A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child — Adaptation Excerpts

Adapted by Bob Italia
Transcribed by Rob Nimmo
Order

SEVEN

Mark laid on the floor, propped up on one elbow as he read a comic book. Bored, he pushed it away. Then he noticed another comic book that he had never seen before. He pulled it over. Written across the top in dripping letters was the title: A NIGHTMARE ON YOUR STREET. Intrigued, Mark rolled over on his stomach and opened the comic with both hands. His eyes flew open as he saw a comic book representation of Greta’s death sequence. Mark flipped through the comic book. The illustrations depicted other mayhem that Freddy had created—Dan’s death and Yvonne’s dive. Mark grew enraged. “You creep.” Then Mark was gripped in shock as he saw a drawing of himself, lying on the floor, reading a comic book. The drawing was followed by several blank frames. Mark stared in amazement for a moment, then touched the first empty frame.

Suddenly, he turned into a line drawing and began to unravel into the comic book. Mark emerged in color against a black and white backdrop of scaffolding. It towered above him, rusted, decrepit, held together at odd angles. Mark looked through the scaffolding and saw Freddy on the other side, ripping through the scaffolding supports as though they were made of paper, cutting his way to Mark. “Time to cut another character out of the story!” Freddy said. Mark whirled around and ran through a towering canyon of scaffolding, long shadows stretched out before him. But as he turned the corner, he skidded to a halt in a dead end canyon. Then he heard Freddy’s cackle and whirled around to see him standing in the shadows. Mark was trapped. Freddy laughed again. He leered at Mark, and raced toward him like a missile. Freddy’s face loomed before him as Mark raised his arms against the impending collision—
—then Freddy disappeared.

Suddenly, tons of scaffolding crashed around him, trapping him. Freddy dropped down behind Mark and raised his claw for the kill. But then, Mark whirled around, transforming himself into a colorful comic superhero. “Payback time, you scar-faced jerk!” Mark shouted. Mark glared menacingly at Freddy as he raised two futuristic guns. He aimed point-blank into Freddy’s chest and blasted away. Wads of confetti flew into Freddy’s chest, knocking him to the ground. Then Mark stepped closer to finish him off. Suddenly, Freddy leaped to his feet. He had transformed into a bulked up comic version of his hideous self. He stood with his hands on his hips. “Faster than a speeding maniac!” he cried. “More powerful than a loco-madman…it’s—Super Freddy!” Freddy struck a pose, flexing his rippling muscles. “Told ya comic books were bad for ya,” Freddy said. Then he grabbed some scaffolding and pulled it down on Mark’s paper body.

—

Alice and Yvonne stood in a darkened asylum corridor, continuing their search for Amanda Krueger. “It must be here—it must!” Alice said. “You really think she’s buried here?” Yvonne said. “If they actually bothered to bury her.” Suddenly, Alice and Yvonne heard the scaffolding crashing down. They turned and stared down the corridor. They could see Mark’s bedroom—and his lifeless body crushed beneath the scaffolding. Alice clutched her belly in pain. “Nooooo!” Alice could see herself lying on the bed in Mark’s room. She started to rise. At that moment, Alice and Yvonne vanished from the corridor—and yanked out of the dream. Yvonne’s eyes snapped open as she woke with a start. She quickly glanced around, realizing she was in the training room whirlpool. She hurriedly rose from the water and got dressed. Then she ran from the building to her car.

—

Police cars were parked in front of Grey & Son Construction, their twirling lights strobing the morbid scene with red and blue. A small crowd of onlookers gathered to watch Mark’s body bag being wheeled into a waiting coroner’s van. Alice and her father emerged from the warehouse, his arms around her. A police officer followed them out. “Nothing in the room was up to code,” the officer said. “It’s a miracle you both weren’t killed.” Alice’s red eyes flashed with anger. “No, he won’t hurt me. He needs me alive.” “Who?” the officer said. Alice just shook her head. “Take her home,” the officer said. “She probably needs some rest.” Alice’s father nodded and led her towards the street. Suddenly, Yvonne’s car rapidly pulled to the curb. Alice shrugged free of her father’s arm and ran to the car. “Yvonne! I know what Krueger’s doing. Everytime someone dies, he gets closer to finishing!” “What?”: Yvonne said. “Jacob. We’ve got to find Amanda before it’s too late!” Alice climbed into the car. “But how are we gonna—” “We’ve got to go to the asylum and find her body. Her soul’s trapped with it—that’s why she can’t come to me! It must be!”
“Alice!” her father called out as he approached. “Alice, wait!”
“I’ve got to go,” Alice said to him.
“No! I won’t have you running around in the middle of the night. You’re coming home.”
“But dad—”
“Now,” he said adamantly.
Alice reluctantly nodded. She turned to Yvonne. “Find Amanda—and hurry!”
Alice and her father returned home. She was frustrated and angry, but he was determined.
“Now I want you to go upstairs and get some sleep,” he said forcefully.
Alice hesitated, then nodded. “You’re right. That’s exactly what I need to do.”
Her father looked stunned. He grinned. “It is.”
Alice kissed him on the cheek, then headed for the stairs.

