Millie screamed. "Please! Please, just stop! Stop! Let him go!"

The scene before her was one that invoked pure terror into her. She could see him... the bear... the monster behind her pain... holding her grandpa with a metal sheet held against his throat, the same one he tried using on her no doubt; dramatics and all that. Tears were streaming down her eyes as she looked upon her grandpa's own confused and terrified face. She couldn't move. Something was holding her in place. She looked down and saw nothing holding her back. So... why the hell couldn't she move?!

Freddy laughed, the noise echoing and piercing her ears. "Oh, silly Millie... why-y would I d-d-do that? Why would I do a-anyt-thing you say?" He giggled, holding the blade closer to Thomas' neck. "I mean... this is your fault, Millie."

Thomas' eyes widened when he said that. Freddy seemed to notice because his gaze focused down on him. "Ooh... y-you didn't k-know? Oh, this is going to be good." He laughed again. "Millie... s-sweet, you-ung and precious Millie here... w-was going t-t-to receive her due punishment for her c-crimes ag-gainst humanity... and do you know what she did?" Freddy started cackling with glee. He could barely contain himself while trying to explain this. It was sick.

"She escaped her punishment like a coward!" He broke out into a belly laugh after that.

Thomas' horrified eyes focused directly on Millie. "Millie... is that true? How... could you?"

Millie was stunned. What? What was he talking about?

"You deserved every bit of what was coming to you... and you ran away? Why? You needed to take responsibility for what you did! You... you're a brat, Millie! You're a brat and you deserve to die!" Thomas shouted, his voice filled with fury.

Millie shook her head in denial. "No... no, this is his fault! He tried to kill-"

"I knew it. I knew you were a brat. You should've died a brat instead of trying to redeem yourself. What a joke. No one's going to miss you anyway, so why are you still breathing? Why don't you just die?" Thomas glared at her, his words stinging her heart. Millie shook her head as she tried to keep it together.

"W-what a pity indeed. It's a shame you have to pay for h-h-her crimes too." Freddy said. Millie's head snapped up to look at him in disbelief.

"NO! Leave him alone! He has nothing to do with this! Just let him go! I'll do it! I'll let you kill me! JUST LET HIM LIVE! HE DOESN'T HAVE TO DIE FOR MY SAKE!" Millie shouted.

Freddy only laughed. "Aww... n-now you w-wanna accept yo-our responsibilities? Too b-bad, lamb chop! You should've done that when you had the chance! Now, you-u got your p-p-poor old grandpa roped in-nto your punishment! So... here's h-how this execution w-will go: I'm-m going to k-kill your grandpa first... then I'll kill you nice and s-s-slow." He raised the blade up to behead Thomas.

"GRANDPA! NO!" Millie tried to run at him, tried fighting against whatever invisible force was holding her in place. She couldn't let him die! She would NOT lose anyone because of something that was her fault! She screamed and screamed and pulled, but it was all fruitless. Funtime Freddy watched all of this with a smug grin.

"I hate you, Millie."

Those would be Thomas' last words before Freddy brought down the metal sheet and sliced it right through Thomas' neck. Millie screamed as the blood sprayed everywhere. Funtime Freddy giggled as the blood covered his face, making him look more like a demon than he already was. He looked down at Millie with his unfeeling eyes that somehow radiated so much twisted joy.

***

6:00 AM

01/08/2020

Millie woke up and wasted no time shutting off her alarm. She sat in her bed, giving herself a moment to calm down. That dream was one of the worst ones she had so far. It wasn't the first one where she had to watch her grandpa die, but him insulting her like that was a first. What was that all about? She never had dreams like that before. Why now? Why was he so resentful towards her? It was only a dream, but Millie couldn't believe some of the things he said. It made her feel uncomfortable that she would ever have a dream like that. As she sat there, Millie wondered if she deserved to hear those awful words from her grandpa and if that was how he'd actually react if he learned the truth about what happened.

