"There's a legend around here. A killer buried, but not dead. A curse on Crystal Lake, a death curse. Jason Voorhees curse. They say he died as a boy, but he keeps coming back. Few have seen him and lived. Some have even tried to stop him... No one can. People forget he's down there, waiting..." the TV set hummed in the night. Sandra sat in front of it, waiting for the events of Friday the 13th: Part 7, when suddenly she heard a knock. The door opened and her mother peeked inside.

“Sandra, dear, do you know what time it is?”

“I know, mum, I was already going to bed,” Sandra said.

“Well, do it then,” mother said. “You have to get up early for studies, so please, do me a favor and go to sleep right now.” Saying this, Mrs. Wilkins closed the door and returned to her own bedroom.

Sandra sighed and turned off the TV set, looking at the clock in her phone. It showed thirty minutes after midnight, but she did not really feel sleepy. Watching horror movies was her favorite pastime at nights. She was always aware of all the news in horror movie sphere and has already lost the count of how many movies she has seen already. With a bit sorrow in her heart, Sandra had to admit that the further, the worse products come out in the light. Of course, there were several good things that were included in her collection of favorites, but there weren’t that many. This was the reason for her preferring the good old classics. And her number one favorite was Friday the 13th. Sandra loved the whole franchise, but at the same time agreed with many critics about most of this franchise’s movies being not that good at all. Of course, comparing to the newer films, the old slashers looked pretty cheap, but it failed to kill her love for them. Sandra couldn’t explain even to herself her strange fascination with the main antagonist of Friday the 13th, Jason Voorhees. Every time she saw a day that happened to be Friday the 13th in the calendar, her thoughts momentarily were about him, and she called them “days of Jason Voorhees”, although she herself wasn’t superstitious and didn’t believe in such things like black cats or that going under the ladder brings bad luck. The same could be said about Friday the 13th. That was absolutely normal day, just like any other, and to Sandra, the fear of it seemed totally irrational. She and a few of her friends loved to freak each other out on this day by watching one or two movies of the franchise and telling fictional stories, based on Jason’s legend. And it was a good basis. As far as Sandra remembered, Jason is pretty much the only horror movie character that has his own full legend. It could be well told by the campfire despite being just a movie legend. But it was more than enough for good fun of giving creeps to her friends and herself. Often she found herself even believing that every Friday the 13th Jason Voorhees rises from the lake and goes searching for victims, but then quickly dismissed it as silly, fictional story and laughed at her own thoughts.

Sandra sat on her bed, removing the annoying locks of her auburn hair from her face and stuck them behind her ears, yawning. It was sometimes unbearable to be in a situation like that when you are somewhat sleepy and know that you have to wake up early the next morning, but at the same time energy puffed and puffed out of her. It’s like being between the two fires. It was May now, and luckily, the studies in college would be over in June, and that meant freedom till the fall. That made Sandra happy, at least then she could do whatever she pleased without worrying about getting up early and thus not getting enough sleep at night.

Surprisingly enough, Sandra slept well despite seeing dreams about Camp Crystal Lake and Jason Voorhees. Others would consider such dreams to be nightmares, but Sandra was already used to them and they did not frighten her. It was only normal for her to see something like that, considering her obsession with horror movies, especially with Friday the 13th. The morning passed as usual, repeating the same ritual every day – out of bed, dressing up, breakfast, teeth washing, and leaving home for college. This bored Sandra a lot, and the horror movies she watched served as a second life-supporting system. But May ended fast, although sometimes it seemed that whole eternity has passed, and the first day of June has finally come. Saying goodbye to the college till the fall, Sandra and her two best friends, Laurie and Debbie, walked slowly along the pavement until finally they stopped at a café for some ice cream, as the weather was nearly as hot as in Sahara desert.

“So, Sandra, any plans for nearest days?” Debbie asked.

“No, no plans yet,” Sandra replied. “You know, I don’t usually make plans in advance. If me and my mom decide to go somewhere, in most cases it’s a spontaneous decision.” She looked at both her friends who exchanged glances, and their lips stretched in a sly grin. “Come on, girls, I can see that you want to tell me something. Confess what you are up to.”

Debbie and Laurie looked at each other again and then Laurie spoke:

“You sure haven’t forgotten that this year, in June, is Friday the 13th?”

“Yes, of course, how can I forget?” Sandra smiled. “And an interesting coincidence that the 13th of June, which is the birthday of Jason Voorhees, happens to be on Friday. And that is his exact birth date – Friday, June 13th.”

“Yup, we know that,” Debbie nodded.

“So, what about it?” Sandra was now intrigued.

“Well, we’re planning to organize a trip to the nearest lake with tents and barbecue on that day,” Laurie explained. “On Friday the 13th, that is. Two more couples want to join the company, Rod with Julie and Billy with Kim. But it won’t be just some usual camping trip. We bring laptops with us and make a Friday the 13th movie marathon when the night falls. And we want to invite you to join us as well. That would be fun!” Laurie and Debbie laughed merrily. Hearing Laurie’s monologue, Sandra’s eyes began shining with joy.

“Well, what are we talking about? Of course I will go with you! You don’t need to ask me twice. I’ll bring my laptop as I have every Friday the 13th movie downloaded.”

“Nice,” Debbie smiled. “I hope your mom wouldn’t mind?”

“I think not.” Sandra shook her head. “We are now free of studies, and she always supports me having fun with my best friends. Besides, she considers the belief in Friday the 13th to be a total bullshit. So yeah, I think there will be no problems. Oh, by the way, to which lake are you planning to go?”

“Swartswood Lake,” Laurie said. “It’s a really nice and picturesque place. People often go there fishing or to paddle. And it’s not that far from us.”

“Yeah, and I’ll take our big tent from home, three people fill fit there perfectly,” Debbie added. “I’ve gone camping with my parents many times when I was younger, and we slept in it, so it’s sort of a family tent. The others will have their own tents, and the tree of us will have the big one.”

“Okay then,” Sandra said, finishing her ice cream. “What about the time of departure?”

“We don’t know that yet,” Laurie said. “We’ll decide closer to the day we go.”

“Fine. I’m going to wait for that day impatiently,” Sandra giggled happily. The girls then paid for their ice cream and drinks and said waved goodbye to each other, leaving for their homes. As Sandra arrived home, a pleasant smell of freshly cooked lunch reached her nose. Mother was in the kitchen, preparing steak and mashed potatoes. Sandra dropped her bag in the living room and went to the kitchen, not forgetting to wash her hands before that. Mrs. Wilkins didn’t hear her coming, so when she turned around and saw her daughter standing behind her back, she looked startled.

“Oh God, Sandra, you startled me,” she sighed, smiling. “Well, come and sit down, we’ll going to have lunch in a moment.”

“It was fine, mum,” Sandra replied. “I went with Debbie and Laurie to have some ice cream afterwards. You know, they are inviting me for a camping trip to Swartswood Lake next Friday.”

“Really? That sounds nice,” mother said, putting a pan with pieces of meat and a bowl of mashed potatoes on the table. “Who else is going?”

“Two more couples from our course are joining. They want to take tents with them to spend the night there after having barbecue. Debbie plans to take her large family tent for three people, thus she, Laurie, and me could sleep there together. The others take their own tents. I hope you don’t mind if I go with them? Besides, spending time outdoors with friends is a nice recreation, so we all can take a rest from studies.”

“Very well, dear, I have no objections,” Mrs. Wilkins agreed. “I would do the same if I were you. If I had to choose what to do on summer holidays, I would prefer to spend good time with friends outdoors.”

“Oh, thank you so much, mum,” Sandra gave her mother a loving smile. “You know, I’m going to take my laptop with me as well. As the day we go happens to be Friday the 13th, we plan to make a movie marathon in the evening.”

Mrs. Wilkins smirked and shook her head.

“Christ, those movies again… To be honest, I can’t comprehend why you like them so much. I remember seeing a few of them in the eighties, years before you were born. Kinda boring… and silly, if you ask me.”

“Well, yes. If we look critically, those movies are far from being good,” Sandra agreed. “But these are good old classics nonetheless. Nowadays no one takes them too seriously, not mentioning someone finding them scary. So yeah, what we are going to do is watch and make fun of them.”

“I see. Alright then, if you were asking for my permission, you have it. You’re free to go. I hope you have good time there, by the lake,” Mrs. Wilkins smiled and began eating.

“Thanks, mum. I love you very much,” Sandra giggle, coming to mother and hugging her from behind. Then she returned to her place and started enjoying her meal.

Time passed quickly, although as Sandra was impatient for the day to come, it seemed like eternity to her. Laurie called her the day before and announced that the time of departure was 10:00 a.m., and she will drive. Sandra packed all the necessary things into her backpack and put the laptop in its bag, putting also the headphones and the adapter in the backpack, although she wasn’t sure that they would need them, but she decided to take them for any case.

Setting her alarm clock on 9:00 a.m., Sandra fell asleep quickly this time. Tomorrow will be a great day, and she would be in full energy to enjoy it.

2: Chapter 2

Swartswood Lake indeed turned out to be a picturesque place, and Sandra couldn’t agree more with that, watching the area through the car windows while they approached it. As three cars stopped several meters away from the lake and the engines went silent, she stepped out and inhaled deeply the refreshing air. Despite the day being hot, the lake and the wind provided the refreshment that made them feel pleasant in such heat. But they had all the day and even night in front, so now seven friends were busy with setting their tents, placing each close to one another and putting the sleeping bags in them. Sandra watched as Rod and Billy pulled out their laptop bags and put them into their tents, ready for the movie marathon they planned for the evening. Sandra then took her computer and put it into the tents as well.

After the barbecue set was prepared and the fire in it burned, Rod’s voice echoed above all other sounds:

“Well, ladies and gentlemen, ready for this year’s first dip in the lake?”

“Yeah, baby!” “Sure!” “Let’s do it!” the voices of others echoed chaotically in response. Each of the friends couldn’t wait to start the swimming season, especially in such weather like today. All friends had decided that it would be practical to put their swimming suits on before departing so they could waste no time and dive in when all the preparations are finished. Both guys ran into the water at once, the girls, however, were slower and more reluctant. The water seemed cold at first, but the longer they stayed in it, the warmer it felt. All seven friends loved swimming in Swartswood Lake, going out to sunbathe now and then before diving into the lake again. It was fun for them, and, of course, it didn’t go without playful “drowning” and jokes, thus it led to remembering Jason Voorhees and his drowning in Crystal Lake in Friday the 13^th films.

“Hey guys, what do you think, why this character of Jason Voorhees went into the lake if he didn’t know how to swim?” Julie asked. “I’ve seen the first movie and remember that he drowned at night, and there was no one to watch him. Why so? Or maybe someone pushed him into the water and ran away?”

“I don’t think that was the case,” Sandra explained. “You see, him being pushed by other kinds we see in Freddy vs. Jason crossover movie, but that was a dream sequence. Yes, Jason didn’t know how to swim, but I think he wanted to learn by himself, so he went outside in the late evening, wanting to prove that he can learn to swim, like any other kid. As for him being alone…” she coughed and continued: “Well, his mother worked at the moment, cooking food, thus she couldn’t be with him every moment. The camp counselors were busy at that moment with having sex, and Mrs. Voorhees blamed them for being irresponsible and letting her son drown. So yeah, that’s the official version, but there is much speculation about the events of the whole franchise.”

“Oh… that is a sad story…” Julie sighed. “And all because of the boy being deformed… sort of.”

“Yeah, and that is awful,” Kim added. “No one should treat people like that if they were born with some physical deformities. They are not responsible for being what they are.”

“Yes, you’re absolutely right,” Debbie nodded in agreement. “It’s just astonishing how cruel some people can be, especially kids.”

“In most cases kids do not entirely understand what they are doing and in what their actions might result,” Sandra said. “They begin to realize how mean they had been only when they grow up. Good to know that most people regret for being mean to others.”

“Well, I guess we all have been a bit of such sinners when we were kids, haven’t we?” Billy added. “No one is a saint.”

“Yeah, right…” Rod sighed. “Hey, how about we leave the gloomy thoughts behind? We came here to have a good time together. So, what do you say?”

“I think Rod is right,” Laurie agreed. “We better relax and think of something nice.”

Thus the group spent the time swimming, sunbathing and having barbecue in open air, not forgetting to take a walk around the area and enjoy the beauty of nature. They didn’t notice the time passing fast, and the sky slowly began getting darker. Sandra loved the dusk, but on the lake it looked even more majestic. While the sun was setting, the sky gained beautiful orange color, changing even to slightly purple shades with each moment of sun disappearing behind the trees. It got dark pretty soon, and the company was sitting at the fire and chatting.

“You know, guys, as today is a thematic day, I’d like to share something that I’ve read online,” Sandra began, and now everyone had their attention on her. “I’ve stumbled on two stories that happened to people in real life. It seems that some wackos take the Friday the 13^th movies too serious. I mean, they think it’s fun to dress up like Jason and go scaring people.”

“Maybe only on Halloween it could be fun,” Julie said. “And what about them? Could you tell the details?”

“Yes, of course. The first case happened… guess where? In a summer camp. What a coincidence, right?” Sandra smirked. “To be precise, it was a girl scout camp, and it happened in the eighties, this woman is now around forty years old, or maybe more. So, being a kid, she loved watching Friday the 13^th movies, and at that time Part 6 was out already. She and other girls had fun at daytime, a typical day in a summer camp, and when they all went to bed, this girl that told this story afterwards, happened to peek out of the window and saw Jason Voorhees standing outside, holding an axe in his hands. The other girls saw him as well. All began screaming their lungs out, and when the adults came and heard what happened, they at first didn’t believe it, as expected. The mother of this girl worked in a camp that summer, so she and her colleagues began checking every window until they heard one of the women cursing. That was when the adults saw Jason too. The children were sure it was a real Jason, and the adults, of course, thought it was some pervert getting his jollies off while watching young girls at night. They called the police, of course, but that creepy guy was gone by that time. The cops confirmed though that there were large footprints seen in the dirt that obviously belonged to an adult male. No one knows if they had ever caught that creeper in Jason costume, but since that case that lady has avoided Friday the 13^th movies like bubonic plague as it stirred the unpleasant memories of that creepy encounter.”

After Sandra finished the story, her friends exchanged glances in silence until Kim finally spoke.

“Damn, that is creepy. No wonder she kept away from those movies after that.”

“Well, yeah. If I was a kid and saw someone dressed up as Jason in the middle of the woods at night, I sure would have freaked out as well,” Rod admitted. “And what is the second case? You mentioned two.”