—

Yvonne pulled up to the entrance of the darkened asylum flanked by gargoyles, their faces smashed and eroded by years of neglect and vandalism. Yvonne popped the trunk and removed a flashlight and some tools, then headed up the crumbling steps. She paused to look up at the tower, rising high into the first rays of dawn. The three solitary windows at the top reflected the pale sky.

Yvonne climbed through a gap in a boarded up window. She shined the flashlight around as she moved cautiously through the corridor. Early morning light streaked through, helping to light the treacherous path. Graffiti adorned the peeling walls. Leaves and broken bottles were strewn across the floor. She became worried. How would she ever find Amanda Krueger’s grave?

—

As she dreamed, Alice found herself in the asylum corridor. She wore a look of determination as she searched for her enemy. “I was too strong for you! So you picked on Jacob!” Alice turned a corner. Still no sign of him. “You’re trying to tailor make him so you can live through his dreams for the rest of his life. Well I won’t let you! You hear me, Krueger? If you won’t talk to me, maybe you’d like to talk to Amanda!” Alice reached the set of stairs that led up the tower. She climbed the steps and put her hands to the bricks that blocked the entrance. “Amanda! Sister Amanda Krueger!”

—

Yvonne stood at the top of the stairs facing the brick wall that blocked the entrance to the tower. She lifted a pick and swung at the bricks. The pick struck with a loud THUNK!

—

The THUNK echoed eerily, as though from far away. Suddenly, Alice heard Freddy’s cry of rage. She whirled around and saw him charging toward her from the far end of the corridor. Alice rushed down the stairs and ran into the adjoining corridor. Then she raced toward the open metal door at the other end. “Come and get me, you coward!” she taunted Freddy before disappearing into the shadows. Freddy turned the corner and rushed to the iron door. Then he stopped abruptly, recognizing the doorway that once imprisoned the hundred maniacs.

Suddenly, the hall was filled with the sound of squeaking, rusty wheels. Alice screamed with rage as she appeared out of the darkness, pushing the hideous baby stroller. She hit Freddy from behind and pushed him and the stroller through the doorway. Freddy tumbled down the stairs and landed in the darkened room where he had been violently conceived. Sitting up, Freddy looked around in horror as his fathers surrounded him. Then they closed in on him. Alice gazed victoriously down the steps. “Pleasant dreams.” Then she slammed the door, silencing Freddy’s cries. “Mommy,” a voice called out from behind, “meet my friend.” Alice whirled around and saw that the corridor had been transformed into an insane puzzle of Freddy’s boiler room, the asylum, the Elm Street house, and the abandoned church. Stairs and doors stood at impossible angles. Freddy’s boiler swung like a pendulum. Jacob stood in a far doorway before a flight of stairs. He was with Freddy, now transformed. Freddy grinned sardonically. “Just what I really needed. It’s a whole new me! Like it?” He took Jacob’s hand and laughed. “The kid’s got my profile.” Feeling the dread rising inside her, Alice stepped into the insane puzzle and approached them.

—

Yvonne swung again and again with the pick, knocking a few bricks loose. She rested the pick along the wall and peeked through the hole. She could see rotting boards of a door.