Millie shook her head. "Stop it." She said to herself. "It's just a dream. He'd never say those things. Grandpa was so nice. He would never say that, idiot." Her worries gradually vanished and her self comfort was working somewhat. She rubbed her eyes and got up to get ready.

Millie hated her nightmares. They made it seem like she would never have a good dream again and Freddy was always on the front of her mind. No, not seem like. That was the case. The thought upset her. She might never have a good dream again, the bear will always be on her mind. Why did he have such power over her? Millie wanted more than anything to wipe him from her mind, but how can she forget what he did? She could never forget. She reflexively reached up to touch the scar. The ugly scar that acted as a brand, a reminder that even though she survived, her mind belonged to Freddy and no matter what she did and where she went, he would be there.

She looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes focusing on the scar. It made her feel like crying. She shut those feelings down as fast as she could. Millie had spent so many days crying about the memories, and she was tired of crying about it, tired of the nightmares, of the fear, all of it! Millie wanted to feel strong for once! She wanted to move on. That's what she'd been trying to do, right? No. Even if she apologized to everyone, it didn't change that Freddy was still haunting her dreams. That giant, stupid, psycho bear still had power over her, and he wasn't even a threat to her at this current moment. She injured him and he couldn't come for her, but he still scared her so much. She supposed that's just how the power of fear worked. He may have failed in killing her, but he succeeded in scarring her mind forever. Right, scar, not break, Millie thought. She was traumatized, but she was still here. The incident didn't break her and she won't let it or him break her. Millie was going to talk to Dylan and Brooke today. She was going to hang out with two people, two kind people who wanted to give her a chance at friendship, a chance that she couldn't be more grateful for. She was not going to let the memories break her. She would not see any hallucinations of him standing outside the window today. Millie looked at herself more confidently. She would be strong. She had to be if she wanted him out of her mind.

***

11:47 AM

01/08/2020

Millie navigated her way through the herd of students heading to the cafeteria. She hated how they had to clump so close together, and for what? To have a conversation they can't wait to have in the cafeteria? Millie sighed in annoyance as her path was blocked by a group of girls talking in front of her. She looked around, but the blockade of perfume and makeup couldn't be breached.

No, she couldn't think like that. Just because they wore expensive makeup and perfume and just because they looked pretty didn't mean they were bad people. She could not fall back into her hypocritical ways again. She shouldn't assume the worst of other people. Not everyone in this school made fun of her. The girls were probably nice, but she didn't want to bother them to find out. Instead, she silently followed and waited to reach the cafeteria.

Eventually, she finally got to a point where she could walk past them. She heard no teasing remarks or snickering, so either they didn't notice her, or they were silent in their judgment of her until she was out of earshot. That didn't matter to Millie. She was trying to look for Dylan, not listen to what other people had to say about her. It didn't take her long to spot him and Brooke, not long at all. She felt extremely fortunate that the two of them stood out so much. Even if they didn't, Millie would probably still be able to find them because of how loud Brooke's voice was. It wasn't so loud that it annoyed everyone in the room, but it certainly stood out more than the other voices. She walked in their direction. Dylan quickly spotted her and waved at her. Millie meekly waved back. She approached their table and planted herself in the empty seat.

"Hey." Millie greeted.

"Hey." Dylan said in response.

"Hi!" Brooke said back, more enthusiastically than Millie and Dylan's greetings. "Dylan said you two got to talk yesterday and you both made up! That's good. I knew it was a good idea for you two to talk it out! I just knew you both had to understand each other!"

Millie blinked at her, surprised by her voice. Was that her default volume? It was startling when Millie was up close. Then, she focused on what she said. "You told him to talk to me?" She asked.

Brooke nodded her head like an eager puppy. "Mhm! I had a feeling that if the two of you talked alone, then you could have an easier time trying to understand one another." She explained.

"She could tell you were sorry, but she wanted me to be sure too." Dylan added.

So she's the one who convinced Dylan to talk to her? Millie started wondering how things would've turned out if she didn't convince him to talk to her. Would it be the same, or would he not approach her at all?