“The second one is relatively recent if you compare with the first one,” Sandra continued. “It happened to a gas station worker on Halloween. He admitted being a big Friday the 13^th movie fan and loved dressing up as Jason every Halloween. I think he had costumes of every Jason, and this time he had a Mortal Kombat X version. Yes, if you didn’t know, in that computer game they added Jason as well. So yeah, he was preparing to leave work when he saw another guy dressed as Jason, just standing and watching him. The worker decided to play along and also stood motionless and watched the other guy, later pulling out his plastic machete. After five seconds or so, the stranger pulled out his own machete, but, as the teller said, he saw the moonlight reflecting on his real, metal machete. Then he turned around and left. The worker felt frightened, as in a few meters there was a fence, and behind that there was nothing but fields and forest. He then closed everything and left for Halloween party, forgetting about the stranger. After 30 minutes or so at the party, he went out to smoke and accidentally heard a group of women talking about a gas station attendant being murdered by what police described to be a guy in a Jason Voorhees costume. He then went to those women and asked for details. They told him it was on Facebook and such, but as he had no Facebook and wasn’t interested in having one, he said he hasn’t heard anything. Then one woman joked by asking if he wasn’t the killer. The other woman added that there was one more guy dressed as Jason, which was very creepy. The station worked immediately thought about that stranger he saw near his workplace. He went back to his friends and that’s when he spotted the same “Jason” that he met at the gas station among the guests. Pulling one of his friends to him, the worker asked if that friend knew who the other “Jason” was, but the stranger already vanished and was nowhere to be seen. He then collected his friends and drove off, feeling that he couldn’t stay there not even for one more minute.

“As far as I remember, he spotted the stranger a few more times at the same place and felt like he was being stalked. So he left this workplace and migrated somewhere else. And that was the end of his story. The last thing the guy said that the stranger knew what was under his, the teller’s mask, but he never found out what was under the stranger’s mask.”

Sandra finished her storytelling, but sure she didn’t expect that her friends would find them creepy. No one laughed, no one joked. All listened to the end with all their attention.

“Wow, that is one freaky story,” Billy said. “If it wasn’t for you, Sandra, I would have never known that something like that is happening in reality.”

“Yes, and this is still more or less harmless what I’ve just told you about,” Sandra explained. “I’ve read that some psychically unstable people put on the hockey mask, take a real machete and literally attack people. And it’s not just Jason wannabes. There was one psychopath, I think, in United Kingdom, and he killed four elder people. When asked why he did that, he replied that it was the best thing he had ever done in his life and how similar he was to Freddy Krueger. If I remember it right, he later committed suicide in jail.”

“Damn it, really? I’m shocked to hear that,” Debbie widened her eyes in amazement. “You may love horror movies, but this is way too much.”

“You’re right,” Sandra agreed. “In fact, if you are too susceptible to such things, you’d better stay away from horror movies, especially that have much violence in them. And it’s not the fault of the movies, it’s human psyche. One day there comes a moment when such people already do not see the border between reality and fiction.”

“Oh yeah, speaking of which…” Laurie suddenly intervened “don’t you think it’s time for us to begin the movie marathon? It’s getting late already.”

The others agreed with her, and while Billy and Rod extinguished the fire, the girls went to their tents and turned on their laptops, preparing themselves to watch the first Friday the 13^th film. When the guys returned, each of the three tents was illuminated by flickering lights from the ongoing films. All seven friends watched one movie after another, creating the spooky atmosphere by such phrases like “Jason is coming!” “Tonight he is coming for you!” and many more, not forgetting about the legendary “ki ki ki ma ma ma” sounds. Debbie admitted though that no matter how many times she heard it, it always seemed like “ch ch ch ah ah ah” to her, and Sandra had to agree with that, as hearing played the same trick on her.

While the company watched one film after another, no one paid any attention that the night was nearly over and the sky slowly began to brighten. The stars faded and the darkness was replaced by early morning lights, gradually changing its color spectrum from pitch black to pale pink. Only when the last film in their program was over, they realized that it was early morning already, and they needed some sleep as well, otherwise driving home when being tired can be dangerous. So all switched their laptops off and, knowing that most likely they were going to sleep half of the day, the group of friends finally fell in a deep sleep.

3: Chapter 3

Opening her eyes, Sandra yawned and stretched her limbs lazily. Nothing broke the silence except for bird chirping and light sound of water. Laurie and Debbie were still asleep as well as the others, as no voices could be heard. Sandra sat up and took her backpack closer, trying to do that as quietly as possible, not to wake her friends up. She searched the pockets for the cell phone until she finally found it buried deep at the bottom. The clock showed 13:00, and no calls have disturbed her. Mother knew they were going to watch movies all night long, so all of them would sleep the whole morning and afternoon as well. It meant that they would most likely return around eight or something, and thus she didn’t have to worry. Sandra then unzipped the tent and crawled outside, taking a full breath of fresh air. The day was as hot as the previous one, so she had no better idea than to take her towel and sit by the lake, enjoying the sun. To refresh herself, she splashed some water from the lake on her face and sat back on her towel, concentrating the thoughts on the last night, and to be precise, on her strange dream. Of course, it couldn’t be without Jason Voorhees, but that was no surprise, considering them watching movie after movie the last night and making non-stop fun of them. But she dreamt that he was like around her everywhere, on all sides simultaneously, but never actually attacking. He was something like a ghostly image that followed her wherever she went, but she couldn’t remember any particular details. Sandra yawned again, dismissing it as nothing more than a weird dream caused by numerous films they watched.

Her friends woke up approximately in an hour, and the first ones to awake were Debbie and Laurie. Both looked fresh and happy, and it was pretty obvious that they slept well. In a few minutes Billy and Kim were out of their tents, followed by Julie and Rod.

“Hey guys, did you all sleep well? Has anyone had scary dreams about Jason?” Rod joked.

All shook their heads. All but Sandra.

“I had,” she said. “He was more like a spectral image in my dream; a hallucination even. I mean, wherever I went or turned my head, he was standing there, but never attacked, keeping distance. But that was it, I can say no more. I just don’t remember anything. What about you?”

“Nope, I had nothing. I slept like a baby,” Rod replied, scratching his head. “Well, how about we eat something? There are still remains from yesterday in my car trunk.”

The company then spread a large cloth on the sand and proceeded to preparing lunch. There were still some pieces of juicy steak and vegetables left from yesterday, so that was enough for everyone. Three of their group were left without beer though, as Laurie, Rod, and Billy had to drive. Lunch passed in a warm and friendly atmosphere, joking and laughing at sometimes silly things. All seven friends didn’t notice how fast time actually went, and when they were ready to leave Swartswood Lake, it was around half past seven in the evening. The journey back home lasted a bit longer, as it was slowly getting dark outside, and every driver should be even more careful when driving at dusk. When they finally reached Sandra’s house, she stepped out of Laurie’s car and collected her backpack and laptop from the trunk.

“Well guys, thank you so much for this great time,” Sandra said, exchanging hugs with each of her friends. “I hope we can do it again one day.”

“Of course, dear, anytime,” Julie answered, hugging her back. “I really loved the time we spent together. So I agree, we should team up again one day and make another marathon.”

“Yeah, and much sooner than Halloween. It’s kinda long to wait till then,” Debbie said. “I guess it’s more than clear what our programme for Halloween is, so we’ll decide what we do when we meet again.”

“Sure, a Michael Myers marathon on Halloween. That would be no less fun!” Sandra laughed. “Well then, I guess I go home now,” she sighed. “See you all round and good night.”

Waving goodbye to her friends, Sandra entered her house. By the time she got there, it was close to nine o’clock. The only room that had light in it was the living room, and Sandra’s mother was sitting in an armchair in front of a TV set. Hearing the door opening and closing, she peeked into the hallway where Sandra was taking her shoes off.

“Oh, you’re finally home. Thank God. I was already thinking about calling you,” Mrs. Wilkins said, coming out of the room to greet her daughter. “So, how did everything go?”

“It was nice,” Sandra smiled. “When we arrived to the lake, we just had a great summer time with swimming and sunbathing, and then we had barbecue by the campfire closer to the evening. And, as I’ve told you before, we watched Friday the 13^th movies at night. That was fun!” she began laughing a bit. “We tried to freak each other out, but only failed in doing that, and all resulted in nothing but laughing out lungs out. We then slept till the afternoon, had lunch and then left. Heh, I loved the time we spent together.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” mother said with a warm smile and turned to the kitchen door. “Would you like to have tea?”

“Actually, yes, I would like that a lot,” Sandra replied.

“Okay, just a moment then…” Mrs. Wilkins went to the kitchen and then suddenly turned around as if remembering something. “Oh, by the way, Dave called today. He and Mia are going to a vacation to Florida and asked if Cindy could stay by us for a week while they are away.”

Sandra tilted her head.

“And why aren’t they taking Cindy with them?” she asked.

“Because she doesn’t want to go,” mother explained. “They offered her to go, but she refused, saying that it’s boring and she wants to stay with us instead. Cindy loves being around you, you know.”

Sandra just nodded this time. It was pretty understandable that her cousin was getting bored with being by her parents. She was already twelve years old, and at this age the girls are more interested in spending time with friends or at least someone closer to their age, in case of a relative. Luckily, Cindy was a peaceful type, so Sandra never had to worry about being annoyed by her cousin.

“So when will Uncle Dave bring her here?” she asked.

“On Wednesday. They are departing on Thursday, so the day before Cindy will be here around six or seven in the evening.”

Sandra and her mother then proceeded to the kitchen to have tea, remembering the good times when she was still a kid and Uncle Dave was not yet with a family. He loved his niece very much, but when Sandra was three years old, he met a woman named Mia Cotton, and after dating for a year and a half, they were married, and soon enough Cindy was born. Of course, Uncle Dave dedicated more of his time to his own daughter, but his niece always had a special place in his heart. What’s even better, Mia happened to be a good person and always treated Sandra well and was in a good relationship with her mother. They often visited the Wilkins house, and Sandra with her mother were the frequent guests by Uncle Dave and his family.

When the tea time was over, Mrs. Wilkins wished good night and went upstairs to rest after Sandra told her that she would wash the cups. Soon after that she retired to her room as well. At first Sandra thought she wasn’t sleepy and planned to read a bit before sleeping, but the body betrayed the mind; so she took a quick shower and went to bed. As soon as darkness enveloped the room, Sandra slowly began drifting into sleep, but at that moment she thought she heard a faint sound, like screeching. She opened her eyes and lifted herself on an elbow to listen carefully, but all was silent. Deciding that she was just imagining things, Sandra lay back and tried to sleep, but she didn’t get a chance to enjoy a peaceful slumber, instead feeling her heart skipping a beat. She jumped on her bed in a nervous state as the silence was broken by that screeching sound again, and this time quite clearly. Now there was no doubt that this was the sound of floorboard screeching, and it was coming from behind the door, but then it stopped abruptly. Nothing broke the silence anymore except for Sandra’s frantic breathing.

She sat on her bed, staring at the door with frightened eyes. It seemed like someone was walking behind her bedroom door and stopped right there; and Sandra was somehow sure that it wasn’t her mother.

There was someone else in the house…

4: Chapter 4

Sandra switched the night lamp on and got up from her bed, listening. No more sounds came from behind the door, nothing broke the silence anymore. She then started walking to the door slowly, reaching her shaking hand to the handle.

Come on, Sandra, focus! – she told herself mentally and opened the door, reaching for the nearby light switch. When bright light illuminated the upstairs corridor, Sandra looked around.

“Mum?” she asked in a fearful voice, but no answer followed. There was not a single sign of anyone’s presence in the house. Sandra then walked to her mother’s bedroom and peeked inside, but mother was in her bed, sleeping peacefully. Closing the door, Sandra went back to her room, trying to comprehend what was going on. If it wasn’t mother behind the door, then who was it? The young woman was totally confused. She didn’t really believe in supernatural stuff, but this was something that made her shiver. Their house wasn’t known for any deaths that might have occurred there, not mentioning it being haunted. Nothing of that kind had ever happened. And yet something really weird happened. Sandra felt she was unable to sleep tonight, at least for several house for sure. Leaving the light on in the corridor, she went back to bed grabbed her book from a nightstand and began reading. The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey that was in Sandra’s hands now, has become one of her favorite novels. As she read page after page, Sandra totally agreed with an opinion that the readers would be unable to put this book down. And it was indeed awesome. She loved how Carey presented the zombie apocalypse theme that has become such a cliché in horror genre. He was able to bring in some new features and elements, thus making all look fresh once again, and by that the apocalypse theme didn’t seem boring even for a second. Sandra read for several hours until she finally felt her eyes closing and herself getting tired. Not caring about switching the light off, she finally fell asleep with any disturbances.

The next morning Sandra woke up around ten, but still felt rather tired. In addition to that, slight headache made things a bit uncomfortable. As it was Sunday, Mrs. Wilkins was also at home, doing her job in the kitchen at the moment. Sandra then dressed up and went downstairs.

“Good morning, mum!” she said, walking into the kitchen.

“Good morning, dear!” mother replied with a smile, but when she looked at her daughter, she grew a bit more serious. “Are you alright? It seems to me that you didn’t sleep that well.”

Sandra rubbed her face with her palms and yawned. She wasn’t sure whether it was worth to tell mother about what happened at night.

“Yeah, I couldn’t fall asleep for a few hours, so I read in bed during that time,” the young woman said.

“I see. But why was there light in the corridor at night?” Mrs. Wilkins asked.

“Oh, I guess I forgot to switch it off after I had gone to the bathroom,” Sandra lied, deciding not to tell anything. Maybe she was hallucinating after all after watching too much of horror movies in a row.

“It’s ok, dear,” mother hugged Sandra’s shoulders. “You can take a nap later if you feel tired. Now sit down and let’s have some breakfast.”

Sandra relaxed a bit while having breakfast with her mother, and by the end of it she helped with the dishes and went back upstairs, but not to sleep again. She wanted to meet her two best friends and speak about what happened. So she took her cell phone and called Debbie first.

“Hey, Sandra!” Debbie’s voice echoed in the phone. “How’s going today?”

“All’s fine, thanks,” Sandra responded. “Listen, are you free today?”

“I am,” Debbie said. “And why are you asking that?”

“Would you like to meet in the park in an hour or so? Actually, I have something to share with you and Laurie.”

“But of course, dear,” Debbie said. “Did you call Laurie already?”

“Not yet, but I will do it now,” Sandra replied. “So, see you in an hour in the city park then?”

“Sure, I’ll be there,” Debbie promised. “Bye for now.”

“Bye-bye,” Sandra ended the call and found Laurie’s contact next. Luckily, Laurie had no plans for today as well, so there was no problem to arrange a meeting with her. When around thirty minutes passed, Sandra changed quickly and, taking her handbag, ran downstairs. Not forgetting to inform her mother about her plans, she left the house. The city park wasn’t located too far from her place, so Sandra managed to reach the rendezvous point in time. Laurie and Debbie arrived in a few moments as well, and the three friends exchanged hugs.

“Damn, Sandra, your eyes look a bit red,” Laurie noticed it, sitting on a bench. “What’s wrong?”

“I just barely slept at night,” Sandra explained the tiredness of her eyes. “Maybe after I get home, I might take a little nap.”

“Ok then. So what did you want to share with us?” Debbie asked. “Has anything bad happen?”

“No, not really. But I didn’t want to say anything to my mother,” Sandra said. “She would think that I am hallucinating on a basis of watching too many horror movies, if I told her about last night. And something weird has occurred at night.”

“What do you mean?” Laurie and Debbie asked almost simultaneously.

“Well… how to explain it…” Sandra began, stuttering now and then. “You see… last night… I felt like someone else was in our house.”

Both her friends exchanged glances in surprise.

“What? Who?” Laurie asked. “And how is that possible that somebody was in your house when the door and all the windows were locked?”

