the side to avoid being cut by one another. Both of their deadly blades merely grazed one another, but it was enough to send sparks flying all around them.
With his chainsaw now lowered to the ground, Ash swung it from
left to right like a baseball bat.
Freddy jumped back to avoid being sliced. His attempt failed as the blade sawed through his abdomen, slicing a few inches deep into the muscle tissue. His blood spilled down his stomach. There was now a ten inch long tear across his ratty sweater, exposing his slash mark and his burnt flesh.
He looks up to see Ash running towards him to do further damage. Freddy launched his gloved hand upward from his hip, aiming at Ash's face.
Ash quickly leaned back as far as he could without falling over. He escaped a fatal wound from Freddy's blades, but not completely free of damage. He felt a painful sting across the left side of his face. One of his knives had sliced across Ash's face, from his jaw to his temple. There was now a fresh, red line on his face, adding another future scar to his body. One of many.
While Ash was still leaned back, Freddy jumped forward and grabbed him by the belts across his chest. He pulled back his gloved hand, keeping his arm bent and his elbow straight. He pulled Ash in while pushing his right arm forward. Freddy launched all four of his knives just above Ash's chest. The swift, crisp sound of his knives slicing into Ash's body echoed into his ears.
SHHHING!
Ash gasped before feeling a knot in the back of his throat. It was pain like he had never felt before. The feeling of Freddy's razor sharp knives into his shoulder was unbearable.
Freddy rattled his knives around for a few seconds, thoroughly shredding his skin and muscle tissue. It made Ash cry out in pain. It got his blood boiling. Finally, he had the self-righteous lunk wounded and in his grasp.
Blood poured from the four stab wounds in Ash's shoulder, collar bone, and the area just above his chest. He couldn't stop bleeding. He felt like a broken faucet.
Freddy placed a hand on his chest and pushed him away. The act both released his blades from Ash's body and pushed him down to the hard concrete.
Ash rolled on the ground, groaning in agony. "Oh...Ugh...Argh..." He kicked his legs as a reaction from the pain. He put his hand over his wound, hoping to stop the bleeding. Blood seeped from between his fingers.
Step...Step...Step...Step...
Ash looked up from the ground to see Freddy standing over him, taking joy in his misfortune. He wanted to saw his legs off. To shoot him. To spit in his fucking face. But he couldn't. The pain hindered him from all of it.
"I gotta hand it to you." said Freddy in his usual graveled, but cool, voice. "For a moment, it looked like you were gonna win. You certainly looked the part with your guns and your chainsaw and your cocky little attitude." He put his boot on Ash's rib, making him wince and expel blood from the corners of his mouth. He crouched down so that his face was the only thing in Ash's line of vision. "But now I'm stronger than I've ever been, and you ever will be."
Freddy stood back up, his posture straight and his shoulders back. This time, when he spoke, his voice was even lower. It was more demonic, like it had come from the fire-y pits of Hell. "And now it's time to collect the soul of the Chosen One."
From the dark regions of Springwood, on the other side of town, the malevolent powers of the Necronomicon were summoned. They were called upon by the Springwood Slasher himself. He had become so powerful, that the dark spirits were able to roam at such a speed that they had reached downtown Springwood in a matter of seconds. By this time, they were near the police station, which had become overrun with Deadites. The entire police department were scattered around this area, firing their weapons at the demons.
Freddy stood over Ash with a look of absolute evil strewn across his face. He raised his gloved hand above his head. He flexed his knives, the parts of the metal that wasn't stained in blood shined under the moon. He continued his rant. "So I..."
The evil force made its way through the town, past the crowd of Deadites and over the wrecked cars. It moved fast and smooth, like a rollercoaster. Its low, guttural roar echoed from miles away. It was now only blocks away from S-Mart.
He watched Ash cough up mouthfuls of blood as he continued to speak. Watching him twitch and squirm was almost as good as the act of killing him. "can be..."
With almost lightning speed, the evil force raced across the parking lot, dodging and darting through the bodies of Deadites, both live and unmoving. It lowered down, mere inches from the concrete, the sound of its warbled moan grew higher and higher as it entered the body of its target: Ash Williams.
"IMMORTAL!" Freddy brought his gloved hand down upon Ash. His four, long knives stabbed through his ribs, right in the middle of his chest.
Fresh blood sprayed from the four new stab wounds on Ash's chest. His cry of unimaginable agony was infused with chokes and gasps. He convulsed on the concrete, lifting his back up and down, slamming it against the ground.