—

Alice looked up at Freddy and her son. Jacob looked apprehensive, “Mommy?” he said. “Come on down stairs,” Alice said to him. “He won’t hurt you. He needs us both.” “I’ve got you both,” Freddy said. “Which half would you like?” Alice ignored him. “Come on, Jacob. Time to go home.” Jacob looked up at Freddy. He hesitated. Then he ran down the stairs. Freddy quickly turned and charged up the stairs, disappearing through a door. Jacob rushed toward Alice. But then a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks. “Jacob?” the voice called out. Jacob turned and looked back at Dan. Alice’s eyes flew open. The man she loved, the man she thought she would never see again, was standing before her. Confusion and longing wracked her face. “Dan?” she muttered. “It’s all right, Jacob,” Dan said, wearing a warm, reassuring smile as he walked toward Jacob with his arms outstretched. “Come to Daddy.” Then Alice fought back her confusion. “Jacob!” she cried. “He’s not your father!” Bone-like claws emerged from Dan’s fingertips. Jacob turned and ran. “Kids,” Freddy said. “Always a disappointment.” Enraged, Freddy snarled and charged after Jacob. Jacob ran to Alice. She scooped him up in her arms, turned, and blindly ran away. She found herself at the end of a staircase, standing before a vast crypt beneath the asylum. Huge, ancient columns indented with faces of dead souls supported the roof far above. At the far end of the crypt were two staircases. One led to the room of the hundred maniacs. The other led to Alice’s bedroom in the real world. Alice put down Jacob and turned to face Freddy. But Freddy was nowhere to be seen. “Where is he?” Jacob hesitated. “He’s inside of you. That’s where he hides.” Alice looked at Jacob in amazement. “What do you mean?” “It’s where he hides out. Inside. That’s how he found me.” A look of horror crossed her face. Suddenly, Freddy appeared. Alice grabbed Freddy’s arm before he could strike. “No!” she cried. “Jacob—run!” Freddy’s insane laughter filled the crypt.

—

Yvonne furiously picked at the bricks until she widened the hole. She pushed her hand against the cracked and rotting boards, but the door wouldn’t open. Yvonne stepped back and threw herself at the boards. They splintered from the impact as Yvonne tumbled into the room. Then she stood and stared in awe at Sister Amanda Krueger kneeling on the dust covered floor, her back to Yvonne. Yvonne approached cautiously. She slowly stretched out her hand and placed it on Amanda’s shoulder. Amanda’s white habit crumpled to the ground in a heap as a gust of wind blew out the door.

—

Jacob cried as he watched Alice struggle with Freddy. Suddenly, Amanda’s voice cut through the sound of the death struggle. “Jacob!” she cried. “Alice will not triumph!” Jacob looked around in confusion. Amanda was nowhere to be seen. “Only you can help her now!” Amanda’s voice said. Snarling, Jacob rushed toward the struggling couple. “Hey, leave her! She’s no fun anymore. I want to go home now!” Freddy looked at Jacob. He saw a different boy now. Jacob’s face was changing. He was becoming like Freddy. “Let’s go,” Jacob said. “I want to learn stuff from you. Will you teach me?” At first, Freddy looked suspicious. Then he smiled and extricated from Alice. Alice sank to the ground, exhausted and beaten.

Freddy approached Jacob who smiled evilly. Suddenly, Freddy stopped and snarled as he saw something behind Jacob. Jacob turned to face Amanda. “Now, Jacob!” Amanda cried. “Unleash the power he has given you!” Jacob looked at Freddy. “Time to go, Freddy!” As he spoke, a violent wind rushed from his mouth. The souls of Dan, Greta and Mark hurled themselves upon Freddy, striking him in the chest and emerging through his back. They pulled him toward Amanda. Freddy howled in anguish as he was dragged backward. His head, hands, and legs disappeared into his red and green sweater. It fell in a heap to the floor. “Come home, my son,” Amanda said. “All of us are waiting for you now.” Suddenly, baby Freddy appeared from the red and green sweater. Amanda stepped forward and scooped him up, cradling him tenderly in her arms. “I forgive you, my son,” she said. Then she faced Alice. “Don’t come near. Take your son and leave.” Amanda turned sadly and walked toward the iron door. A muffled howl of anguish echoed around as she stepped into the room of a hundred maniacs. The sound of the maniacs rose to a crescendo. Suddenly, the iron door slammed shut. Then a series of doors slammed closed, blocking Alice off forever from Amanda. Now all was quiet. Alice turned to face Jacob. They smiled at each other and embraced. Then Alice led Jacob toward the bright staircase that led to her bedroom.

Chapter 6 | Chapter 8