“I don’t know,” Sandra replied in a worried voice. “This is how all went: I was already falling asleep when I thought I heard something screeching. Dismissing it as a dream, I tried to fall asleep again, but couldn’t, as I heard that noise again, and the second time it was very clear. To be precise, it was the sound of the floor screeching, like someone was walking on it slowly. But what’s the most terrifying – the sound came from behind my bedroom door and stopped there. I tell you, I was afraid even to move at that moment.”

“Maybe it was your mother?” Debbie suggested. Sandra rolled her eyes at this.

“Oh, come on, Deb,” she huffed. “Do you think that I’m making this all up? Well, in this case I have to disappoint you. My mother would have never played such silly pranks on me. Adults are not into pranks like people of our age, don’t you think?” She coughed and continued: “Besides, when I peeked into her bedroom, mother was asleep and didn’t even stir. I don’t know what it was, but I know what I heard, and I wasn’t asleep at that moment.”

Debbie and Laurie were silent for some time, pondering about what Sandra has just told them.

“All of this is very strange. And in no way we think that you’re making any of this up,” Laurie assured her, and Debbie nodded in agreement. “If something like that happened in my house, I sure would have freaked out as well.”

“Thanks,” Sandra smiled. “May I ask… um… does any of you believe in… supernatural?”

“I’d say no,” Laurie replied.

“Neither do I,” Debbie added. “And you?”

“I have never believed in any of this stuff,” Sandra admitted. “And I still doubt, even after what happened last night. But you know what? Even if all this otherworldly stuff existed, there’s no reason for it to be in our house. My mother and I know for sure that no one was murdered there or committed suicide in the past, so it’s just illogical for our house to be haunted. I’m just… confused.”

“Well, I don’t know what to say,” Debbie sighed. “It’s just hard to claim anything concrete. Listen, if something like that happens again, then, first of all, tell your mother about it. Then we will think of something together. Don’t panic for now. Maybe it was really just sounds of an old house after all, and there is no actual reason to be afraid. Just try to stay calm, ok?”

“Ok, thanks,” Sandra said and smiled, feeling relaxed.

“Everything will be alright,” Laurie added. “We will never leave you in trouble, be sure about it.”

“Thank you, girls,” Sandra said, getting up. “How about we go for a walk and later have a drink somewhere?”

“Sounds great,” both girls laughed.

Sandra spent major part of the afternoon with friends, and that made her relax totally and forget about the little creepy occurrence at night. Maybe Debbie was right after all, and Sandra was becoming more convinced that the screeching she heard was just the noises of an old house. The whole day passed in a good mood, and when it was time for bed, Sandra hoped to have a peaceful sleep, and that no noises would disturb her.

This time she fell asleep in peace, no sounds were heard. But something had made Sandra wake up right in the middle of the night. She sat on her bed slowly, rubbing her eyes and yawning, but as soon as her eyes were open, Sandra widened them in horror. There, standing at the foot of her bed, was a large monster of a man in hockey mask with a machete in his hands. Sandra was in such a shock that all she could do is sit still with her mouth open and watch the movements of the unwanted guest. Of course, there was no doubt that it was no other than the infamous Jason Voorhees standing before her, but how is that possible? How did he even get here? Sandra couldn’t answer any of these questions, and at that very moment, Jason walked to the side of her bed, slowly and menacingly, stopping there and studying her for a minute or two. And right then his arm went up, lifting the deadly blade of his machete above her, like a guillotine ready to chop the victim’s head off.

In that minute Sandra’s lungs gained the ability to function again, and she screamed as loud as she could, covering herself with her arms…

5: Chapter 5

“No!” Sandra jumped on her bed in sweat, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest. She looked around frantically, searching for any signs of the unwanted guest, but with each second she understood that it was no more than a dream. While the scared young woman tried take a breath and calm down, she heard a knock at the door. In that very second, Mrs. Wilkins peeked into the room.

“Are you alright, Sandra?” she asked. “I heard you screaming. What happened?”

“Just a dream, mum,” Sandra replied, wiping the sweat off her face.

“One hell of a dream, I’d say,” Mrs. Wilkins said thoughtfully. “And now listen to me, my dear. I strongly suggest that you take a break from all this horror movie thing. You watch too much of them, and no wonder that you have nightmares. So please, do not watch them late at night and go to bed before midnight. Go and make yourself a cup of tea if you wish and try to calm down.”

“Okay, I think I’ll do it now,” Sandra said, and her mother closed the door, returning to her bedroom. Switching the light on, Sandra got up from her bed and went out into the corridor, illuminating it with the light as well. On her way to the kitchen, she thought about what has just happened. She had never had nightmares before, not even once. Watching horror movies was a norm for her, and yet today was the first time anything of that kind occurred. And what about yesterday night? Although their house wasn’t entirely new and screeching floorboards wouldn’t be too much of a surprise, and even that had never happened before, by her bedroom door for sure. Sandra was sure about what she heard, and no matter how much she tried to persuade herself that this was just a sound of the old floor, what she heard behind the door was like someone walking there unhurriedly and stopping at her door. And the worst thing was that she could do nothing to find out what it was.

Hot tea really helped her to calm the nerves, and she then returned to her room and tried to sleep again. Tomorrow she was going to talk to her friends again, this time probably online. Mother will be away to work, so she would be able to discuss things in peace.

***

Sandra slept without any occurrences this time, and no dreams about a hockey-masked killer disturbed her. When she awoke, the sun was shining brightly, its rays getting inside through the window and thus making the room pretty bright. It was a nice morning, and everything that happened at night now seemed harmless and even silly. Getting up from her bed, the first thing that Sandra did was checking the time, and it was 9:30 a.m. At this time Mrs. Wilkins was two and a half hours at work already, so Sandra did her morning ritual without hurry, which consisted of having breakfast and washing her teeth. After that she went back upstairs and switched on her laptop, signing into Skype and checking for her friends. Debbie was offline, but Laurie seemed to be there, so Sandra pressed the call button and waited for response.

Finally, in a few seconds, Laurie picked up the call.

“Oh, hi Sandra! How are you today?” she asked happily. “Did you sleep well, I hope?”

“Well, not really,” Sandra replied.

“Why? Did it happen again?”

“No, but I had a terrible nightmare, first time in my life as far as I remember myself.”

“Really? What kind of a nightmare?” Laurie wanted to know.

Sandra sighed deeply and continued:

“I had a dream that Jason Voorhees was in my room. First, I saw myself waking up in my room, and as soon as I opened my eyes, I saw him standing at the foot of my bed, holding a machete. I was in such a shock that I couldn’t move or make any sounds; I just sat like a statue with my mouth open.”

“This is so creepy,” Laurie said, shaking her head. “And what happened next?”

“Then he walked to my side, always staring at me, and after a moment or two he lifted the machete above me, making me understand that I’m dead meat. Right then I gained back the ability to react, and I screamed as loud as I could, trying to cover my head with arms. This is when I woke up, all sweaty and shaking. Looks like I screamed so loud that my mother heard it. She advised me to make myself a cup of hot tea, and it helped me to calm down. Damn, that was terrifying, I tell you!”

“Yeah… couldn’t agree more,” Laurie sighed. “I’d say it’s more than terrifying.”

“It sure is. And this is the first time I had such type of dreams. I don’t remember ever having a nightmare. Oddly enough, it began after we made that movie marathon on Friday the 13^th. Oh, by the way, did you dream anything like that afterwards?”

“Nope,” Laurie shook her head. “And I hope I won’t. But what about the screeching at night? Did you hear anything?”

This time Sandra shook her head in response.

“No, I heard nothing last night. But I can swear that nothing of that kind has ever happened before. I mean, it’s normal for floor to screech as our house isn’t so new, but what I heard behind my door sounded like footsteps. And it also began after that night by Swartswood Lake.”

“Do you think it’s somehow connected?” Laurie asked. “If I’m remembering it right, you don’t believe in paranormal.”

“Well, to tell you the truth… till now I was sure I don’t,” Sandra confessed. “But now I’m not that sure anymore, although I still have doubts. The events of the last two nights made me think otherwise… sort of.”

“I see. But there’s no reason to panic yet, I think. Even if you had a dream about Jason and you heard floor screeching at your door, it doesn’t mean yet that what we did on Friday the 13^th triggered something. At least I think so. Just try to stay calm, ok? It’s probably a coincidence, that’s all.”

“I hope you’re right,” Sandra sighed. “It’s just… unpleasant, you know… seeing and hearing such things.”

“Yes, I understand that. No one would be pleased to experience that kind of things,” Laurie agreed. “Hey, listen. In case if you hear something again, not just once, but continuously, then it means that there is really something in your house. Then you definitely should contact some investigators to come and see what’s going on. And don’t forget to inform your mother first if this continues. This should help. I hope it won’t go further than just scary sounds.” Seeing her friend nodding, she then asked: “So, what are you going to do this week?”

“My uncle and aunt will come on Wednesday with Cindy and leave her by us for a week,” Sandra told her. “They are going on vacation to Florida, but Cindy refused to go with them. I guess she’s bored with staying by parents all the time.”

“Ah so… they you’re going to have some babysitting time,” Laurie laughed merrily, and so did Sandra. After all she needed that to distract herself from gloomy thoughts.

“Come on, she’s twelve years old!” Sandra exclaimed, still laughing.

“I know, I’m just kidding,” Laurie smiled. “And my family is planning to visit my grandparents and inviting me to join them. My grandparents moved to their cottage for summer, so I think I’ll go too. At least we will spend some time in nature.”

“Oh, nice,” Sandra said. “I wish we had a cottage somewhere close to the woods. It’s much more refreshing than staying in the heat of a city all the time. So when are you going?”

“Tomorrow already,” Laurie replied. “We are now packing things, so the next morning we can leave.”

“Oh, I see. Well, then I won’t be distracting you, so you can pack in peace. Hope you have a good time there by your grandparents. I wish you a pleasant journey.”

“Thanks a lot. Ok, bye then,” Laurie said, and after Sandra waved goodbye, she hang up. Sandra then switched off her laptop and decided to take a walk just by herself to relax and refresh her mind. She could only hope that her house wasn’t haunted after all.

6: Chapter 6

The last two nights were silent which made Sandra happy, and she was starting to forget about the disturbances she experienced recently. Maybe it really was nothing special after all. Mrs. Wilkins came home a bit earlier on Wednesday, as her brother called her and announced that they were coming, and around six in the evening the doorbell broke the silence, echoing throughout the house.

“Aunt Caroline!” Cindy’s joyful voice rang, and she literally jumped into Mrs. Wilkins’s arms. “Oh, and there’s Sandra! Yay!” Cindy ran to Sandra next, obviously being happy to see her the most.

“Hey Cindy!” Sandra exclaimed, hugging her cousin. “Long time no see.”

While Mrs. Wilkins invited her brother and his wife inside, Sandra took Cindy to her room upstairs so she could put her small suitcase down. If Cindy spent a night or two in their house, she always slept in Sandra’s room, thus there were two beds in the room. Lucky for Sandra, Cindy never disturbed her when she tried to sleep, so there were never any problems with both cousins sleeping in one room.

When both young ladies went back downstairs, Cindy’s parents were sitting at the kitchen table with Mrs. Wilkins. By that time the tea was ready, and the girls joined the others.

“So why didn’t you want to go to Florida, Cindy?” Caroline asked her niece. Cindy shook her head.

“I’ve traveled much with mum and dad already,” she replied. “It’s much more fun being around Sandra.”

Sandra just watched her cousin, smiling gently.

“Yeah, she told us the same when we offered her to go,” Dave laughed. “I guess now Cindy is more interested to spend time with girls that are closer to her age.”

“Well, and isn’t it logical?” Mia added. “Remembering myself, I was exactly the same. When fed up with being around parents only, their company is replaced by friends. This is very typical for teens.”

“Yeah, and Dave was such a mischief-maker in this age,” Caroline laughed, joined then by Dave and Mia. It was funny to remember how naughty they sometimes were when they were kids. While the adults chatted, Sandra and Cindy finished their tea sooner, and after Cindy bid farewell to her parents, she and her elder cousin went upstairs to Sandra’s room.  Cindy brought her own laptop with her, so no fights for one laptop guaranteed. While Cindy played some game, Sandra browsed through Internet, and ironically, the theme of her interest was about paranormal investigators and where to find them in case of need. But she dearly hoped that things wouldn’t come to this.

When the nightfall came, Cindy was fast asleep, but for Sandra it took longer to fall into the embrace of slumber. But as soon as she was nearly asleep, the creaking sound reached her ears again, waking her up in result. And this time it was even louder than before. Again it sounded like someone was walking behind in the corridor behind the door. Sandra looked at her cousin who was deeply asleep and didn’t even stir, so she decided not to wake the girl without a reason. The sounds stopped as suddenly as the last time, and Sandra knew one thing: she would definitely tell her mother about it tomorrow.

***

While Mrs. Wilkins was at work, Sandra took Cindy for a walk around the city. Every day was as hot as the previous one, and they had to drink several times per day and eat some ice cream as well. Sandra thought that maybe on Saturday or Sunday, when mother is free, they could maybe go to some spa resort together, as taking a swim in such weather would be ideal. They returned home around half past four, and in an hour and a half Mrs. Wilkins was also back. All three had lunch at once, and when Cindy went to the living room and turned the TV on, Sandra decided it was time to speak to mother about things that disturbed her.

“Mum… I have to tell you something,” she began, thinking about how to explain better.

“What is it, dear?” Caroline asked gently.

Sandra swallowed and continued:

“There is something… weird going on at our house at night.”

“What do you mean?”

“It happened on Sunday night and the last night as well,” Sandra said. “I heard floor creaking right at my bedroom door, like someone is walking in the corridor near my room, and it stops right there, at the door. This is why I switched the light there on Sunday night and left it till the morning. I slept with my night lamp on as well. I didn’t tell you about it then, being afraid that you might think that I’m crazy, but it’s better that you know everything. Last night, as I said, it happened again, around the same time, and even louder than before. I decided not to wake Cindy up, otherwise she would have gotten scared too,” Sandra finished her story with a deep breath. Caroline sat silent for some time and spoke:

“But it’s impossible. No one could have gotten into our house with all the windows and door being locked. And don’t forget that our house is quite old, so creaking sounds are normal for such a place like this. And it’s definitely not haunted. We both know that no one has died here a violent death or committed suicide, so ghosts are out of option. If that was the case, we would have found out about them much sooner.”

“I know,” Sandra said, shaking her head. “At first I thought it was you doing something in the corridor, but when I went out, no one was there. I peeked into your room then, but you slept without even stirring. I don’t know what it is, but it sure freaks me out. I spoke with Laurie through Skype on Monday, and she advised to contact some investigators if things get worse, but for now she told me not to panic.”

“Yes, and I’ll say the same – do not panic,” Caroline agreed. “These are just sounds, and nothing out of ordinary has happened yet. In case if it gets worse, we’ll think about something. At the moment there is nothing to worry about.”

“Okay, I’ll do my best,” Sandra sighed, although it wasn’t easy to stay completely calm. Helping mother with the dishes, she then joined Cindy in the living room to watch TV. Time passed rather fast, and soon it was already time to go to sleep. When darkness enveloped the whole house, both girls were sleeping already. Sandra hoped her sleep would be peaceful, but she was deeply wrong. During her sleep, she heard someone saying her name, but decided that she was dreaming. But soon enough it made her awake.