"Yeah, so when Dylan told me things worked out, I was so happy!" Brooke cheered, startling Millie yet again.

"Okay, well, don't be too happy. You might make Millie explode." Dylan said, taking notice of Millie's unease.

"Oh, sorry." Brooke said nervously. "Yeah, I can be a little much." Dylan raised an eyebrow at her as if he was subconsciously saying that was an understatement.

Millie shook her head quickly. "No, no! It's fine." She said hurriedly. "It was just a bit... surprising."

"There! See, Dylan? I told you it would be fine! Oh, right, before you got here, Dylan and I were talking and he was telling me not to get too excited around you, but I told him you wouldn't mind!" Brooke said excitedly.

"Yeah, I didn't want you to scare her off, Brooke." Dylan said, which earned him a light smack from Brooke.

"Oh, come on! I do not scare people off!" Brooke "You're still dating me, so you're not scared off!"

"That's what you think." Dylan said in a joking manner. "Who knows? I could be trying to figure out ways to dump you right now and you wouldn't even realize it. Life sure is a mystery." He leaned back and folded his arms behind his head with a smirk.

"Okay, now I definitely know you're joking." Brooke said in frustration.

"Am I though?" Dylan asked. "I mean... you are a lot to handle. I really have my work cut out for me."

"You're an idiot." Brooke said.

"Maybe. But you are dating me, so who's more foolish? The fool or the fool who follows him?" Dylan said.

Brooke huffed. "Alright. If you think I'm such an idiot, then I guess you don't need my help with homework."

"Alright. I can do it just fine on my own anyway." Dylan remarked. "And besides, I didn't ask for your help with homework, so I'm good."

"But we could've had study nights!"
Brooke argued.

"If we did, you'd probably get me to play video games with you the whole time." Dylan said.

"Not the whole time!" Brooke tried to defend herself.

"But you do admit to making me play video games." Dylan retorted with a smirk.

"Well... shut up!" Brooke shouted, making Dylan laugh.

Millie was in absolute disbelief. She thought for a moment she was watching two children fighting each other with Brooke being the younger of the two. It was... honestly adorable to see. She never saw this side of Dylan and seeing him so happy with someone like Brooke was endearing. For a moment, she neglected her feelings of sadness over not being in Brooke's place right now, being the one who made Dylan happy and being the one making him laugh. At the moment, watching the two of them banter was enough to prove to her that Dylan was happy with Brooke and she shouldn't change that.

"Oh! Sorry! We kinda just ignored you for a bit there! So sorry!" Brooke apologized profusely.

Millie laughed. "It's okay. That was... definitely something to watch."

"Good. I was afraid we were going to lose you there." Dylan said.

"No need to worry. I'll try my best to stay tethered to the physical realm while you two argue about... study nights." Millie joked.

"I'll trust you to keep that promise." Dylan said with a slight chuckle.

"Hey! Do you like video games? Dylan told me you loved horror stuff, so I just wanted to ask! I personally can't do horror games! No way!" Brooke said.

Millie shook her head. She never really enjoyed video games, something her grandpa was grateful for. It wasn't like she wasn't interested. They seemed cool and all, but her family was never in a good enough financial situation to afford a gaming console, so even if she did want one, she couldn't get one anyway, so she couldn't exactly be interested in something she could never get anyway. Besides, she always had her books to turn to when she needed something to clear her head.

"No. I'm not really interested in them."

Brooke nodded, looking somewhat disappointed. Was she hoping to have Millie play games with her? They just got properly introduced and she wanted to invite her over for game night? Millie made the mistake of looking into her sad eyes.

Millie sighed, feeling bad for Brooke. "But, I don't hate them, so... I guess I don't mind playing them."

Brooke smiled at that.

"Uh oh. You're in for a world of hurt if you volunteer to play video games with Brooke." Dylan said.

"Why?" Millie asked confused.

