WESTIN HILLS
EPILOGUE- REFLECTIONS


AHHHHH!

Sitting up, it didn’t take Lexi long to realize that she had managed to escape the wrath of Freddy Krueger for a second time thanks to Cameron Parker, a man who gave his life so that she might live.

With sweat dripping down her brow, Lexi climbed down off of her gurney and was never happier to see the dirty, musty-smelling walls of D-wing at the Westin Hills Psychiatric Hospital. Still intact, not reduced to rubble after all.

Only now something was different. In the dream, there was a room full of gurneys, with— gasp— bodies underneath them. Here in the real world, all the gurneys were completely empty. Something fishy was going on, and it appeared to be the handiwork of...

“Hello, Lexi,” a voice called out.

Turning around, Lexi found herself staring at Dr. Graham, who was accompanied by Dr. Halverson and his two cronies, orderlies Damian and Jonah.

“Where the hell is Cameron?” she inquired. “And all the others.”

“What are you talking about?” was Dr. Graham’s shrewd ‘nothing happened here’ reply.

“You know damn well what I’m talking about,” Lexi piped back. “The bodies. All the patients you threw down here like pieces of meat after Krueger killed them. All so you can save your ass. Well I got news for ya buddy, your ass is grass when I report this to the authorities.”

“Ohhhhh, where am I?” a familiar voice groaned nearby. Turning toward the source of the voice, Lexi spotted Gwen shaking her head and regaining consciousness.

“Gwen!!! I’m so glad to see you!!!” Lexi exclaimed, helping her roommate to her feet and hugging her tightly. “We made it. Freddy didn’t get us. Don’t you see? Cameron saved us. We survived and now we can go home.”

“Not so fast,” Dr. Graham interjected. “You two aren’t going anywhere except back to your room. Contrary to what you may think, there are rules here, and you will abide by them. Damian, Jonah, escort them back upstairs immediately.”

Getting defensive, Lexi and Gwen backpedaled as the two taller, stronger servants of Dr. Graham stepped forward to take hold of them. However, when they raised their arms to strike, another powerful set of hands intervened, catching both Damian and Jonah in mid-swing.

“You two back off,” the dark, deep voice commanded. “NOW.”

Recognizing that voice, there was only one person it could be.

“CAMERON!” Lexi said with a smile, throwing her arms around him. “I thought you were dead.”

“Come on, you didn't think you were gonna get rid of me that easily, did ya?” Cameron replied, adding a hug for Gwen as well. “I don’t know about you, but I’m so damn glad to be out of that fucking boiler room. That place drove me crazy.”

“Alright, alright, enough of this reunion bullshit,” Dr. Graham interrupted. “You two report to your rooms immediately, and you, I am placing you under arrest.”

“The hell you are,” Cameron shouted, getting face-to-face with the doc. “After all the grief you’ve given us, you’re lucky I don’t gut you like a fish.”

“If you lay one hand on me, I will press charges,” Dr. Graham replied weakly, attempting in vain to regain control.

Reaching back, Cameron balled up his hands into fists and prepared to plant the doctor. Oddly enough, it was Lexi who stopped him.

“You know, he’s right,” she said matter-of-factly. “He could sue you if you hit him.”

Smiling, Lexi, without hesitation, rared back and socked Dr. Graham right on the bridge of his nose, breaking it into pieces as blood spewed into the air.

“But he didn’t say anything about me.”

Flat on his back, it was Dr. Halverson who rushed to the aid of his colleague, while the two orderlies stepped forward, eager to retaliate for the punch.

“You two stay put,” Cameron ordered sternly, pointing his finger in the direction of Damian and Jonah, who vaguely remembered their last encounter with the Man in Black. “You don’t want to get me mad, especially with Mike Tyson in my corner over here. Come on, ladies. Let’s get out of here.”

“But how?” Lexi asked. “I am legally bound here until my 18th...”