“Sandra… Sandra…”

The voice belonged to Cindy, and judging by her tone, she was scared. Sandra lifted herself on an elbow and saw Cindy sitting on her bed and staring somewhere behind the door. And she looked frightened to death. This was when Sandra saw the door being open, although she could swear she closed it before they both went to bed.

“Cindy? Hey, are you alright?” Sandra asked her. “What happened?”

“Sandra… there’s somebody else in our room,” Cindy whispered. Her voice was shaking.

“What? Where?”

“There, in the corner behind the door,” Cindy pointed to the dark corner. “Do you see?”

Sandra looked with more attention, but all she could see was pitch darkness.

“I don’t see anything,” she said.

“There’s a man standing in the corner,” Cindy could barely talk, she stared into that corner with eyes full of terror. “A big, scary man in a mask, he’s right there!”

Sandra felt shivers running down her spine. A large man in a mask? Could it be…? No, it’s impossible. It couldn’t be what she was thinking of in this moment. She then got up from her bed and came closer to the door, but still saw nothing but darkness.

“Look, Cindy, there’s no one here. See?” she said, turning to her cousin. “Uuuh, it’s freezing in this spot,” she added, hugging herself in a warm-up attempt. “It was hot in the room and now it suddenly got so chilly.”

“Oh, my God…” Cindy whispered, her face growing more and more terrified with every second. “How can you not see him, Sandra? Turn around, he’s standing right behind you! It’s cold because of him!”

Sandra slowly began turning to face the corner behind her…

“He pulled out a blade! Watch out!” Cindy exclaimed, and at that second the door slammed shut. Cindy’s piercing scream rang throughout the entire house…

7: Chapter 7

Hearing Cindy’s piercing scream, Caroline Wilkins jumped from her bed like if she was scalded and ran to Sandra’s room. She burst inside, switching the light on, and saw Cindy all in tears, frightened to death and screaming; and Sandra holding her cousin and trying to calm her down. Caroline sat on Cindy’s bed and also tried to stop her screaming.

“Cindy, please, calm down” Mrs. Wilkins said, hugging the crying girl. “We’re here with you. What happened?”

“There’s someone else in our room!” Cindy screamed through tears. “There, in the corner behind the door!”

“What? What are you talking about?” Mrs. Wilkins asked and looked at Sandra. “What’s going on here, Sandra?”

“I have no idea,” Sandra replied in a nervous voice. “Cindy woke me up at night, telling me that she saw someone behind the door, but I saw nothing, even when I came right to that spot. The only weird thing I felt that it suddenly got very cold when I stood there, although it’s rather hot in the room.”

“It’s because coldness came from him!” Cindy groaned, still crying, but not screaming anymore. “And then he pulled out a blade and tried to attack Sandra. He wants us dead!”

Cindy continued crying, burying her face into Caroline’s shoulder, and Caroline herself was out of words from shock and confusion. Sandra stood near as shocked as her mother, trying to understand what exactly Cindy saw that scared her so much. She spoke about “a big man in a mask with a blade in his hand”, and the only image that popped up in her mind was the fictional character Jason Voorhees. That’s right – fictional, so seeing him was not possible technically. Then who was in their room if Cindy really saw someone? Then why she, Sandra, saw nothing? All of this was so bizarre. Sandra decided then to talk to Cindy when she is finally calm.

When Cindy finally stopped crying, Caroline left the room, making sure that the girl was perfectly alright and could go back to sleep. As soon as the sound of Caroline’s footsteps faded, Cindy whispered quietly:

“I’m still scared. I don’t know if I can sleep anymore.”

“Then come here, you can sleep with me if you’re afraid,” Sandra offered, lifting up her blanket. Cindy gladly accepted the offer and climbed onto her cousin’s bed, feeling a bit safer near her. Sandra then lay on her side, supporting her head with her hand and asked:

“So tell me, what exactly did you see? What kind of a man was it? Can you maybe describe him?”

“I couldn’t see much in dark,” Cindy explained. “All I could make out was that he was large and bulky, like a behemoth, and wore a white mask. And he had a long blade that he pulled out. No more details that I managed to notice.”

“Did the mask cover his whole head?” Sandra was curious.

“No, just the face was covered, the mask was oval, like head-shaped,” Cindy replied. “I noticed only two holes for eyes and a something like a small upside-down triangle on the forehead between them. This is all I could make out.”

Sandra felt the blood in her veins turn cold. The more Cindy tried to describe the apparition she saw, the more similarities it shares with the infamous Crystal Lake Killer. Could it really be that Jason Voorhees is out there? But that’s illogical and impossible. A fictional killer in real world? This is ridiculous. Only kindergartners would believe in something like that, and even not each of them. But what if… what if he has materialized through the mind power? Sandra has heard some stories about people able to create things with their own mind, unintentionally or on purpose, but it take hell a lot of time. Easier would be if a mass practices it, but for one person it would be very hard to achieve.

After Cindy fell asleep again, Sandra’s brain continued working and processing things. The idea about Jason Voorhees materializing in reality refused to leave her head. She tried to collect factors in her mind that would confirm this theory. From the perspective of mind power, Jason had the highest chances to become reality than any other fictional murderer, and there were reasons. First of all, many people in Western world believe dearly that Friday the 13^th is the unlucky day in a year, and nothing good can be expected. But after the horror franchise with the same name came out, for a large number of people the unlucky day is strongly associated with Jason Voorhees. He has become some sort of a campfire story, despite being of a movie origin. And here it leads to the second point: as a result, there are people who believe that every Friday the 13^th, Jason rises from the dead once again and goes searching for victims. And Sandra remembered how often she caught herself with such belief and laughed at herself afterwards, but even then the belief in it stayed inside her like a parasitic organism, and she was unable to get it out. And now this movie marathon on Friday that happened to be not just the thirteenth date, but also the birthday of Jason Voorhees. Plus, the full moon illuminated the sky and everything underneath with its silver rays. Just a perfect combination. So could it be the essential moment that triggered some supernatural activity, and Jason Voorhees now exists in real world? It pretty much looks like that. And that something weird began happening in her house, made Sandra even more convinced. And this is probably what Cindy has just seen. Sandra just wondered why she was unable to see the mysterious apparition. She just hoped that the specter hasn’t chosen Cindy as its victim, as she was the one to see it.

With this torrent of thoughts, Sandra finally grew tired and fell asleep quickly.

***

The rest of the night both girls spent in peaceful sleep, which seemed surprising, especially for Sandra. Cindy looked fresh and happy and ready to start a new day, but Sandra knew that she was just hiding her deepest feelings. In this point they were similar types. It was so typical for Wilkins bloodline. Her mother and Uncle Dave also were such types, so Cindy inherited that character feature as well. And now this young lady did her best to conceal how worried she was deep inside. The events of the last night was something that she would be unable to forget soon, but any person would feel that way if he or she was put in her shoes. But both cousins tried to keep calm and focus, as panic has never been a good advisor.

Cindy was the first to go bathroom to wash her face and teeth, and as soon she was finished, Sandra came in to perform her morning ritual. After she was done with the teeth washing, she rinsed her face with refreshing water, but a loud gasp escaped her lips when she looked in the mirror. There, in the bathroom doorway, Jason Voorhees was standing behind her back, piercing her with his deadly gaze. Sandra turned around in one swift move, but found nothing. She then looked at the mirror again, panting heavily, but he was gone. Not a single sign of anyone’s presence, all empty and quiet. Sandra shook her head frantically, making sure she wasn’t drifting somewhere, but she was absolutely awake and clear in mind. So what the hell was that? Hallucination? This option was the most probable. And while Sandra tried to figure it out, she heard Cindy’s footsteps approaching the bathroom until she appeared in the doorway, still dressed in pajamas.

“Are you ok?” the girl asked. “I think I heard you gasping or something”

“I’m alright,” Sandra replied, trying to focus. “I’m finished. We’ll go down in a moment and have breakfast, so you better change.”

Cindy just nodded and ran back to bedroom while Sandra went downstairs to prepare breakfast. The entire time her mind was occupied with one thought: whether all that she saw was indeed real. Because if not, then the conclusion here can be only one.

She might be slowly delving into insanity.

8: Chapter 8

The past few days nothing out of ordinary happened. Cindy saw nothing anymore, each night she slept peacefully and showed no disturbances. So this thing she saw at night wasn’t after Cindy, and that was good. Sandra was more than sure now it was the apparition of Jason Voorhees, and she was absolutely sober when she saw it in the mirror. Looks like the apparition was curious about Cindy first, but decided to leave the child in peace. It seemed to show interest in Sandra only, and she wished to understand the reason for that, although she had her guesses as well.

During the week Sandra had seen Jason several times, but only through the mirror. He always stood behind her back, his deadly glance on her; and she could literally feel it piercing through her entire body and stare directly into her soul. To say that she freaked out every time she spotted him was like saying nothing. Sandra didn’t say anything neither to Cindy, nor to her mother, not speaking about any of her friends. She sure didn’t anyone to think that she was insane, and that would most likely happen if she told anyone she was seeing a fictional character in the mirror. The only fact contrary was that Cindy saw him with her own eyes, but it was only once. At that moment Sandra saw nothing, and that was the weirdest part. It still surprised her that her fun with friends and movies by the lake became the final step that triggered Jason’s materialization, but this is what was happening nonetheless. He materialized as a spirit and now was following her, and for now Sandra had no idea how to withdraw him.

Finally Cindy’s parents returned from their vacation, and it was on Wednesday. Although Sandra felt a bit sad when Cindy left the house, but at the same time she understood that it was for the best, considering that Jason’s apparition was always near. Although it never disturbed her young cousin, it would be safer for her to stay away for some time until Sandra finds a way to get rid of the unwanted guest.

***

As the time passed, Sandra couldn’t find a way to get rid of Jason’s presence, as he appeared only when she was completely alone. But one day things started to become worse. After she woke up, she felt freezing coldness at once, although these summer days were sometimes unbearably hot. Sandra already had a bad feeling that Jason’s spirit was near, and when she stood before a mirror, her suspicions confirmed. He was standing behind her back again, not even planning to leave her side. At least he hasn’t done anything violent so far, and that was a good sign. But now any person she met on her way, felt the coldness emitting from the spirit’s presence, and Sandra knew at once that he was following her non-stop, even when she left the house. It was unclear to her why exactly he showed such interest in her. Her friends also felt the acute temperature change while being near her. They were shocked to hear about what happened to Cindy at night, but were still reluctant to believe that Sandra was seeing Jason Voorhees. And she didn’t blame them. No one would ever believe it. And even more unfortunate was the fact that she couldn’t prove anything to anyone, as the spirit was smart enough to disappear when she invited someone to stand near her in front of the mirror. In that moment the coldness went away, and that meant the spirit vanishing. Sandra was becoming desperate. Jason’s spirit was always near without interacting with her directly, but the psychological pressure was strong. And no one would believe her which was the worst. She even couldn’t believe herself in what was going on. Indeed, who could have known that an innocent movie watching with friends could be followed by something that awful? Actually, it’s not even because of that. Neither Sandra, nor her friends could have ever imagined how strong was this energy of belief in Friday the 13^th as a day of bad luck; and the more people believe, the stronger it becomes. And if a bunch of people associate this day with Jason Voorhees after those horror movies appeared, it’s no surprise this fictional character got more and more energy, and now it apparently exists as a spirit. And this spirit is now attached to Sandra for some reason, making her nervous. She was only afraid that one day it might do something that could cause serious problems for her. She had to think of something and expel him somehow.

***

Day went after day, week after week, and Sandra already was used seeing Jason in the mirror now and then. The spirit still hasn’t harmed her or her mother, and that was good. It didn’t even disturb her sleep, so Sandra could live with it. Until one day the apparition finally began its activity, making her remember what kind of a spirit it is.

On one of the days when Sandra didn’t meet any of her friends, she took a walk around the city, just to stay alone with herself. But only she knew she wasn’t actually alone, as Jason Voorhees followed her again. The only advantage of it was a feeling of chill during a hot day which was in this case even pleasant.

It was evening time, around seven o’clock, and Sandra was already on her way home when suddenly a sound of loud female voices reached her ears. It seemed like a group of women was arguing somewhere in the distance. Sandra was curious to see what was wrong so she decided to go and check it out, trying to stay unnoticed and just watch from her hiding spot. Reaching the place of an argument, she saw three girls around fourteen or fifteen years old, beating up another girl in the outskirts. The victim was lying on the ground and covering herself with arms, trying to protect her head from kicks. And in this very moment Sandra felt something stirring inside her. It was the new feeling she had never experienced before. Boiling rage was growing inside her, becoming stronger with every second, and with that her body felt like it was created anew, the feeling of strength was overwhelming its every muscle. But that was not all. In this second a flash of images ran through her mind, making her eyes see something she had never seen before. For a moment she saw herself in a summer camp, and a bunch of angry children rushed towards her, calling her names and trying to punch or kick her. Then there were two camp counselors, male and female, who ignored what the children were doing. They were busy having sex aside. Sandra felt pure, burning hatred filling her mind and making her blood boil. And right then her vision was back to normal.

Sandra realized at once that those were the memories of Jason Voorhees, and he was here with her, making her go through his most painful moment of life. And now a similar scene played out before her eyes. Seeing that one of the mean girls separated from the group and went into the trees and bushes for a moment, Sandra heard a faint whisper in her head, but the words were more than clear to her.

Kill them!

Sandra felt shivers running down her spine. She didn’t want to kill anybody, but felt her own body disobeying her mind, like if somebody or something was controlling it like a puppet. She knew well who this puppeteer was, but could do nothing against him. Jason Voorhees took control over Sandra’s body, herself being aware of the situation. The only thing she understood that Jason was going to pour out his anger on bullies now; something that he was unable to do in childhood.

Sandra put her hands into the pockets of her long cotton tunic and pulled out a pair of rubber gloves. Where the hell did these come from? – Sandra thought to herself, as she was sure the pockets were empty before. She was more than confused now, but understood the purpose for the use of gloves. Fingerprints. No one must find her fingerprints. It seemed that the spirit of Jason Voorhees was smart enough to think about this detail. Putting the gloves on, she followed one of the girls to the small woods, always staying out of sight and trying not to make any noise.

After the girl was done with her private things, Sandra had no choice but to act. Controlled by Jason, she grabbed the unaware victim from behind, covering her mouth with her gloved hand, and dragged her deeper into the woods. The mean girl struggled as much as she could, but Sandra’s grip or, to be more precise, Jason’s grip in Sandra’s body was too strong. Clenching her teeth in fury, Sandra dragged her to the nearest tree and began beating the frightened girl’s head against the tree with all the might. And considering that she got inhuman strength through Jason’s spirit, her victim had no chance. Her head collided with the tree trunk without stopping, beat after beat, until a bloody stain began forming on the bark, growing larger with every beat. With Jason’s help, Sandra continued her deadly work, feeling disgusted by what she did, but her body obeyed the specter that controlled the whole situation. When finally a satisfying sound of cracking skull reached her ears, Sandra let the girl collapse on the ground dead.