"Let's just say she gets competitive. It doesn't matter if you're playing against her or I am." Dylan said. "She'll destroy you."

Brooke rubbed the back of her head nervously. "I, uh... I don't think I'm that good."

"You called yourself the 'Snack Space Goddess' when we went there on a date." Dylan deadpanned.

Millie tried to stifle a laugh. "The what?"

"You know the Snack Space? That one place downtown? Well, we went there on a date and she beat me at all the games." Dylan explained.

"Hey, you sucked. It's not my fault you couldn't beat me." Brooke said.

"So you're saying that if I didn't suck, then I could've stood a chance, Miss... 'Goddess of the Snack Space?'" Dylan joked with a sly grin.

Brooke turned red. "N-No! That's not what I meant! I'm just saying that you're not on my level!"

"But what if I was though?" Dylan asked.

"I'm starting to understand why my dad hates you." Brooke said.

Millie was stumped. Should she say something or should she let them talk? She didn't want to seem like an asshole for interrupting them, but she had a feeling they were starting to get off track.

Fortunately, she didn't have to worry since Dylan cleared his throat. "Sorry again." Dylan said awkwardly.

"Snack Space... you mean that one pizza place?" Millie asked.

"Well, pizza place/arcade. It's kinda like a one of everything type thing, you know?" Dylan said.

"Hey! We should all hang out there some time!" Brooke asked.

"That's fine. I-"

"Please? It'll give us all a chance to get to know each other!" Brooke said.

"You don't have to if it's not your thing, Millie." Dylan said.

Truthfully, Millie wasn't certain if she should go. It would probably be good for them to hang out and it would also offer a moment of peace for her, but at the same time, Millie just started talking to Dylan again and she just started getting properly acquainted with Brooke, as messy as that was. She wasn't certain if Dylan was comfortable to do something like that just yet. She wanted to let him adjust and give himself time to be comfortable around her again. He seemed okay with it regardless since Brooke seemed to be the one calling the shots.

"I'll... think about it." Millie said.

"Great! That's good enough for me! If you do decide to come, though, the best day for it would be Friday! And then maybe after, we can stop for ice cream!" Brooke said. She was talking as if Millie had already made her decision.

"Oh, and Dylan, the next time you give me one of your books, please don't make it be about scary stuff!" She turned to address Dylan who chuckled in response.

"Sorry, sorry. But, you keep asking for books. I just always happen to have all the good ones."

"I'm serious! My Dad's gonna kill me if he finds out you're giving me those kinds of books!" Brooke exclaimed.

"Okay, okay, you win. Here... you can have my copy of Lenore. Trust me, it's not scary or anything like Lovecraft." Dylan put his hand over his heart. "Promise."

Brooke smiled and took the book. "Oh, hey, that reminds me! Millie, we share a class together! U.S. Government! I think Mr. Dowell said something about a group project coming up. Think you wanna be my partner for that?"

Millie paused. She wanted to think this through. Having Brooke as a partner would probably be fun, but what if she got distracted too much and Millie had to do all the work? Brooke didn't seem like that kind of person, though. Actually, Millie was giving her a little too much credit there, but Millie did want to be on good terms with Brooke. A partner project would be a good way for them to bond.

"I mean... sure. If you want to." Millie answered.

"Of course I do! I wouldn't have asked otherwise!" Brooke said while giggling slightly.

Millie nodded to herself. "Right. Yeah. Then, I think we can be partners."

"Perfect!" Brooke said.

Millie smiled at Brooke's enthusiasm. She was like a dense ball of happiness. It made Millie feel even worse for judging her. If she wasn't sure Dylan deserved her before, she was positive now. She felt so out of place when she was among them, but at the same time, she felt accepted. She still had a ways to go in terms of earning back Dylan's trust completely, but it was a start. At least she didn't say anything to ruin that yet.

"He lets you borrow his books too?"
Millie asked suddenly.

"Yeah. Just the nice ones." Brooke answered.

