Parasite:

Chapter Six
Comatose

Sorry if any inaccuracies plague the story. Edit: Ew, grammatical errors. I'm so ashamed of my lack of proofreading. Um... Any beta offers? ;D

After my father picks me up from school, I dodge his questions by taking sanctuary in my room. As concerned as he is, I have to push myself away. God forbid I start yelling and cursing at him. That would cause more trouble than I need. . . if that's not the understatement of the year.

Like always, Freddy is causing trouble in my head. I can't even muster up any anger against him. Instead, sadness take over as I attempt to look on the positive side. I did this to keep Cassie safe, and I'd rather bear with this a little longer than watch my little sister struggle in her sleep. Still, there's only so much.

In a calm voice, which is actually far worse than the crazy one because he sounds even more psychotic, Krueger utters various death threats. Every time he comes up with yet another gory visual, I see it in my head.

"Imagine yourself being slammed up against the cement wall at the end of the boiler room, Claire. Imagine the lovely sounds you'll make when my claws are twisting and turning in your stomach, blood spilling out like a fountain. . ." There's no laughter, no maniacle chuckling; he's totally serious. He's been locked up inside my head, unable to do his dirty deeds, and he want his revenge. Everything he's showing, he wants it to happen, almost to the point of needing it.

Ironically, I decide to do the one thing that will make me safe right now: sleeping. Without water, I pop a Hypnocil pill and hide the bottle under my pillow before drifting off to sleep. Closing my eyes for that quick minute before sleep is nightmarish enough, but I push through it and finally go to sweet sleep.

When I wake up, Cassie is sitting beside my bed, her brown eyes staring at me sadly. As soon as she realizes I'm awake, she grips my hand and smiles thankfully.

"You slept through dinner. You must have been tired. . . you left your sneakers on. Did you have any nightmares about. . .?" she inquires as I sit up.

I shake my head. "No, but Freddy's starting to get on my nerves. It's alright, though." This certainly doesn't help Cassie, but she doesn't question me further. Or if she did, I didn't notice. Freddy's riled up again.

"Your sister is such a cute little girl. She would have made such a wonderful victim. How easy it would have been to toy with her and give her false hope just before I sunk my claws into her." As if his statement wasn't bad enough, Freddy starts to give me the visual effect. I do my best not to worry Cassie by shouting. Obviously, me shouting doesn't accomplish much in my favor.

But listening to Cassie talk and hearing her screams in my head isn't exactly pleasant, either.

"I've been doing research, and I think I found something that might help us," she picks up a large book off the floor and flips to a page she's folded at the corner. "I found a charm that's supposed to ward off dead spirits. According to this paragraph here, if you wear the charm, eventually the negative spirits in your life are supposed to descend to Hell, where they belong."

Now I've grown curious, and Krueger has, too, because he's no longer threatening.

"The 'charm' is peach wood from ancient Chinese folklore. It was originally used for prosperity and longevity, but it was also believed to ward off evil spirits, much like Freddy. So I ordered you a peach necklace a couple days ago with Dad's credit card as a last resort." Cassie looks extremely proud of herself, but I'm doubtful.

"Are you sure this will work?"

"Will it hurt to try?"

"No," I think about it for a minute. "I guess it won't. Thanks, Cassie." I give her a hug when she stands. "But you'd better hide the credit card bill before it get here."

"Don't worry. I've been checking the mail religiously. I can be sneaky, too, Claire." she winks before walking out of the room. "You look like you need a little more rest."

That, I do, Cassie. That, I do. After popping another Hypnocil, I lay back on my pillow. Suddenly, despite my earlier nap, I'm even sleepier than before. I can feel my breathing slowing down before I drift back into unconsciousness. Perhaps a second Hypnocil pill wasn't such a great idea. . .

"Your daughter is just in a coma, Mr. Douglas. Please don't worry, our staff is doing all that they can to find out why." I hear the nurse tell my father and Cassie, who is squeezing my hand in a tight grip. I'm lying in a hospital bed as a result of my impulsive Hypnocil popping. I can't see myself or anything else around my. The only thing I can do is listen as they talk about me.

Oh, and Freddy's around, as well. Of course, I can't see him, and he can't reach me, due to my little blue pill, but I still hear his outbursts. As always, they are still annoying.

On the outside world, however, they are worried about me. Cassie has been crying on my hand, and dad's breathing is incredibly shallow. I hope I wake up soon so that they see the coma was no big deal. There is no reason for them to worry anymore than they should. I certainly don't want my dad to think I've got suicidal tendencies, or Cassie to learn just how much I was overwhelmed by Freddy, who I was supposed to kick out of my head. Way to go, Claire. You've let your father, your sister and your best friend suffer. They've called Hayley, whom I 've heard has been frantic since. Actually, it has only been a few hours, but she'll be able to keep up her paranoid energy for the rest of my life, even when I wake up. At least it lets me know that she cares.

"Look at them, gathered around, bawling over your comatose body. If I were them, I'd be throwing a party." Freddy is back to his smart ass comments, but I've actually found a way to counter them: come back with a witty retort that shuts him up for a while, or try and make small talk.

"I'm sure you already have, Freddy." I say to him.

"Yes, and you'll join me at any time, won't you, Claire? That Hypnocil won't last forever, you know."

"It'll get me through until I wake up from this coma, and I've still got an ample supply at home." Take that, Freddy.

"You don't really know if the Hypnocil will last. You may start dreaming before you wake up."

No, that's not true. If one can last me through an entire night, than two will definitely keep me safe until I wake up from a coma. I manage to convince myself that Fredy is just trying to scare me, that's all. . . even though at times he'll manage to do a good job of it.

"Assuming that one will keep you safe for the night, than if you sleep for more than two days, we'll have to see each other again, won't we? And you're not even in your usual night gown. All you've got is a pathetic hospital gown, and nothing else. The next time we meet, and I promise it will happen, you will be a defenseless little pig against the big bad wolf."

Well, then, if that happens. . .

No. Freddy is playing his mind games. There's no doubt that the two pills will last me. If it was enough to put me into a coma, it's powerful stuff that won't just fade away on the third day. It. Is. Impossible. But even if it does happen, I'll fight him off with everything I've got. In the red corner, we've got Freddy Krueger with sharp metal claws and an everlasting dominant blood lust. In the blue corner, we've got Claire Douglas in a hospital gown and no precise weapon to speak of.

But the fight won't happen.