Sandra wanted to run as far as possible from this macabre scene, but couldn’t move a muscle herself. Jason Voorhees didn’t let her go, and that meant that the work wasn’t done yet, she had to kill the other two mean girls. Speaking of which, both noticed that their friend still hasn’t returned, so one of them went to check on her, the other keeping the poor beaten girl to the ground. By this time, Sandra has already managed to drag the dead body away, so that the next unsuspecting victim wouldn’t be able to find it. While the girl walked around the woods calling her friend’s name, Sandra crept to her from behind and repeated the same process of dragging her deeper into the woods, away from other people’s eyes, but Jason Voorhees decided to use the different way of killing for her. Sandra tried to resist as much as possible, but Jason’s will was many times stronger than hers. The inhuman strength that Sandra possessed at this moment was unbeatable for an average human female; and after several minutes of struggling the girl’s neck bones finally cracked, and Sandra was able to twist it for 180 degrees which finally resulted in death.

Finishing the second girl and hiding her away in the thick bushes, Sandra stood shaking, being afraid to think of what the murderous spirit was going to do now. He surely wasn’t going to let her go until the third member of the offender team is dead. As he wasn’t forcing her to do anything, it could only mean that he preferred to watch and wait for the best moment to strike. Sandra watched the two remaining girls as well until the beaten victim finally decided to act. She stepped on her offender foot with all her might and hit her in the stomach with an elbow, causing the other girl cringe in pain. Sandra then noticed that the victim had blood oozing from her nose. It was easier for her to fight one person instead of three, so she didn’t hesitate to use the opportunity. And while the offender was stunned, the girl with bleeding nose bolted away as far as her legs could carry her until she couldn’t be seen anymore.

After recovering, the third mean girl decided not to run after her, focusing on finding her two friends instead. Both of them haven’t returned from the woods, and that was already suspicious. Nothing of this kind has happened before, so there wasn’t much she could do but go and check what could have happened to them. Little did she know that she was the only one left of the company, and the danger was lurking in the woods, waiting for her.

Sandra crept behind the girl’s back, holding a thick branch in her hands. This time the deadly spirit decided to stun the victim, thus making it harder for her to resist the attack. The unsuspecting girl didn’t even manage to react when the branch collided with the back of her head, making her collapse on the ground. And while she lay there, confused and clenching her teeth from pain, Sandra quickly crouched and turned the girl to face her. Seeing her assailant, the girl opened her mouth to scream, but couldn’t make a sound. Sandra’s hands were on the girl’s throat at that very minute, pressing harder and harder, thus blocking the flow of oxygen into her victim’s lungs. Watching the girl dying slowly, Sandra could swear that if she could see Jason’s face under the mask, he sure would have smirked at this moment. The girl was dying in agony, as being unable to breathe till death wasn’t something any human being would like to experience; and she never knew that the young woman that killed her was actually being controlled by the spirit of a serial murderer. Sandra, in turn, could only watch how life was fading in her victim’s eyes with the last air drop in her lungs. When the girl was dead for sure, the specter made Sandra drag all three bodies deeper into the woods to the abandoned building on the other side that she had never known about. There was not a single living soul around, so Jason probably knew where to lead her. She dropped the bodies into a deep pit one after another, filling it with a pile of bricks and rocks that were strewn around until the pit was full. Her hands were still gloved, so no fingerprints could be found if police begins to search for those three girls.

When she was done with hiding the corpses, Sandra noticed that the gloves she was wearing vanished from her hands. What the hell? Where are the gloves?! - The young woman was scared and confused. This goddamn spirit, Jason Voorhees, has just made her kill three people and now was removing all evidence. She could only wonder how he achieved anything like that. It was far beyond her understanding. Sandra felt the inhuman strength in her arms disappear slowly as well, together with coldness around her, and things seemingly returned to normal.

Jason Voorhees has left her alone.

For now.

9: Chapter 9

As evening slowly enveloped the whole city, Sandra still stood in the abandoned building near the pit full of rocks, bricks, and pieces of concrete where the three bodies were buried underneath. Confusion got the best of her and she had no idea what to do now. If the police finds out, her being locked up in jail is inevitable. They always base the investigation on facts, and she would be the only culprit. No one would ever believe that some spirit used her as a vessel for its gruesome acts, especially if it’s a fictional character. Everyone would only laugh at her, and perhaps lock her in a mental hospital instead of prison. She was even afraid to tell anything to her mother, not knowing how she would react or what she would do. Anyhow, Sandra wasn’t planning to stay in these creepy ruins anymore and carefully left them, looking out for any people nearby, but no living soul was in this area.

When Sandra had just managed to get out of the ruined building, her phone suddenly rang, making her heart skip a beat. It was her mother.

“Where are you, Sandra?” the voice on the other side asked. “It’s getting late already.”

“I’m on my way, mum, don’t worry. I’ll be home in fifteen minutes or something.”

Ending the call, Sandra was surprised about how peaceful her voice was. But what will it be like when she gets home? There was no other way than to go back and see what happens next.

***

As promised, Sandra returned home in fifteen minutes, and the clock showed eight. When she opened the door, a pleasant smell of pancakes filled the whole house. This made her relax although she realized that there was no sign of nervous state or anything which was even more peculiar, considering the fact that she had murdered three people, not at her own will, of course. Mrs. Wilkins was in the kitchen, finishing with the last couple of pancakes. Hearing the front door slam, she turned around and saw her daughter standing in the doorway.

“Oh, thank God, you’re finally home,” she said. “I was getting worried already.”

“I was on my way home when you called,” Sandra replied. “It’s much more pleasant to take a walk in the evening when it’s not so hot outside.”

“Sure. Come then, sit down. You’re just in time for pancakes.”

“Yeah, just a moment, I’ll wash my hands,” Sandra said and walked to the bathroom. Looking at herself in the mirror, she saw no one standing behind her, but her own looks were more than peaceful. And mother didn’t even suspect anything. Usually she always felt if something was wrong with her daughter, but not this time. Sandra had never had reasons to lie to her mother, but now she was more than willing not to let her know what happened. Could it be that Jason’s spirit affected her like that? That could explain everything. If he had really chosen her for a vessel, he did it for a reason. And it was unprofitable for him to allow his vessel to be locked up somewhere, whether it was prison or a mental asylum. Sandra wasn’t entirely sure about it, but it would be only logical. She remembered that if something bad happened, she always felt nervous; and mother noticed it at once, even for some minor reason. But murder was a very serious reason to feel nervous and disturbed, and yet Sandra felt nothing. So the only explanation would be Jason’s influence on her.

After the supper Sandra left for her bedroom, feeling rather tired. She had to think things over, and do it in peace and silence. There were so many questions that had to be answered, but Sandra was unable to do that. First of all, why has Jason chosen her for his vessel? It’s not like she was the only one to be a fan of him and movies about him. Her friends loved them as well. But, on the other hand, Sandra was aware that she was the only one to feel sorry for Jason’s fate and sometimes even believed that every Friday the 13^th he rises from the dead and goes searching for prey. But her belief only wasn’t enough. There was something else, and Sandra wished to find it out and find a way to get rid of grisly spirit one way or another. He has killed once already in real life, and she had to do something to prevent more deaths.

The young woman took a relaxing shower and went to bed, thinking on her furthers actions. A thought about speaking to both her friends flashed in her mind, but telling them about the kills was a doubtful idea. If she didn’t dare to talk to her mother, then speaking to someone what wasn’t even her relative was even worse. Sandra tried to come up with any other idea until suddenly she felt it getting freezing cold in the room. Her heart began beating faster in her chest, as this was the first sign that Jason was back. And as a confirmation to that, Sandra noticed something in the dark corner behind the door. Now she finally understood that this might be the thing Cindy saw when she got the fright of her life. This thing was slowly moving, and in the whole blackness something white was barely visible. Sandra looked with more attention and saw it moving closer a bit until moonlight fell on a white hockey mask in the corner, followed by a menacing form of a gargantuan man. Sandra felt her insides shaking almost violently, but couldn’t move a muscle or make a sound. All she felt here hot tears streaming down her cheeks. Jason Voorhees was in her room, but he didn’t make any attempts to approach her, stopping just where the moonlight was. He stood like that for several intense moments, looking right at the frightened woman on the bed. Sandra stared back at him, waiting for his next move until she saw his right hand moving up the mask, pressing the index finger to the spot where his mouth should have been. Sandra tilted her hear in confusion. This gesture obviously meant that she had to be quiet, and it pretty much concerned the murders she committed while being under his control. So much was clear to Sandra, but then Jason moved his left arm, and moonlight reflected on the blade of his machete. Sandra shook even more, thinking that he was going to attack her, but he didn’t. Jason just made a sliding movement of the blade on his neck and then stepped back into the darkness until nothing was visible anymore, and with that the cold receded. Nothing disturbed the silence of the night anymore.

This was too much for Sandra to bear. Feeling her head go round, everything in her eyes began to blur, and she finally collapsed on her bed unconscious.

***

The consciousness returned to Sandra the next morning, but all she felt after opening her eyes was headache. This time it was rather strong, so Sandra quickly searched the drawers of her desk until she found a small package of Ibuprofen pills. She took one, and after some time the pain slowly began to subside. When Sandra went downstairs to have some breakfast, it was nearly eleven; mother has been away for several hours already. And while Sandra ate corn flakes with milk, her mind processed the last night events. At first she thought that maybe it was all a dream, but in a minute these thoughts were refuted, as Sandra remembered for sure that she was still awake when it happened. Jason Voorhees was in her room again, standing in the same corner behind the door where Cindy saw him while staying in Wilkins house. He wanted her to stay silent, but Sandra wasn’t planning to tell anyone about what she had done anyway. But the second gesture of his… He made a movement with his machete like slitting the throat with its blade before disappearing. Sandra pondered for some time about the meaning of this, and finally came to a conclusion that this might mean a threat. This made her blood turn cold once again. Jason Voorhees threatened to kill her if she dared to open her mouth or try to stop him. Her friends and relatives might suffer from his wrath as well; at least such option wasn’t out of question. And Sandra wasn’t going to allow that. She knew also that she sure didn’t want to become a murderer, although technically she already was one. But she also knew for a fact that if the deadly spirit continues to manipulate her like that, there might be serious trouble, and not just for her.

Then an idea came to her mind. There was no need to tell about this to anyone but a person or people that knew something about paranormal and might really help.

She might go to the church and consult a priest.

10: Chapter 10

Knowing that priests can be met on Sundays, when the holy mass takes place, Sandra sat at her computer and searched for the nearest church in her city. The best option she could find was St. Nicholas church and the priest Father Torres that served there. She wasn’t going to wait until the murderous spirit makes her delve into violence again and decided to act at once. Better so than regretting later. If Jason doesn’t disturb her day after day, it didn’t mean at all that he has left her alone. He was just in a dormant state and would make her remember that he was still there. Sandra could only hope that the situation could be controlled and won’t get that far when the only way to get rid of Jason turns out to be exorcism.

The mass in St. Nicholas church lasted for two hours, from 10:00 a.m. till the noon. Sandra decided it was better to wait until the mass ended, so the priest finished his work and would be free afterwards. Sandra reached her destination around fifteen minutes to twelve, but when she was ready to approach the massive church door, she suddenly felt coldness surrounding her in the middle of a hot day. Her heart started beating faster as the young woman knew that Jason was around here somewhere. She turned around, seeing no one, but as soon as she pulled her pocket mirror out of her bag, she saw Jason standing a meter or two behind her. Putting the mirror back into the bag, Sandra decided to run for it, but her attempt to enter the church failed miserably. She didn’t manage to get even close to the door when she felt something like grabbing her neck and pressing hardly. The worst thing was that she could do nothing about it, she couldn’t touch and pry open the invisible hand. Jason Voorhees was choking her, obviously angry with her tries to get rid of him; and the last thing he was going to allow was the priest standing in his way. Sandra felt her lungs getting less and less air and thought that this is it, her life ends right here and now. But the annoyed spirit suddenly seemed to change its plans, and Sandra didn’t even manage to comprehend what was going on when she felt herself fly away from the church. She moaned loudly in pain when her back and butt crashed on an asphalted sidewalk, as the impact was strong, but luckily not hard enough to break any bones. Sandra rolled on her side, clenching her teeth, and tried to get up. Coldness still was there, and it meant that Jason still didn’t leave her side. She was going to curse him for what he did when sound of footsteps reached her ears. Lifting her face up, she saw an Afro-American middle-aged couple running to her; and when they reached Sandra’s side, they helped her get up.

“Are you alright, miss?” the woman asked. “What happened to you? We saw you standing there, and in the next moment flying backwards from the church.”

“I… I don’t know…” Sandra spoke, rubbing her soaring elbows and other spots that collided with the ground. “I was going into the church, but then something like… threw me away. God, you would never believe anything like that…” Sandra tried to find the right words, but hear head hurt and was spinning, thus making her feel like drunk.

“Well, it happened, and we believe what we saw,” the man said. “Is everything alright? Can you stand? Maybe you need a doctor?”

Sandra shook her head.

“No, I’m alright. Thank you very much for your help.” She was ready to leave, but when her vision finally cleared, she spotted a camera hanging on the man’s neck; and it seemed one of those that make an instant photo. She concluded then that this guy might be a photographer. Then she felt the cold still surrounding them, and the couple seemed to feel it as well.

“Why is it so cold in the middle of a summer day?” the woman pondered loudly. “Do you feel it, Dan?”

“Yes, Mary, I do,” the man named Dan replied. “Kinda weird, don’t you think?”

While the couple was in a state of light confusion, Sandra suddenly had an idea.

“Please, sir” she began. “Does your camera make instant photos?” Getting an affirmative reply from Dan, she continued: “May I take a picture or two of the church? It’s really necessary, I assure you. May I use your camera for a moment?”

“Of course, no problem,” Dan replied and handed her the camera. Sandra took it and took a photo of the church entrance. And when the picture slid out of the camera, she took it and widened her eyes in terror at once. A translucent silhouette of a large man in a hockey mask stood there, seemingly a few meters away from them. Mary and Dan also didn’t hide their surprise and horror when seeing the photo, and both turned to the church, but, of course, saw nothing.

“Holy Mother of God, what is this?” Mary exclaimed, studying the photo. “Dan, look at that! It looks like some kind of a phantom standing there!”

“Yes, it is,” Sandra replied instead. “And he was the one who threw me so violently on the ground, not allowing to enter the church.”

“You know, I’ve heard that spirits usually don’t behave like that,” Dan said. “This already sounds more like a demonic entity that hates holy places.”

“Well, maybe,” Sandra said. “By the way, this coldness you feel means that he’s still there. And it looks like he’s going to stay there if we don’t leave. He’s clearly determined not to let me into the church.”

“Then let’s leave this place,” Mary said, and all three left as fast as possible. On their way they felt coldness disappearing, leaving just the heat of a typical summer day.

“I guess the entity is gone,” Dan said when they reached the city park. “It’s not cold anymore.”

“Yeah, finally,” Mary added. “It was creepy.”

“So, um… your name is Dan, am I right?” Sandra asked the man, and he nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. And this is my wife, Mary,” he replied, introducing his partner.

“Pleased to meet you,” Mary smiled, extending her hand, and Sandra shook it. “And you would be..?”