"I was talking about the books I read one day and she said she's never read them, so I offered to let her borrow certain ones as long as she promises to give them back. So far, she's kept her word." Dylan said.

"What? Are you expecting me not to?" Brooke asked.

"No, of course I'm not, but they are my books, so I can't help but worry about them." Dylan said.

"Well, I've been very careful with them!" Brooke assured.

"I know." Dylan replied.

Millie looked between the two of them. Their banter was constant and it had only been six minutes since lunch started. She had no idea how long they could keep this up for. She started to feel awkward about having nothing to talk about with them.

"Hey, Millie, do you have any book recommendations?" Brooke asked.

Millie blinked and looked back up at Brooke with slight surprise. "Umm..." She didn't know what to say. Dylan shared his books with her too, so she probably knew all the ones Millie would recommend. "Dylan and I like all the same books. I'm sure you've read them all already."

"Oh..." Brooke paused. "Well, do you have any with you? Maybe I can look and say for myself which ones I've read."

Millie looked down at her backpack with reluctance before picking it up and sitting it on the table. "Sure... I have a couple of them. I mostly like poems." She opened up her backpack and let Brooke look at the books she brought with her.

"I've read these already." Brooke said. "But, I definitely like them! I guess you and Dylan really do share the same taste in poems." She gave her a wide smile.

Millie smiled back slightly. "Thanks." She reclaimed her books and put them back in her backpack. She felt like they were off to a good start.

***

12:23 PM

01/08/2020

For the rest of lunch, they spent their time talking about different books they liked and then it turned into a conversation about future assignments. Not exactly a thrilling first conversation to have with new friends, but Brooke and Dylan certainly made good company. Right now, she was walking down the hall with Dylan. Brooke's next class was on the other end of school, so she couldn't walk with them. At the moment, Millie and Dylan were headed in the same direction, so they decided to stick together and talk for a bit.

"Well, you sure weren't kidding about Brooke." Millie said.

"Yeah, sorry if she was a little much." Dylan said.

"Oh, no. It's fine." Millie said. "Yeah, it was surprising at first, but I can get used to it."

"Well, I'm happy you got along with her." Dylan said.

"Yeah. I really was wrong about her." Millie said apologetically.

"Hey." Dylan said. "Things went pretty good today. Great, actually. I'm sure Brooke would like to talk to you again. She seemed to like you. Of course, the same can be said for anyone she talks to for the first time."

"I'll take it." Millie said. She was glad things were going okay so far. That feeling she felt earlier where she felt like she stood out had still prevailed throughout the lunch period, but at least it was nice talking to them. Brooke's outgoing and positive nature was a lot for Millie, but she was nice, way nicer than Millie ever expected her to be, but she also seemed well behaved in class, at least in the only class she always had with her. She was so quiet and always paid attention. Not that Millie ever paid attention to her during that time. Before, Millie saw her as just another useless basic girl who was ignorant just like everyone else around her, but she couldn't possibly be more wrong. Brooke was extremely extroverted, but during their conversation, Brooke seemed to pay attention to Millie's feelings and tried her best to make her feel comfortable, so she was at least observant and could read the room. Millie appreciated that. The only other thing that concerned her was that Brooke was too trusting of other people. That could get her hurt depending on who she talked to, but that was only a worse case scenario. Brooke was a smart girl from what she could tell, so she'd probably be fine. Either way, she trusted Millie enough to invite her to go with them to that place. What was it called again? Snack Space? Point being, Millie still didn't know Brooke well, so getting invited somewhere this early in their friendship didn't feel right to her. Unless that was just a normal thing friends did, not that Millie would know. Regardless, Brooke might be okay with it, but what about Dylan? It wouldn't be fair to set his feelings aside. What did he think about it?

"Hey, Dylan, if you don't want me going to that.. Snack... place, or whatever, just let me know." Millie offered.

"Millie, it's cool. We're supposed to be starting over, right? It wouldn't be starting over if we banned each other from hanging out at places. You don't have to go, but that's your choice, not mine." Dylan said. "I can talk to Brooke about it. She kinda jumped the gun and already assumed you'd be going."

