Hatchetfield.

Richie has always suffered from night terrors

Ever since Richie was a little boy, he'd been suffering from night terrors. He'd wake up screaming, heart beating out of his chest, his forehead soaked in sweat.

At first, his mom didn't seek professional help, thinking it was a phase her son would eventually grow out of, this mindset wasn't helped by Richie's older brother, Jerry, waving these incidents off, claiming the nightmares must be a result of sin.

Eventually, when Richie was 16, he started getting actual help, this was made easier with Jerry out of the house. A man started visiting, he was a social worker, Douglas "Duke" Keane, he was nice, and introduced Richie to anime!

When Richie got comfortable enough around Duke, he started describing his nightmares. His nightmares of that horrifying, green... Thing! Jerry said it must have been Satan himself, coming to punish Richie for his sins. This made his nightmares worse.

Duke looked concerned at the description of the monster, the concern only got worse when Richie started describing the things cephalopod like features, the things horrible laugh, the evil, horrible laugh! Richie described how it would repeat the things Jerry had said, saying that it was Satan himself, and that he was coming to get Richie, that he was going to eat him, all while laughing maniacally.

Duke nodded, looking down at the cup of tea that Richie's mom had made for him, thinking... And then, an idea. "Richie, how would you feel if I brought someone else to help you?" Richie looked nervous at the idea, he had horrible anxiety, and his selective mutism tended to put off people, he wasn't sure if he was ready for a new person to show up, "I... Um... I-I'm not sure..." The teen looked down at his hands, fidgeting with his fingers.

"She's very nice, and she has helped other kids as well! Kids that have... Similar problems to you" Duke gave a reassuring smile, hoping it would calm down Richie, at least just a bit. "Um... I... Uh.." Richie's voice was shaky, flexing his hands, his knee started to bounce, anxiety filling his brain, "U-um... okay, w-what's her name..?" Richie looked up at Duke, and then looked away, he didn't like eye contact.

"Her name is Miss Holloway, she owns Miss Retro's?" Richie seemed to recognise the name of the diner, nodding his head, closing his eyes, and taking a deep breath, trying to calm himself down a bit. "R-right, I- she- uh... S-she can come over.." Richie said with a small, nervous smile, his hands messing with the hem of his t-shirt.

-

The next time Duke visited, a red headed woman wearing a denim jacket came with him, she had big hair, and looked like she had just time travelled from the 80's. Richie's mom got them drinks, tea for Duke, and coffee for Miss Holloway, before leading them to the living room, where Richie was curled up at the far end of the sofa. Miss Holloway smiled, and waved, she had a kind aura about her, Richie immediately feeling calmer than he was a few minutes before, "Hello Richie, my name's Miss Holloway! I'm here to help you" she sat down on the sofa, not too close to Richie, as not to scare him.

Duke sat down next to her, smiling as usual, but looking a little nervous, "Hi Richie! How're you doing today?" He asked, Richie just gave a thumbs up, Duke smiling encouragingly at him. "Now, Richie, I hear... You've been having... Nightmares, is that right?" Richie nodded in response to Miss Holloway's question, "Has the monster in your nightmares ever said it's name?" Miss Holloway seemed concerned, "U-um... He, he said his name w-was, S-Satan..." Richie looked away, at the floor.

Miss Holloway looked confused at Richie's answer, before asking the teen to clarify "Satan? I'm of the understanding that your mom's not religious, is there anything that would've caused you to have nightmares about Satan?" Richie fidgeted with his hands, Jerry's comments replaying in his head. "M-mm-my brother, Jerry is really religious..." Richie's leg started bouncing at the mention of his brother, waves of anxiety washing over him. "I... See, has Jerry had any nightmares?" Richie searched desperately in his mind for the answer to Miss Holloway's question, before a faint memory from when he was little popped up in his mind, Jerry didn't exactly have nightmares, but he did have something else...

"Je-Jerry used to have an im-im-maginary f-friend..." Richie's stuttering had progressively gotten worse, flexing his hands, and pulling his knees closer to his chest, "Do you know their name?" Miss Holloway questioned, a look of weary curiousity on her face. Richie remembered, Jerry used to tell him scary stories about his friend, before he got all hyper religious. "J-Jerry s-ss-said his frien-friends nn-name was, was, Nib-Nibblenephim..." A sudden, overwhelming feeling of dread overtook Richie, a terrified look crossed Miss Holloway's face, before resuming her previous expression, Duke winced, but also looked slightly confused.

"Richie..., would you like to... Explore your nightmares more?" Richie thought about it, taking a few moments, before giving a hesitant nod, "Right, now, Richie, would you mind lying down?" Richie slowly got up from the sofa, "O-on th-the g-gro-ground...?" Miss Holloway nodded, Richie lay down on the floor, breathing deeply to try and calm himself down. Miss Holloway took out a book, sitting down on the floor next to Richie, Duke following her soon after. The book was bound with black leather, a strange pentagram symbol on the front, Miss Holloway opened the tome, flipping to a page, she started tapping rhythmically on the book, "Now... Richie, relax, just fall asleep..." Her voice echoed, Richie could feel his eyes getting heavy, the clutches of sleep enveloping him.

-

Richie woke up in Hatchetfield highschool, the hallways eerily empty, and seemingly going on forever. The teen turned around, seeing no one, he jumped when he felt a tap on his shoulder from behind him, whirling round, to be met with the face of Miss Holloway. "Geez! Miss H-Holloway! Y-you scared me!" He gave a nervous laugh, Miss Holloway smiled in return.

Miss Holloway's smile then dropped, "Now... Richie, you are now in Nightmare Time, have you seen this place before? Well... This version of Hatchetfield High?" Richie nodded, walking off in the right direction, towards the gymnasium, Richie didn't know why it was the right direction, but it was, it just... Was.

The two entered the gym, the shadows moved unnaturally, and things swayed in the corners of their vision. They walked to the middle of the large hall, just, standing there, "Is there anything else, Richie?" Before the teen in question could respond, the room went dark, fear struck Miss Holloway's heart, a sickening familiarity overcoming her, she could hear Richie start to hyperventilate.

"Hello... Friendy-wends~"

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A couple years later, Miss Holloway was frantically searching her home, looking for the Black Book, it had gone missing, she didn't know when, or how, but it just had. She needed it, she had the sickening feeling that the recent murders weren't committed by anything human, and she needed it, even just too check.

The murders... She remembered helping one of the victims, Richie Lipschitz, he had been having nightmares of none other than Wiggog Y'Wrath himself, and turns out, his brother used to commune with Nibblenephim.

His brother, Jerry Lipschitz, had gone missing the summer of the previous year, while volunteering at camp Idontwannabang, Miss Holiday had always been suspicious of the camp, but the fact that it was a Lipschitz, and combined with the recent murders, it made Miss Holiday sick to her stomach.

And then, a wave of power washed over her, making her stumble, but she caught herself. It had come from the school, the familiar feeling of The Lord's in Black's magic. She pulled on her coat, running towards the school, towards the gymnasium.