“Sandra,” the young woman said, smiling back. “Nice to meet you too.”

Dan coughed then and asked:

“So, Sandra, may we take a look at the photo again?”

“Of course,” Sandra responded and pulled out the photo, handing it to Dan. The spouses studied it for a few minutes until the man spoke again.

“You know, strangely enough this specter reminds me of someone. It’s like I’ve seen a guy similar to him in movies when I was younger.”

“Yes, you’re right, the horror movies!” Mary exclaimed, remembering something as well. “Although this image is translucent, I can very clearly see a man in a white mask.”

“A hockey mask,” Sandra corrected.

“Yeah, it seems like that,” Dan agreed. “Damn, if I only could remember the name of the character and the movies. It was so long time ago…”

“Jason Voorhees, and he’s the main villain of Friday the 13^th movie franchise,” Sandra helped them to remember.

“Oh yes, yes, right! That was his name!” Mary and Dan nodded simultaneously, and then Mary asked: “But how is it possible that this hostile entity by the church looks like Jason Voorhees?”

“A long story,” Sandra sighed, scratching her head. “The only explanation I can find is that many, first of all, many people believe that Friday the 13^th is the unlucky day; and after horror movies with the same name came out, for a bunch of most susceptible people this day became strongly connected with Jason Voorhees, and some even began to believe that on this day Jason rises from the dead and goes looking for victims. And fear, as we know, is one of the strongest human emotions.”

Dan and Mary agreed with the statement about fear, and Sandra continued:

“Also, it is often said that the more you think of something, the more likely it will happen. I suppose that this fear and belief in Jason, despite him being a fictional character, created this clot of energy and fed it constantly. Thus it resulted in him materializing as an incorporeal spirit. And then me and my friends went to Swartswood Lake exactly on Friday, 13^th June, which happened to be Jason’s birthday, according to the movies. We had our laptops with us and we made a Friday the 13^th movie marathon. After that all devilry began, but only with me. Neither of my friends experienced anything like this. I started seeing Jason through the mirror, standing behind my back; or he appeared twice in my room. Once my twelve-year old cousin spotted him and got the scare of her life, and second time I saw him myself. He clearly made me understand that I should keep quiet or he would kill me. And today he showed violence, hinting that trying to stop him is a bad idea. The rest you saw with your own eyes.”

The couple listened with all their attention, and when Sandra finished, they exchanged glances in silence. Of course, she wasn’t going to tell the strangers about the murders, but perhaps through them she could find some help.

“This is all so weird,” Mary pondered loudly. “I knew you can make things come true if you think of them too much, but a movie character materialization… This is something new.”

“You’re telling me,” Sandra said. “I still find it hard to believe, and yet this is what’s going on in my life, and I’m more than afraid of what this entity might do next. And it’s capable of violence, this I know for sure.”

“Yes, we saw that,” Dan spoke. “All right, so does anyone else know about it?”

“My mother doesn’t, although she knows about what happened to my cousin. She described that a man in a white mask was what she saw that night,” Sandra explained. “The rest she is unaware of. I told about this case to both best friends of mine, also about hearing footsteps behind my door at night; but I saw they were reluctant to believe that I see Jason in the mirror. And I’m not surprised. They both don’t believe in supernatural, so for such people all this otherworldly stuff will seem nothing more than figment of imagination. Oh, by the way, do you believe in paranormal?”

“We do,” Mary replied, and Dan nodded in agreement. “In our families everyone is a believer, so in no way we would mock anyone who experienced the encounters with supernatural. And you are no exception.” She put her hand on Sandra’s shoulder to calm her down, and the young woman felt better. “So, first of all, your mother must know all the truth. She is the closest person to you. If she finds it hard to believe, show her the photo you made.” Sandra nodded, and Mary continued: “Second, we have to find out what exactly this “Jason Voorhees” entity wants from you. It has obviously latched itself to you and is feeding on you. And we must find out why to know what to do further. You need not just a priest, but a psychic as well. And you’re very lucky to stumble on us. We know one woman that works with such things, and she has literally saved many lives from violent entities. If it wasn’t for her, no one would realize the nature of threat and things might have gotten worse. We will contact her and then let you know when you could meet up with her.”

Hearing this, Sandra’s eyes began to shine with hope, and her lips stretched in a smile.

“Really? Oh, God bless you!” she said not without joy. “How can I ever thank you?”

“No need, dear,” Mary smiled warmly. “Let’s say that we had our experience, and it was far from pleasant. And we see that a serious threat is looming over you. It’s our duty to help people get out of dangerous situations when police and authorities are of no use.”

“Yes, and we will give you our phone numbers so we can contact each other after we speak to the psychic,” Dan said, pulling out his phone. Sandra told them her number, and both spouses wrote it into their contacts; and Sandra added them both to her list. Thanking them once again, she waved goodbye to them and left for home. She had to talk to her mother today and hoped that everything goes smoothly.

***

Jason Voorhees was angry. He understood that this young woman would do anything to get rid of him. If he could, he would have finished her long ago, but he couldn’t. He still needed her to get more energy and thus become more powerful. Also, little did she know that Camp Crystal Lake existed in reality, and that was his only goal. If the situation gets really bad soon, he will finally possess her and enslave her mind fully. Thus he will be able to kill more and gain more power. Jason wanted to exist and be free. He still depended on the woman, but committing more murders, using her as a vessel, might finally help him become independent.

And that would be his ticket home.

11: Chapter 11

Sandra was nervous. On her way home she couldn’t get rid of obsessive thoughts. What would mother say? How would she react? Would she even believe her story? The photo she took sure would serve as a proof, but what next? If mother finds out the truth, will the spirit harm her? Sandra was confused and scared. But she had to face the reality and speak to her mother.

When Sandra entered the house, she found her mother in the kitchen with a broom in her hands. Seeing her daughter, Caroline stopped sweeping the floor and looked at her, understanding from her glance that something was not right.

“Sandra, dear, are you alright?”

“Well… not really,” the frightened girl replied.”

“What happened? You look scared to death.” Caroline took Sandra by the shoulders and led into the kitchen to sit down. “You’d better tell me what happened, so we both have an idea of solution.”

Sandra swallowed hard and began talking.

“You see, mum… I don’t know if you’re going to believe me… but I’ve been followed by a spirit.”

“What? A spirit? What do you mean?” Caroline tilted her head.

“I’ll show you.” Sandra pulled out a photo from her handbag and handled it to mother. “This is it. I’ve taken this photo today by St. Nicholas church. I borrowed a camera from one couple that makes instant photos, and this is what slid out of it after the picture was taken. So the photo being a fake is out of question.”

“What is this?” Caroline studied the photo with her eyes wide open. “You know, it might seem funny, but this thing on the picture looks pretty much like the main character from those old horror movies you and your friends like to watch.”

“No, there is nothing funny, and you’re absolutely right about it resembling Jason Voorhees,” Sandra said, her voice slightly shaking. “It’s because now he exists in our world.”

“What? Sandra, do you understand what you’ve just said?” Caroline was more than surprised. “It’s a fictional character, a figment of someone’s imagination. He can’t exist in our world! I’ve heard people encountering ghosts or something of that kind, and find it much more believable, although I’m still skeptical. But a movie character…”

“Yes, mum, I know it sounds absurd, but that’s what going on nonetheless,” Sandra sighed. “You see, it’s all because many people started believing in him after that franchise came out, combined with belief in the unlucky day of Friday the 13^th. And you know how strong human belief can be, especially if a crowd believes in something.” Caroline kept silent, looking at her daughter with all her attention. “A day or two after me and my buddies returned from Swartswood Lake something weird began occurring at night. The first time I heard footsteps behind my door, so this is why I left the light in the hallway for the night. And this thing…” Sandra pointed to the figure in a photo “is what Cindy saw when she began yelling her lungs out one night by us. Do you remember when she said she saw a masked man standing in the corner behind the door?” Caroline nodded. “It was him, Jason Voorhees. I assume that it was just a visit of curiosity, just that one time. But after that…” Sandra moved a few strands of hair behind her ears “after that he appeared in my room again, in the same spot; and he communicated with me, although I heard no voices. He made me understand that I had to be quiet and not tell anyone about him, but if I disobeyed, he threatened to harm me.”

“What? How?” This time mother widened her eyes in terror.

“By telling me to be quiet I mean he pressed his finger to the spot where his mouth should have been. And the threat looked like him pulling out his machete and making a movement of slitting the throat.”

“Jesus Christ…” Caroline said, supporting her head with hands. “Just great. This is exactly what was missing – a threat to my daughter’s life from some kind of movie ghoul that somehow became real. Just freaking perfect.” All these words were spoken with sarcasm.

“I know, mum. No one could even imagine that something like this would happen,” Sandra continued. “But that is not all. On the next day after Cindy saw him I began seeing Jason in the mirror, standing behind my back; but when I turned around, there was nothing. But after he threatened me, I finally decided to go to the church to consult a priest. Today I hoped to speak with Father Torres after the mass at St. Nicholas church, but… Jason didn’t let me enter the church.”

“How is that?” Caroline wanted to know.

“First of all, whenever he appears, it grows freezing cold. That’s what happened when Cindy and I saw him in my room. When he leaves, the coldness goes away. So yeah, when approaching the door of the church I felt this coldness surrounding me. I took my pocket mirror and saw Jason behind me again. I decided to run for it then, but I never got to step into the church. I felt like an invisible hand grabbed me by the throat and started pressing, blocking the flow of air into my lungs. And when I thought that in a moment I would die of suffocation, I felt flying away from the church and landing on asphalted surface. Damn, it was painful… I landed on my back and also hit my elbows, so you see why my skin on these spots is scraped. Luckily, a middle-aged Afro-American couple helped me up. They are husband and wife, Dan and Mary. Dan had a camera that makes instant photos, so I asked him to allow me to take a photo of the church, and he kindly agreed. I said already that the photo slid out of camera at once, and here you see the result.” She lifted up the photo with the specter again. Caroline didn’t know what to say and grabbed her head in horror.

“Oh my God, Sandra… I don’t even know what to do about this. A priest could really be our hope to get rid of this thing, but it’s clearly hostile and doesn’t even let you approach the church. I’m afraid it might get worse.”

“It might, yes,” Sandra sighed sadly. Her mind was still plagued by what Jason Voorhees had made her do today, but not wanting her mother to know the whole truth “I have no idea why he shows so much interest in me and follows me. Neither of my friends is experiencing this; only me. But Dan and Mary might have an idea about how to help me.”

“Really? How?”

“Actually, I’m very lucky to find them,” Sandra explained. “First of all, both are believers in supernatural, and thus they understood and didn’t think that I’m crazy. For non-believers it always will be nothing but craziness. They said they had an unpleasant paranormal experience in their lives, so they are glad to help those who are in trouble. They also said to know a psychic who works in this area and might provide help. To be precise, she might help to find out why this entity is so interested in me and what it wants. This would serve as a starting point so we know what to do and how to make this entity leave me in peace.” She then took out a paper with phone numbers and handled it to mother.

“Daniel and Mary Burrows?” Caroline asked, studying the paper. “Well, I hope they know what they talk about, because I see how restless you are recently. You’ve become pale like death. I don’t want that thing ruin your whole life.”

“Neither do I,” the young woman agreed. “I’m scared, mum, I’m so scared!” At this very moment Sandra jumped from her chair and into mother’s embrace. All she needed now is just warmth and a little bit of peace; and Caroline gladly gave it to her.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” she said, caressing her daughter’s hair. “Maybe there really is hope. But why didn’t you tell me about it earlier, when this devilry started?”

“I don’t know… I guess I was afraid that you would think I’m crazy or just imagining things on horror movie basis,” Sandra explained. “But now, when I have this photo as a solid proof, I can speak frankly.”

“Oh, my dear girl, don’t be silly,” Caroline said, smiling. “I would never think of you as crazy. Besides, it looks like not only you have seen this thing. Neither do I think that Cindy was imagining things when she saw something in your room. I know that neither you, nor Cindy are susceptible types that have hallucinations after watching a horror movie. I believe you, my dear, do not doubt it. Let’s hope we find the help you need against this… whatever this thing is.”

“Thank you, mum,” Sandra whispered, pressing her face into Caroline’s shoulder. “Thanks for believing me. I don’t know what I would do if you didn’t.”

“Come on, we’ve just discussed it, so let’s leave it at that,” Mrs. Wilkins calmed her daughter. “Now, show me your elbows. Let’s see how bad your injuries are.”

Caroline helped Sandra to wash the wounds and bandage them up. Nothing serious, but it still hurt. The impact was strong when she fell on the ground, so for a day or two it still might hurt, but then it will all be over when the wounds heal. And right when the cleaning and bandaging process was complete, Sandra’s cell phone suddenly rang. She picked it up and checked who it was. The screen clearly showed the name of Mary Burrows.

“Oh, Mary is calling,” Sandra said. “I’m a bit surprised that they would get back to me so fast.” She answered the call then.

“Hello, this is Sandra Wilkins speaking.”

“Hello there, Sandra, this is Mary,” the female voice spoke. “I’ve got good news for you. Dan and I spoke to Mrs. Joan Henderson, the psychic we told you about. When we told her what happened today at the church, she took this information very seriously. She said also that you might be in great danger, thus she would like to meet you as soon as possible.”

Hearing this, Sandra felt glad and frightened at the same time. She was happy that the psychic gladly agreed to meet up with her, but the words about danger made all her insides tremble in fear.

“Really? But what did she mean by this danger?” Sandra asked.

“I don’t know, she didn’t explain us the details,” Mary replied. “She just said that there is the need to act while it’s not yet too late. She’s returning home late today, so she could meet up with you tomorrow at seven. Would it suit you?”

“Yes, of course,” Sandra said with enthusiasm. “Could you please tell me her address?”

“21 Wellington Road. It’s a bit outside the center, but in the same city. She lives in a single-floor white house. You’ll find it without problems.”

“Great, I’ll be there at seven then,” Sandra said, her mouth stretching in a smile.

“Very well. I’ll call her then and say that tomorrow you are coming at seven o’clock in the evening,” Mary said. “I hope she can help you to find the exit from this difficult situation.”

“I hope so too. Thank you very much for your help, Mary,” Sandra said, feeling relieved. “And thank your husband for me as well. I don’t know what I would do if it wasn’t for you. I’d be grateful eternally.”

“It’s our pleasure, dear,” Mary said. “Whenever you need help or something, do not hesitate to contact us. Have a good evening.”

“Thank you once again and good night,” Sandra said and put the phone down. Mother heard almost every word of their conversation, and Sandra noticed sparks of hope in her eyes.

“Well, that’s a good start,” she said. “Let’s hope this Joan Henderson helps you.”

“I hope so,” Sandra pondered loudly. “Mum, may I ask you one favor? Could you please come with me? I’m very afraid that Jason Voorhees might attack me again like he did by the church, not allowing me to find help. Maybe if someone accompanies me, it would be safer for me to go.”

“Sure, dear, I’ll drive you there,” Caroline nodded. “Better be safe than sorry.”

“Thank you, mum,” the young woman smiled gently. She was glad that at least her mother understood the situation, so one problem less to worry about.