"I'm still thinking about it. I'll try and come to a decision by Thursday." Millie said.

Dylan nodded. "Okay. My class is on the other end of the hall, so..."

"See you later then?" Millie asked.

"Yeah. On the way out of school, we can try and meet up." Dylan said.

"Okay." Millie said. "See you."

"Yeah, see you later." Dylan walked away, leaving Millie to start heading to her class, only for her to pick up the pace when she realized she was about to be late.

***

2:45 PM

01/08/2020

Millie, Brooke, and Dylan all walk together out of school.

"Man, I feel bad for you two having to ride home on the buses." Brooke said.

"It's not so bad if you have ear plugs." Dylan said.

"You drive home?" Millie asked.

"No, my mom comes and picks me up." Brooke said. Millie felt a little stupid after asking that. She figured she didn't drive herself home. They're only in the ninth grade, so it would be surprising if not impossible if Brooke already had her license.

"Hey, that reminds me, when's your permit test?" Dylan asked Brooke.

"Oh... it should be next month depending on what's happening." Brooke said. "I really do need to catch up on reading the book for it."

"Damn, I was hoping it would be some kind of wacky coincidence where we have our tests at the same time. Oh well... too much to ask for, I guess. Mine's in the next two weeks I think. I heard my dad talking about getting me my own truck once I get my license." Dylan said.

"I'm not sure when my grandpa will have me take my test. We still don't know if my parents are coming back." Millie said.

Brooke tilted her head in confusion. "Coming back?"

"They're doing a teaching job in Saudi Arabia right now. I'm staying with my grandpa until they come back." Millie explained.

"Oh. I'm sure they're excited about it." Brooke said.

"That's what my grandpa tells me. He's heard nothing but good things from them so far." Millie said.

"So, it's just you and your grandpa then?" Brooke asked.

"And my cat, yeah." Millie corrected, but she wasn't too serious about it.

In an instant, Brooke's eyes lit up. "Oh, you have a cat?"

Millie nodded. "Annabel Lee. She makes for good company."

"You named her after the poem? Aw, that's so cute! You have to show me a picture of her!" Brooke begged with a gleam in her round eyes.

Millie should've known Brooke was a cat lover. At this point, she checked all the boxes for the bubbly and excitable teenage girl cliche. Of course, Brooke didn't know she was a black cat, but given that she was fine with Millie's dark clothing, it was safe to assume she didn't believe in that stereotype.

"Maybe... if we have each other's phone numbers." Millie pointed out.

Brooke's eyes widened in realization and she gave an embarrassed laugh. "Right! I forgot! Here, let's trade!"

She and Dylan took out their phones and traded numbers with Millie.

"Perfect. Now, you can send me a hundred pictures of Annabel Lee!"

Millie looked at her in concern. She didn't really want a hundred pictures of her cat... right?

At that moment, Brooke turned around to see a red minivan stop in front of the school. "Oh, there she is! I better hurry!" Brooke said before kissing Dylan on the lips as a way of saying goodbye. Millie averted her eyes as that awkward feeling returned to her yet again.

Dylan waved after her with a dumb smile only a little kid could have before looking back down at Millie. "Same time tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Millie said, giving Dylan a thumbs up. "Before I forget... did she really mean that? About the hundred pictures?"

Dylan put his hand on her shoulder, looked into her eyes intensely, and took a deep breath. "She meant a million."

Millie looked at him in concern for a moment before snapping out of it and changing her expression into an incredulous one. "That's bullshit."

Dylan laughed. "Oh, yeah, but I definitely got you for a split second there!"

"Yeah, after today, I almost believed it." Millie smiled.

"Just send her a couple, but make them really adorable. That'll be enough." Dylan said.

"Okay. I doubted she actually wanted a hundred pictures of the same cat, but after everything I saw today, I wanted to play it safe." Millie said.

"Yeah, that's probably the wisest choice." Dylan said.