“Happy birthday, Lexi,” Cameron responded with a shrewd grin etched across his face. “I told you I did my homework. You are now free of this douche bag. You too, Gwen. Your service was up a month ago, they just kept trying to find ways to keep you here.”

“Well, I guess there’s nothing left to say, is there?” Lexi concluded. “So long. And, doc, that was for what you did to me and my family. You will be hearing from my attorneys. Fuck you.”

Not to be outdone, it was Cameron who called the last shot as he trailed Gwen and Lexi out the door: “If you follow us, I will rip your throats out and piss back down the hole. Capiche?”

Neither one moved a muscle.


***


Three months later. Springwood Central Park.

A bright sunny day was ending in the town of Springwood, its last remaining rays making its signature fountain a thing of beauty. With its large jets shooting the water in all directions before settling down in its basin, the fountain was a common spot for picnics and gatherings of all sorts, bringing generations of families and friends together in all seasons.

At the foot of the fountain sat Lexi Murphy and Cameron Parker, who stared at their reflections in the water, smiling happily as they breathed in a swath of sweet, fresh air.

“Gwen called me yesterday,” Lexi exclaimed with a grin.

“Oh yea? How’s she doing?” Cameron asked, adjusting his trademark black trench coat.

“Great! She got accepted at Ohio U. and she’s having her first tryout on stage tomorrow for their musical. It’s gonna be a new version of Cats, something she always wanted to do.”

“That’s awesome. I’m really glad for her. You know, Lexi, it is so nice to be happy again. I didn’t think it would ever happen again, and thanks to you, it did. I’m not even sure how to react.”

“You’re welcome,” Lexi shrugged. “The way I see it, we’re even. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t even be here, so consider it a fair trade-off.”

“You don’t have to bring that up again, seriously. Krueger is dead, Graham was arrested, and Westin is shut down for good. I think it’s time we move on with our lives.”

“I agree, I just never got the chance to say thank you,” she stated, inching her way closer to him. “So...thank you.”

Kissing him on the cheek, Lexi looked up into his pale blue eyes and they exchanged a large, ear-to-ear grin as they stood up away from the fountain. Lexi, adjusting her new black trench coat and attire, laughed as Cameron raced her back to the road, where his brand new Harley-Davidson heritage sportster motorcycle sat dormant, ready to ride. Not surprisingly, it was black.

“Come on, let’s go,” he insisted, putting on a pair of black sunglasses. “We’re burning daylight.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Lexi chuckled, putting on a pair of sunglasses of her own and running toward him. However, right before she got to the bike, she collided with a man out of nowhere, sending them both crashing to the ground.

“Hey, I’m sorry about that,” Lexi apologized, but when she saw the red-and-green striped sweater and brown fedora he was wearing, she nearly freaked. “Oh my god!”

A second later, the ordinary man turned toward her and smiled. “That’s alright, hunny. It’s a nice evening out here. I was too clumsy. I’m sorry. You kids have a good night.”

Relieved that it was just a resident of Springwood and not who she thought it was, Lexi breathed a sigh of relief and climbed aboard the motorcycle behind Cameron.

“You okay?” Cameron asked as she put her arms around his waist.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Lexi replied, putting her head on his shoulder with a big grin on her face. “Let’s go.”

Revving up his custom bike, Cameron sped off down the road, their matching black trench coats flapping wildly in the wind.

Behind them, a glowing orange sunset began to settle on the horizon, bathing the fountain and the rest of central park in a gleam of bright tangerine.

However, off in the distance, the scene was still very much a bright white. Neither Lexi nor Cameron noticed it, but there was a small group of schoolgirls jumping rope in a nearby patch of grass.

Decked out in their white dresses and skirts, the girls sang a very familiar nursery rhyme as Cameron and Lexi disappeared in the distance:

One, two, Freddy’s coming for you.
Three, four, better lock your door.
Five, six, grab your crucifix.
Seven, eight, gonna stay up late.
Nine, ten, never sleep again.


THE END


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