Now the hardest part waited for her. She had to get rid of the malevolent entity known as Jason Voorhees. That won’t be easy as he would definitely try to resist and not allow them to achieve their goal.

All the difficulties were still ahead.

12: Chapter 12

The feeling of anxiety filled Sandra’s mind all the next day. Today was Monday and she had to pay a visit to the psychic. She truly hoped that she could help, but if not, then at least she would provide some information about the entity that haunts her and how to get rid of it. She was so nervous that it was impossible to concentrate on anything else but the impending meeting with the woman named Joan Henderson. All Sandra could do now was waiting until her mother returns home and then drives her to the psychic. She was now too scared to move around on her own as Jason Voorhees might attack her again, or worse, to use her to commit another murder.

Caroline was back home at six and, having a quick lunch, got into her car with Sandra and drove to the address Mary Burrows gave to her. Joan Henderson lived on 21 Wellington Road, not too far from the city center, and they could get to her place soon enough. Just like Mary Burrows said, they had no difficulties in finding Henderson’s house. It was the only white house in this street that had just one floor. Sandra exited her mother’s car, looking around warily. She really was afraid that the malevolent spirit would do something right now to stop her from meeting a psychic. Luckily, nothing of that kind happened, and she pressed the button on the intercom at the gate that led into a rather pretty green garden. A middle-aged dark-haired lady stepped out of the house and approached the gate.

“Oh, hello there,” she said with a kind smile. “You must be Sandra, right?”

“Yes, it’s me,” Sandra replied. “And this is my mother, Caroline.”

“Pleased to meet you both,” Mrs. Henderson said, opening the gate. “Please, do come in.”

Sandra and her mother followed the lady inside her house. Joan could see at once how frightened Sandra was despite her best efforts to hide it. It wasn’t the first time people came to her for an advice on how to deal with the supernatural, but this time something inside told her that the thing Sandra was facing was much more dangerous than anything she had to deal with. Nonetheless, she would try to do her best to help.

“Sit down, dear,” she invited Sandra to join her at the table. “Please describe me the whole matter.”

Sandra started her story from the very beginning, from the moment she and her friends spent a night by the lake watching movies till now, when life forced her to visit a psychic. She hesitated to tell her that Jason’s spirit took her under his control and made her commit a triple murder. Joan looked at her and understood that the young woman still had something to tell, but was afraid to do it.

“Do tell me everything that happened, dear,” she said kindly. “Whatever it is, you should get it off your shoulders, no matter how terrible it might sound.”

Sandra swallowed and spoke again, obviously ashamed to look into Joan’s eyes.

“Mrs. Henderson…” she began, but Joan stopped her.

“You can call me Joan. I prefer it that way.” Sandra nodded and continued:

“Well, Joan, before I tell you, I’ll say that if it wasn’t for you who had experience with the supernatural, I would carry this secret with me into the grave.”

Caroline glanced at her daughter with surprise in her eyes. Was there something else that she didn’t tell her about?

“Just tell me, don’t be shy,” Joan smiled. “It’s important that I know every detail.”

“You see… if I ever told anyone about it, I would get myself arrested and put in jail,” Sandra said, her face getting crimson.

“What makes you think that?” Joan asked, tilting her head. Caroline did the same, but kept silent.

“Well… a day before I went to the church and met Dan and Mary Burrows, I stumbled on a group of four girls that had a fight. Three of them were bullying the fourth one who was much weaker and couldn’t defend herself properly. And in that moment…” Sandra paused, collecting her thoughts and making a deep breath “I had a feeling inside me that I have never experienced before. I felt feral rage increasing inside me and my body getting… stronger. No, literally I felt inhumanly strong. I had no idea why until images started flashing in my mind, images about the events I have never experienced in my life. It was like I was living through the moments of someone else’s life.”

Caroline listened with her mouth agape, but Joan showed no signs of surprise. She just tensed and moved a bit forward, listening with more interest.

“Can you describe those images?” she asked. “Tell me all you remember.”

“Yes, I do remember everything,” Sandra continued. “Those were events in a summer camp, and I was reliving the torturous life of a young boy that was born with face deformities. He was constantly bullied by other kids because of his unusual appearance. This is exactly what I saw in my mind at the moment when I saw the three girls bullying the fourth one in the same way. And then… I felt the urge to save the unfortunate girl. I felt the urge to kill the bullies. You won’t believe me, but I found a pair of rubber gloves in my jacket pocket, although I could swear that nothing of that kind had ever been there. I have no idea how they got into my pocket, but they were there. I then heard a voice in my head that clearly told me – kill them!”

“What?” Caroline interrupted her, widening her eyes. “Did you do anything to them?”

“Unfortunately, I did,” Sandra replied, lowering her head. “But I assure you, no matter how I tried to fight it, it was stronger than me. If you still don’t understand, the images of summer camp I saw were the memories of Jason Voorhees, of the last days of his life before he drowned. I know he’s a fictional character, but what is happening tells me that there is horrifying truth hiding behind fiction. Yes, it’s the spirit of Jason Voorhees haunting me from the moment I returned home from the lake.” She turned then to face Joan. “I suppose that Dan and Mary Burrows showed you the photos I made by the church?”

“They certainly did, my dear,” Joan said. “And I do believe you that this thing really does look like Jason Voorhees. It was very well visible.”

“She showed me one photo as well,” Caroline added. “To say that I was shocked is like saying nothing. A fictional monster is haunting my daughter… If I told anyone about it, people would think I’m crazy.”

“Yes, it’s a very unique case,” Joan agreed. “Here we have a situation when a supernatural entity is haunting a human being combined with a materialized thought form.”

“What does it mean?” Caroline wanted to know. “I mean the thought form. Sandra has tried to explain me this phenomenon in general, but I wish to understand it better if it’s the case we’re dealing with.”

“Of course, I will tell you,” Joan said. “You see, human mind is capable of extraordinary things, it’s just many of us do not even have an idea what it means. If people strongly believe in something or, even more, if they are afraid of something, this “something” may begin existing in our physical world. Fear is one of the strongest emotions that humans possess. The more people believe and are afraid, the stronger the thought form grows. Thus people feed the thought form with their energy. And in our case, we have Jason Voorhees, an antagonist of Friday the 13^th movies. The character is very well known, and it also plays a vital role. The more famous the character is, the stronger the possibility is for him to materialize. Now, Friday the 13^th is believed to be an unlucky day, and very many people believe it. After those horror movies appeared, a large amount of people associated Friday the 13^th with the character of Jason Voorhees. Thus it all began.” She then looked at Sandra. “And when you and your friends spent time at the lake, it was Friday the 13^th, plus the moon was full this time. From what you told me, this is the day Jason Voorhees was born, and on the same day he drowned eleven years later. Am I remembering this right?”

Sandra nodded silently.

“And after that the haunting began, did it?”

“Yes,” Sandra replied with another nod.

“I really do not want to upset you in any way, but this became a crucial moment in Jason’s materialization,” Joan continued, her voice sounding a bit sad. “He was given enough energy to appear in our world, but he still is an incorporeal entity.”

“Damn it…” Sandra sighed, processing the information. “It means that we released a malevolent entity into our world? But… how could we know that it would happen? We went to the lake just for fun. We never meant any harm!”

“Of course, my dear, I know you didn’t,” Joan said with a reassuring smile. “And it’s not your fault or of any of your friends. You never knew that Jason was strong enough to appear in the world of the living, so no one is blaming you for that. All the energy that he accumulated during the years since the movies appeared now played its role.”

“And I thought it was just a ghost…” the young woman whispered, lowering her head. Joan shook her head.

“I’m afraid it’s not a ghost,” she said. “Ghosts haunt specific places where something bad happened – a murder, a suicide, etc. They are tied to such locations until something is done to give them peace. It may be a proper burial or some unfinished business that was left undone before that person died. Reasons for the return of the spirits can be different, but when they achieve their goal, they leave our world for good. The thing that haunts you is not a ghost. When Dan and Mary Burrows told me about what happened at the church and showed me the photos, I instantly realized that you’re being followed by an inhuman spirit.”

“What’s an inhuman spirit?” Caroline wanted to know.

“It’s something that has never existed on Earth in physical form,” Joan explained. “And from what you told me, I concluded that it’s something extremely manipulative and it won’t stop until it gets what it wants.” She sighed then and looked into Caroline’s eyes. “It’s a demon.”

“Oh my God…” Caroline exclaimed, grabbing her head in amazement. “A demon?”

“I know it sounds awful, but that’s what we’re up against,” Joan said. “That’s why I said that this case is unique. A demon that looks like Jason Voorhees. It’s something I have never seen before.”

“What does he want from my daughter?” mother demanded. Joan could see that she was nervous.

“Just like any demonic entity, it is after a human soul,” she explained. “As I said before, demons have never walked on Earth in physical form. And that’s what he wants, to obtain a physical form to live among us. He wants to get inside your daughter, to enslave her.”

Caroline was silent and listened with her eyes wide and mouth agape. She could hardly believe that Sandra, her only daughter, was hunted by a demon. She was scared to imagine what would happen if that thing achieved its goal.

Sandra felt her hands trembling and heart beating faster in her chest. She knew it was time to confess.

“I… I’m afraid that’s what he did to me when I found those three mean girls beating up the other one.”

“What do you mean?” Caroline turned to her daughter. Sandra looked at her first and then her eyes met Joan’s.

“He made me kill the bullies.”

13: Chapter 13

For a few moments nothing broke the silence between the three women in the room. Joan sat like a stone statue, just closing her eyes which showed that she felt sorry for the young lady before her. She understood that Sandra was really in trouble. Caroline, in turn, couldn’t believe her own ears and widened her eyes in surprise and terror.

“He what?!” she asked, doing her best to keep herself from raising the voice. Sandra gulped nervously and looked at her mother.

“No need to raise your voice at her, Caroline,” Joan interfered. “Let her continue.”

“As I said before, I was like led through Jason’s childhood memories, witnessed him being severely bullied by his peers in the camp. This was really awful.” Sandra sighed and continued: “Plus, I was seeing it so like it all was happening to me, like I was Jason myself. And in that moment, being inside me and seeing the three girls beating up the other one, it stirred painful memories in Jason. It may sound funny, but I felt sorry for him. Demon or not, but it seems that he still can feel pain.”

“Alright, so what happened next?” Caroline asked. She tried to keep herself peaceful, but it was difficult for her to hide her anxiety.

“I would have helped the victim anyway,” Sandra said. “I would have interfered, but not in the way Jason made me do it. But first, if you ask about leaving fingerprints, there will be nothing. I have no idea how, but I found a pair of rubber gloves in my pocket. How they got there, is one huge mystery to me. As far as I remember myself, I have never owned rubber gloves. I guess it’s a question you have to ask Jason himself, heh.”

“He is careful enough, you have to give him that much,” Joan muttered loudly.

“Couldn’t agree more,” Sandra nodded. “I guess he doesn’t want me to get caught by police. Anyway, one of the girls then separated from the others to do her private things. And that’s when Jason forced me to act. Believe my word, I have never felt such strength in my body, never. And I… I mean Jason…” she stuttered, remembering this macabre scene. “He used my body to beat her head against the tree trunk till she was finally dead. She tried to struggle, but my grip was too strong, and all thanks to Jason.”

Sandra paused for a moment and spoke again.

“The second girl then went to search for her friend as she was away for too long. I managed to drag the body away where she couldn’t see it, and when the second girl was in my hands, she ended up with a broken neck. The third offender was suffocated. As for the victim… Before I got to the third girl, the victim fought her back and managed to escape. It’s much easier to fight one person than three at once. So she ran away before Jason made me kill the third mean girl and saw nothing.”

“What about the bodies?” Joan asked. “What did you do with them?”

“I was still under Jason’s control when I was done with them,” Sandra explained. “He sure knew where to lead me. He led me to an abandoned building that was never finished, or so it looks at least. I dropped them into a deep pit and filled it with rocks and bricks that were strewn around the entire territory. The ruins are hidden deep in the woods, so Jason chose the best spot for this. It took a while, but now the corpses are hidden well where no one can find them. Oh, and the gloves that I used vanished as suddenly as they appeared. When I finished hiding the bodies, the gloves disappeared from my hands in that precise moment. I know it sounds like a fairy tale, but that’s what happened. If I could explain it, I would; but I just can’t.”

After Sandra finished, her mother covered her face with her palms, supporting herself in her elbows. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. Sandra, her own daughter, had just told how she murdered three people and hid their bodies somewhere inside ruins. And all because some kind of a demon made her do that. Caroline would have never believed any of this if someone else told her such things. But now here she was, at the psychic’s place, facing just the naked truth.

Joan, in turn, still seemed peaceful, or at least pretended to be.

“And then? Did he do anything else?” she asked.

“No, after that everything returned to normal,” Sandra said. “I was really surprised how peaceful I felt that day when I came home and told nothing to my mom. Only the next day I felt terrible and decided it was a good idea to go to the church and speak to a priest. I couldn’t go to the police station, as I’m sure they would blame me, and me alone. Thus years in prison would be guaranteed.”

“Yes, the police are guided only by what they can see with their own eyes, but nothing beyond that,” Joan agreed. “It was a right decision to go directly to the priest. But I know that Samuel Holden, the sheriff, is a believer. He believes in God and everything supernatural. He just doesn’t like to speak about it with his colleagues.”

“How do you know that?” Sandra asked.

“Well, there were a few cases when police had run into a dead end, all because they couldn’t find the logical explanation,” Joan replied with a smile. “So he invited me to join the investigation when things got weird. So yeah, we know each other. And Father Torres from St. Nicholas church is also a good acquaintance of mine. Although generally the church doesn’t support such things as magic, fortune telling, etc., but if it really helps people in any way or form, Father Torres doesn’t mind that I do my best to help.”

“That’s nice to know,” Sandra pondered aloud. “As you know, Jason didn’t allow me to enter the church, but it was my luck to stumble on Dan and Mary Burrows. That’s how I found you.”

Joan’s lips stretched into a warm, friendly smile.

“Yes, indeed, my dear,” she said. “To tell you the truth, when they told me what happened and showed the photos, I was shocked, deeply shocked. It made me realize at once that this is indeed a serious matter.”

Sandra nodded, her face expressing more sadness than fear or anxiety. Caroline was silent this whole time, trying to digest all the information; and then she finally spoke again.

“Alright, so what shall we do now? I’m not going to allow that thing turn my daughter into a serial murderer! We have to do something!”

Joan then switched her attention to Caroline.

“Yes, you’re absolutely right. We must act, as this matter will not end by itself. First of all, I will contact Father Torres and tell him everything. Also, I’ll arrange a meeting with him, so he can speak to Sandra personally. As for you, Caroline,” she looked at Sandra’s mother with her piercing gaze “you must accompany your daughter when she goes to the priest. Remember that the demon didn’t let her enter the church, but Sandra was alone then. Maybe I will join you if I can. As long as we work together, we are stronger than the demon.”

“Well, that’s music to my ears,” Caroline sighed. “What about authorities then? They could also be of some help, or?”

“We will contact them if things really heat up,” Joan replied. “And I’ll contact sheriff Holden directly. He would be of more use than anyone else.” She then turned back to Sandra. “But we better do not wait long and get to business. The sooner we begin the better. The demon isn’t very strong enough, as he wasn’t able to stay inside you for a long time. But I’m afraid this is temporary.