"Alright. See you tomorrow." Millie said.

"See ya!" Dylan said as he walked away.

Millie got on to her bus and looked out the window. Today went pretty well.

***

3:17 PM

01/08/2020

After the bus dropped her off, she walked back home on her own. The wind picked up a bit and blew her hood off. She had to close her eyes to keep the cold wind from getting in them. When the wind died down, she thanked whatever mischievous force was responsible and continued on her way.

She reminisced on the day, thinking about Dylan and Brooke. Their conversations felt awkward since they didn't know what to talk about with each other, not to mention everything else that's happened between them. But, hopefully, they'll have enough conversations to make them less awkward.

Millie sighed. In due time...

She could see her grandpa's house just up ahead, but also noticed a police car parked in the driveway. Her heart started racing. Her mind began to jump to conclusions, and she started running. She desperately hoped that she was wrong, that her grandpa was fine and Freddy didn't hurt him. Before she knew it, she was at the door and she wasted no time opening it. Immediately, she could see Thomas talking to a pair of officers. She smiled in relief that he was okay, but was still on edge. She didn't know why two cops were here and what could prompt her grandfather to call them, unless he didn't call them and they're here for some other reason. Was he in trouble? Was she in trouble? No, what could they have done?

The cops looked at her curiously. "Can we help you, young lady?" One of them asked.

"Oh, it's okay. She's my granddaughter." Thomas assured them.

Millie approached him with worry as she kept her gaze on the police officers. "Grandpa, what's going on?"

"Oh, someone stole Freddy from the shed last night. I'm not sure who did it or how they managed it without waking us up, but I called the police to make sure-"

Thomas blinked and saw Millie sprinting out the back door towards the shed. "Millie? Millie!" He shouted after her.

Tears stung Millie's eyes while she ran. Her breathing hastened and she ran as fast as she could. She didn't believe it. It couldn't be true! She had to be dreaming! An uncertain smile crept onto her face. Yes, she was dreaming. Freddy was still in there. How could he even leave in the first place? How could it be possible?

Finally reaching the shed, she swung the door open, self preservation be damned. She had to see. She needed to see that it wasn't real.

Once her eyes focused on the empty spot where Freddy's gargantuan body should be slumped in, she felt like she wanted to throw up. The terror, the memories, they were all coming back. Freddy was gone, and she was once again in danger. She felt so foolish for believing it was over, that she could just walk away with no fear of the monster escaping to haunt her once again. She could still remember that chamber like it was yesterday. Those blue eyes filled with cruelty were going to shine down on her once again. It was only a matter of when.

***

12:40 PM

01/08/2020

The hum of Everette's computer case drilled into his mind as he blankly stared at his monitor and absentmindedly glanced at various documents. Taking a deep breath, he took his eyes away from the screen and looked around at his office, his fortress of solitude, minus the solitude part. It was more like a reminder of all the mistakes he made. He noticed the files he failed to clean up. He really needed to organize it a little better. It wasn't horrendous, but it wasn't neat either. Not that anyone came into it other than the chief and his partner for the most part, but it would be nice if it looked good. He looked over at the picture of his ex-wife and son on the desk. Everette frowned at seeing how happy his son looked in the photo and reminisced on happier times when his son used to smile when he was still being a proper father.

Suddenly, the door opened, making Everette jump slightly. He looked up and saw Duncan Roberts, his partner, bursting into the room. He looked like he was in a hurry, so something had to be wrong for him to be acting like this.

"Everette! The chief wants us to leave!" Duncan said urgently. Duncan was never in a hurry, not like this. Monahan must want them badly.

"Duncan, calm down. What's going on?" Everette asked, trying to calm Duncan's nerves.

"Somebody found Sarah! Chief wants us there right away, so we need to go!" Duncan explained impatiently.

Everette's eyes widened. Sarah? They finally found her?

He heard about her case: The strange disappearance of Sarah Milbourne that happened a few months ago...

TO BE CONTINUED...