Nancy and Kristen kept backing away until their shoulders hit the wall.
There was nowhere left to run.
"Kristen, think of something—use your ability, quick!" Nancy urged anxiously.
"My ability? I—I don't know how!" Kristen froze for a moment, then screamed in terror.
A sharp screeching sound tore through the air.
Freddy zigzagged toward them, his figure flickering like smoke. His metal claws carved deep, jagged lines across the walls and ceiling.
With his grotesque figure and that ear-piercing sound, it was enough to drive anyone insane.
The more terrified Kristen became, the less control she had over her powers. She squeezed her eyes shut in panic.
Beside her, Nancy's face grew paler with every metallic scrape echoing through the room.
She tried to force herself not to fear him—after all, fear only fueled Freddy's strength—but this version of him was clearly stronger than ever before.
"Goodbye, Nancy." Freddy's claws screeched as they slashed toward her.
Nancy couldn't dodge. Her pupils shrank in horror as death closed in.
Is this it?
In that instant, for reasons she couldn't explain, Nancy suddenly remembered the blind man she'd met earlier that day—and the last thing he said to her.
"Barrry!"
She blurted the name instinctively.
The moment she did, her hand burned hot. Flames erupted, morphing into a fiery serpent that shot forward—meeting Freddy head-on.
Whoosh!
Fire burst out instantly, engulfing Freddy in roaring flames.
"What the hell—fire?! You dare burn Uncle Freddy?!"
The black, snake-like man dropped to the ground, rolling in agony to smother the flames. When he finally put them out, his expression twisted with pure rage.
He was furious now.
"I—I did it!" Kristen gasped, thrilled. "Nancy, that was awesome—burn him again!"
Nancy nodded quickly and raised her hand, aiming at Freddy to strike again.
She stood there, hand outstretched for several seconds… but nothing happened.
"This feeling… I remember it," Freddy sneered. "You just said Barrry, didn't you?"
Nancy's heart sank. "W-What about it?"
Freddy grinned wide, his voice slithering with glee. "Oh, him and I? We go way back. Why didn't you say so earlier? Heheheh…"
He rocked back and forth, laughing like a maniac.
"Well then, since we're all friends here—maybe we can call a truce?" Nancy suggested carefully, desperate to buy time.
Freddy stopped laughing, his grin stretching unnaturally. "You must be joking. That bastard Barrry—he burned me, smashed my face, and made me a damn joke! To repay the favor… I'll start with you! Let's see how he likes watching you suffer!"
Nancy's hope vanished instantly.
So much for calling his name for help!
Wasn't that supposed to work?!
"This is gonna get me killed!" she thought bitterly.
"Barrry… Barrry…" Kristen murmured suddenly, her eyes wide in realization. She remembered now—the man who had pinned her down in the elevator earlier.
Right before she entered, she'd heard a girl in a school uniform call him by that name.
Her survival instincts screamed at her. She didn't think—she just obeyed them.
She called out his name.
The sky cracked open with thunder. A blinding flash of light illuminated the entire cabin, inside and out.
He appeared.
That man.
When the light faded, a black-haired, dark-eyed man stood in the middle of the room.
"Uh… where am I?" Barrry muttered, rubbing his neck. He'd fallen asleep after intense training and had faintly heard someone calling him. He thought his friends were inviting him to hop online for a game, so he'd answered without thinking.
Then he froze.
"Whoa, hold up… is that a giant snake with a human face?" His eyes narrowed, then he grinned. "Huh. Ugly mug like that… looks just like that idiot Freddy."
"Ba—LING!" Freddy roared, stressing each syllable like a curse. His head twisted to a sharp point in fury.
How dare this man show up in his domain, the dream world, and mock him to his face!
Unforgivable.
Freddy had to crush him—to make him pay for every humiliation he'd suffered.
After all, the dream world was his turf. No one understood it better.
Or so he thought.
Crack! Crack!
Two sharp snaps echoed through the room.
Freddy's perspective suddenly flipped—from looking down to staring up.
"What the—?"
A second later, he found out why.
Barrry's annoyingly handsome face appeared right in front of him, calm and unbothered. He wasn't the scorched version Freddy remembered from hell—he was even stronger now, his physical power rivaling and surpassing Jason's.
Those cracking sounds? That was Barrry stomping down on Freddy's spine—twice—then grabbing his limbs and folding him up like a pretzel.
Crack. Crunch.
Barrry kept going, bending and compressing until Freddy was rolled up into a ball.
"No! This isn't fair—you can't attack before the bell rings!" Freddy protested, his voice muffled and round like a basketball.
Barrry didn't care.
To him, monsters who preyed on the weak—especially children—deserved no mercy.
Freddy's crimes made Jason look tame in comparison.
Only one punishment fit. Absolute humiliation.
"Ladies," Barrry said, flashing a grin, "enjoy the fireworks. Don't blink."
He summoned dark red flames, heating the ball-shaped Freddy like a piece of charcoal. Then he cranked up the fire, roasting him to perfection.
The smell of cooked meat filled the room.
Barrry tossed the sizzling ball into the air and swung a blazing kick.
Freddy shot out like a cannonball, burst through the cabin wall, and exploded outside in a burst of flaming light.
"I'll be back!" Freddy's distorted voice echoed through the night—then faded.
Barrry dusted his hands off. "Yeah, sure you will."
Even if Freddy didn't come back, Barrry would hunt him down himself.
He turned, smiling faintly at the two girls still frozen in shock. "Well, that was a pretty good fireworks show, right? Worth the price of admission?"
Nancy and Kristen were shaking, clinging to each other tightly.
This guy's just as terrifying as Freddy, they thought.
But at least… he looked human—and didn't seem hostile.
"D-Don't come any closer…" Kristen whispered, peeking out from behind Nancy. She still hadn't forgotten the man who'd manhandled her in the elevator earlier that day.
"Who are you? And why does Freddy know you?" Nancy asked cautiously, forcing herself to sound steady.
She'd survived Freddy before. She knew that sometimes, you had to take the initiative to survive.
Just like six years ago—when she escaped Freddy's claws the first time.
Brains and courage. You needed both to make it out alive.