Evelyn held the Book of the Dead in her hands. She brought it close to her face, squinting her eyes to read the passages as she stood under the bright florescent lighting under the front entrance. She read the incantations from the Necronomicon to open the portal, thus sending the evil back. "Kanda. Demontos--"
Her pronunciation of the passages was interrupted by a bright flash of light. Her eyes slammed shut temporarily before slowly adjusting to it. Her gaze jumped from the pages of the book to the source of the commotion before her in, quite literally, the blink of an eye.
What she saw was Freddy crouched down beside Ash's bloody, un-moving, body. His blades were mid-way deep into Ash's chest. Blood streamed down his shirt. Surrounding both of them were a flurry of lightning strikes and fog.
Freddy's demonic features were illuminated by the flashes of lightning. He lifted his head up to the sky, opening his eyes wide. His blue eyes morphed. They looked as if thick clouds had rolled inside of them, filling them with an opaque white color. Ash's soul had become absorbed by Freddy.
Fear washed over her. She felt her entire body become numb. Her legs felt like rubber, failing to support her. Her knees gave out, slamming on the concrete, taking the rest of her down with them. A lump formed in the back of her throat and her face felt warm against the cold wind. She didn't want to believe it. No. He can't just be gone like this. Not that easily. Her voice was timid and cracking. "No." She spoke louder this time. "You can't die." He didn't move. Not even a twitch. He killed him. This can't happen. "You had doubts...that you weren't strong enough, and I didn't listen. Everyone I cared about has been stolen from me...including you. But there's one thing about me that makes us different: I refuse to accept my fate. I'm not letting Freddy win." Evelyn lifted her head and held the book tightly. She shouted at the top of her lungs. "KRUEGER!!!"
Ash's body, still as a rock since Freddy had conducted his fatal blow, moved yet again. His head rolled to the side, facing Evelyn, who couldn't believe what she had become witness to. His eyelids now lifted, baring white eyes. His facial features morphed as well. His eyes sunk, and his brow bone extended, resembling that of a caveman. The rims of his eyes darkened, the entire area was now a dark purple. His chin and cheekbones elongated and sharpened. His teeth were yellow and rotted. He bared no resemblance to his former self. Ash had now succumbed to the evil.
Freddy yanked his knives from his chest and stood up. He faced Evelyn, leering at her. Reveling in her misery.
Ash awkwardly jerked and twitched his body until he got up on his feet. He stood up, just a few feet in front of Freddy. His skin, pale, scarred, and bloody, was slightly masked by the night. From head to toe, he was splattered with blood.
While Freddy's eyes had returned to their usual blue color, and his features also back to normal, Ash's eyes and face remained like that of a Deadite. Both of their eyes, Freddy's intense blue and Ash's blank white, stared at Evelyn.
Freddy looked briefly at Ash as he gave him his command. "Fetch the bitch for me."
Ash jerked his head up and down, signaling his acceptance. His feet roughly picked up and slammed down to the ground. His limbs moved without any flow or smoothness. He walked like Frankenstein's monster on drugs. His voice was monstrous. He grun
ted, low and menacing, in the back of his throat. He moved towards Evelyn.
Evelyn backed away, gradually getting back on her feet as she did so. There was nowhere to run. Deadites were all over town. And no matter where she would go, Freddy would surely find her. She stared up at Ash, trying to find traces of his normal self in his face. Searching for his humanity. If even a glimmer of his true self was buried under the monstrosity, it showed no sign of emerging.
Evelyn shook her head in defiance. "No..."
Chapter Thirty Nine
She looked into his dead, soulless eyes. An almost unbearable sense of dread filled her senses. The only thing keeping Evelyn on her feet was the rush of adrenaline flowing through her body. Her rising fear only made her more aware of everything around her, and especially the horrendous being marching toward her.
Evelyn clutched the book against her chest tightly, crumpling the leathery cover and the wrinkled pages. She had already lost everyone. Those who gave her happiness and safety. She wasn't going to lose the only thing that would stop the evil from spreading any further.
Ash's 9mm handgun rested firmly in Evelyn's hand. She squeezed the handle and put her finger on the trigger. The barrel was aimed at Ash. Her hand never shook. Not this time. She had killed enough of those foul creatures, so she was now used to looking at their contorted faces before watching them become obliterated by the bullets.
The corners of her eyes became red and watery from tears. Her nostrils flared, and her lips were forced shut in attempt to keep herself from crying.
With every step that Ash made toward her, she matched it with another step backward. Slowly, she nodded her head as if to say "no" Her voice was laced with sorrow. "Don't make me do it." she warned. "Ash, I know you can hear me. Please listen me." She breathed deeply to avoid further tears. "Come back. Please do it now." The next time she spoke, her tone subtly moved toward anger. "Listen to what I'm saying, Ash! I don't want to kill you!" She twitched her face to keep tears from escaping her eyes. "But if you don't do what I'm telling you right now, I'll have to."