“Why’s that?” Sandra asked curiously.

“You see, demons feed on souls. The more souls they consume, the stronger they become. And this is exactly the case. Jason made you kill those girls not only because it stirred painful memories in him. He wanted souls. After he made you kill them one by one, he devoured their souls to gain more strength and power. And as I told you, Jason wants to live. He’s still a non-corporeal entity, but he wants to obtain a physical form.”

“So it means he wants to live inside me permanently?” Sandra asked. Both women could see how concerned she was.

“I’m not yet sure what exactly his plans are,” Joan admitted. “But I have a hypothesis. It’s just a theory of course, but…”

“But what?” Sandra and her mother asked almost simultaneously. Joan was silent for a minute and then said:

“There’s a possibility that he wants to be reborn through Sandra.”

14: Chapter 14

Sandra and her mother exchanged glances, and right then nothing broke the silence for a few minutes. Caroline looked very confused, and so did her daughter. The things Joan just said made them both get lost in thoughts.

“What do you mean?” Sandra finally spoke. “How can he be reborn through me?”

“I say, it’s just a theory,” Joan replied. “But with that I meant that through your body he may want to gain his own life. He would take you under his control, thus getting stronger. And when he is sure he’s strong enough, he would separate from your body permanently and exist by himself. He may want to gain independency.”

“And then what? He will just walk around our town and kill everyone off?” Caroline asked.

“This is a doubtful perspective,” the psychic said. “Crowded places aren’t suitable for Jason. I’ve also seen a few movies about him many years ago, and thus I think he would prefer isolated places where people do not go. Forested areas would be the best for him.”

Sandra listened with all her attention and nodded. It would be only logical if Jason preferred to stay in such locations where most people do not visit. That’s what he did in the movies at least. He always stayed in his camp, and if it happened for him to be somewhere else, he somehow found his way back. It was always a mystery to her how exactly he knew where to go. And if it happens just like Joan said, where would he make her go? It’s not like Camp Crystal Lake exists in real life… or maybe it does, and she just doesn’t know about it? So many questions raced through her mind, but neither of them could be answered right now.

“Okay, even if that is the case, I’m not some freaking puppet that can be controlled whenever he wants,” Sandra huffed angrily. “If that is what he wants, I’m ready to do anything it takes not to allow him command me. He did it once already, and you know the result. I won’t let him force me to take more lives.”

“Good, it will be the right thing to do,” Joan smiled and stood up. Sandra and Caroline did the same. “Well then, I’ll contact Father Torres and tell him about your situation. You just wait for my call, and I’ll inform you when he is at the church. Then you can go and talk to him.”

“Thank you very much, Joan,” Sandra thanked her, shaking hands, and Caroline did the same.

“You’re welcome,” Joan said kindly. “I truly hope that you will finally manage to get rid of the demon. I will help you as much as I can. Remember, as long as we work together, we can fight the demon back. In case if something happens, or if you need me, don’t hesitate to call.”

“I will. Thank you one again,” Sandra said, and both she and her mother left Joan Henderson’s house, hoping for the best.

***

The next day started happily for many inhabitants of the town, especially for Chuck and Mike Ferguson; the two brothers that couldn’t live without getting themselves into some adventures. Both were fond of visiting abandoned places with cameras, hoping that perhaps one day they would be able to catch some paranormal activity on tape. For many people such idea would seem crazy, but Chuck and Mike were of those types that could be called “guys with steel nerves”. Arming themselves with a kitchen knife and a baseball bat, the brothers went searching for another location where some kind of ruins could be found.

“Hey, Mike, as far as I know, there is one deserted building near the wooded area. This could be a great place for us to explore,” Chuck said with excitement. He loved going to such places even more than his brother did.

“Okay, so that’s where we’re going today, I guess,” Mike agreed. “Do you know exactly where it is?”

“I think I do,” Chuck replied. “First we should reach the outskirts, there is the wooded area starting. There will be a path that leads through the woods directly to the ruins.”

“Right. Let’s go then.”

The brothers then went on, passing the living quarters one after another and ignoring the posters with the portraits of three teenage girls that went missing a couple of days ago. It wasn’t the first time they saw these posters, so the guys decided not to pay attention to them anymore. Chuck and Mike found the ruins quite soon as they lived not very far from the outskirts. The path Chuck mentioned was really there, but it was so barely visible that not every person could have spotted it. Moving forward, they finally reached the open area surrounded by the woods from all the sides, and that’s where the view of the abandoned building opened before their eyes. The silent ruins lured both guys with its mysterious look, but there was an aura of creepiness surrounding it.

“What do you think this place was?” Chuck asked. Mike just shrugged.

“I don’t know, man,” he said. “Judging by what is left of it, I guess it might be some kind of apartment building that was never finished. I’m just curios why they abandoned their work.”

“I’m afraid we probably will never know the reason,” Chuck sighed, unzipping his backpack. “Well then, take your camera and let’s go and see what’s inside.”

The brothers then stepped inside the building, holding their cameras in front of their faces. The doorway they entered had a spot where they could choose three ways to go, and one of them was stairs that led to the second floor and higher, the building having three floor altogether. Usually they began exploring the ground floor, but this time Chuck and Mike decided to begin with the upper floors. They walked around for a while, but everything in this deserted place was eerily silent. Disappointed by that, Chuck then decided to go and check the lowest floors, most interested in the basement.

“Hey, I’m going to check the basement,” he said to his brother. “You can clear up the ground floor.”

Hearing this, Mike objected instantly:

“No way, I’m going with you. Go on and laugh if you want to, but I’ve seen enough horror movies to learn that splitting up in a creepy place like this is never a good idea.”

“Alright, you scaredy-cat,” Chuck laughed, patting his brother’s shoulder. “I know you’re actually right, I was just teasing you. I also would never separate from you or anyone else in such situation. Come on, let’s go.”

Chuck and Mike then descended down the stairs to the ground floor and started exploring it. It was still as empty as the rest of the building, and not even a single sign of anything that might seem out of order. Now it was the only place left unexplored: the basement.

As the brothers entered the basement, they were greeted by almost utter darkness. There were no windows anywhere, and the light couldn’t get inside. Lucky for them, both Chuck and Mike had flashlights in their backpacks, so it was the most suitable time to use them.

The basement looked twice as spooky as the rest of the building, mostly because it was so dark. Chuck and Mike walked slowly and carefully, trying to make as little noise as possible. Something inside them told that this place might be hiding some unpleasant secret, but both brothers did their best to dismiss this feeling. If they didn’t find anything here as well, they would just leave this creepy place and never return.

While Chuck was searching in one of the rooms, Mike checked the opposite room. He could see nothing but rocks and pieces of concrete strewn around the room until his brother’s voice from the opposite room startled him.

“Mike!” Chuck yelled loud enough for his voice to echo through the entire basement. “Come here!”

“What is it?” Mike asked, running to his brother. “Have you found anything?”

“No, but I can feel some funky smell in this room,” Chuck said. “Do you feel it?”

Mike sniffed the air, and right then his face twisted in a grimace of disgust.

“Ugh, it stinks like hell,” he said, pressing his nostrils shut. “If you ask me, I’d say it smells like rotting meat.”

“Yeah, that’s what it is,” Chuck agreed, pressing his left hand to his nose. “And I can tell that it’s coming from this pit, although it’s littered with bricks and rocks.”

“Could it be what I think it is?” Mike pondered aloud. Chuck threw a thoughtful glance at him.

“There is only one way to find out,” he said, looking at the pit. “Let’s hope it’s some kind of an animal that got stuck there and died at last.”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Mike said, but helped his brother to rake through the pile of bricks nonetheless. It took some effort and time for them to do it, but the more bricks and rocks they removed, the stronger that horrendous stench became. Trying their best to suppress the urge to vomit, the brothers finally finished with the rocks, but what they found beneath them made Chuck and Mike freeze. Chuck was especially shocked and began slowly stepping back until he tripped over something in the dark and landed on his butt. They found much more than they bargained for.

“Jesus!” Mike whispered. “What the hell?”

There were three human corpses lying in the pit, and judging by the unbearable stench, they already started decomposing. When both brothers gained back the ability to think, they shined their flashlight on the bodies to look closer and realized that those were three teenage girls murdered in very brutal way. One had her face smashed into a bloody mess, the other had her neck twisted unnaturally, and the third one had no visible injuries on her body, which made the brothers think that she might have been suffocated.

Chuck and Mike still stood where they were, unsure what to do now. But one thing they understood: these bodies seemed familiar to them for some reason. The brothers looked at the bodies again, this time with more attention, and only then it finally dawned upon them.

They found the three missing girls that they saw on the posters.

15: Chapter 15

Sheriff Sam Holden sat in his office, rubbing his hands nervously. Despite the seeming peace, his mind was processing the frightening events that happened in the past.

Camp Crystal Lake.

A place that has flourished as had a reputation of one of the best summer camps for children since its foundation in 1935 until strange and macabre things started to occur there. It all began in 1986 when one of the camp counselors named David Connelly suddenly started acting weird. No one could understand the sudden aggression in him which finally resulted in him murdering the rest of the counselors with an axe. The children were quickly evacuated from the camp when the police arrived. One of the last counselors managed to call the police before David got his hands on her as well. Sam Holden was a young man then and held the rank of a deputy in those years, but the scene of interrogation was still clear in his mind like if it happened yesterday.

“David, I need you to calm down,” sheriff Harrison said, addressing the culprit. “I know it’s a stress for you, but you must stay calm so we can speak.”

David Connelly lifted his eyes to the sheriff and his deputy, and Sam noticed the young man’s eyes being red from tears. But it wasn’t what made his heart skip a beat. He could see from the man’s glance that he was innocent despite having blood on his hands.

“Sheriff…” Connelly began talking “I know you’re not going to believe me, nor I expect you to. But one thing I want you to know: those people were my friends and colleagues, and I would have never harmed them.”

“So why did you kill them?” sheriff asked. “What made you do that?”

“Exactly, I was forced to kill,” David replied. Sheriff Harrison tilted his head in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“When I committed those murders, I wasn’t thinking for myself,” David explained. “It was like… something was controlling me, like if I were a puppet. But before everything started, I saw like… memories flashing in my mind, the memories that weren’t even mine.”

Sheriff and Sam exchanged glances, both looking very confused. What Connelly said just made no sense.

“What are you talking about?” Sam asked.

“Deputy, if I knew what it all means, I would have explained it to you more clearly,” Connelly switched his attention to Sam. “I wish I could understand it myself.”

“Could you please describe what exactly you saw?” Sam asked. Sheriff looked at him in surprise, but let him continue nonetheless.

“It was all so weird,” David said. “I saw myself being in a summer camp, right there, by Crystal Lake. And a bunch of mean kids were beating me up. But when I looked at the counselors who were responsible for the order in the camp, they just ignored everything, not even trying to interfere. I suppose they were boyfriend and girlfriend. They were too busy with each other to pay attention to what the children were doing. And that’s when I felt… hatred. It was pure, unadulterated, and burning hatred. Not so much for the kids, no. It was hatred for the irresponsible counselors who did nothing to help. All resulted in me falling into the lake and drown as I didn’t know how to swim. Here the memory ended.” David sighed heavily and continued: “It was gone, but the hatred stayed. There was only one thought in my mind – kill those irresponsible counselors before they cause more harm! They must die! And so I… did what I did. And now I’m here.”

Sheriff Harrison rubbed his forehead. He and deputy were silent, not knowing what to say.

“As I said before, sheriff, I don’t expect you to believe me,” Connelly said. “I just want you to know that it wasn’t me who killed my colleagues. It was something else; something that controlled my mind and my body. I don’t know what it is, and I’m afraid I’ll never know. I know only one thing: whatever it was, it is responsible for the massacre that was done using me and it alone.”

When Connelly finished talking, there was utter silence in the office. Thus it stayed for a few moments until sheriff ordered the two police officers that were standing near to take Connelly back to his cell. And while they were busy with the culprit, sheriff told Sam to come out with him into the corridor to discuss the matter.

“Sheriff,” Sam began. “I know there is all the evidence against this man, but… I feel that he’s speaking the truth. He did not want to commit such a terrible crime.”

“Listen, Sam,” sheriff said, putting a hand on deputy’s shoulder. “I know you feel sorry for that guy. To tell you the truth, so do I. I felt the regret in his voice. But what is done is done, and he has to be brought to justice.”

“Yes, but all the things he said…”

“And do you believe it?” sheriff asked.

“To be honest, I don’t even know what to believe,” Sam confessed.

“Look, the guy’s mental health is obviously not alright,” sheriff said. “There are many psychopaths who tried to justify their doings by “voices that told them to kill”. Believe my word, it’s a fact. Remember the Amityville murders in 1974? It’s the most known example of such case. The culprit, Ronald DeFeo Jr. told the same story, that he heard voices that told him to kill his family. And here we have a similar situation. Connelly also talked about the intervention of something else that seemingly controlled him. So I don’t even think that he should be put in jail after all.”

“So you’re implying that the most suitable place for him is a mental asylum?” Sam asked.

“Yes, I do think so,” sheriff stated confidently.

And that’s how it ended. David Connelly ended up in a mental asylum, otherwise prison would be guaranteed. This one event was enough not to bring the kids to this camp ever, and it remained abandoned since that day. No attempts to re-open it were taken after those gruesome events. But Connelly’s case unfortunately was only the beginning. There were several times when groups of teens and young adults were camping there and ended up miserably. Most of them never returned from the deserted camp, and every time one of each group turned out to be the one who murdered the others. But the strangest thing was that each time the culprit claimed to be controlled by something he or she couldn’t see or understand. They became aggressive for no reason and ended up chopping their friends with some bladed weapon, in most cases an axe or a machete; or sometimes, if they had no weapon, they used their bare hands to suffocate their victims or break their bones. The weirdest thing about it was the strength that each killed possessed, especially if it was a female. And there were a couple of cases when the murderer was female.

Sam Holden was more than confused. He ran through so many options in his mind, but couldn’t come to one conclusion. One thing he was sure about though.

There was something seriously wrong with Camp Crystal Lake.

If Connelly’s case was the only one, he wouldn’t be bothered with that place till this day. But it happened again and again throughout the years. It was becoming suspicious, and that’s why Holden concluded that it wasn’t the fault of people who visited the camp.

It was the camp itself.

And then, after the last such case happened in 1996, the authorities made a decision to remove Camp Crystal Lake from the maps, directories, and all the databases. Camp Crystal Lake officially stopped existing since that year, and it was peace for all these years. That’s why sheriff Holden couldn’t understand why the thoughts of that damned place haunt him to this day.

Although he generally wasn’t into such thing as horror genre, but he sure had heard of a horror movie franchise known as “Friday the 13^th” and its main antagonist, Jason Voorhees – an unstoppable killing machine in a hockey mask. It looks like the creators of those movies were aware of what happened in a real Camp Crystal Lake, so in the result the movies seem to be inspired by a true story. But there is something that just doesn’t add up. Connelly’s case was the first one that happened in 1986, and the first Friday the 13^th movie came out in 1980. So is it actually vice versa? Was Connelly inspired by those movies then? It could seem that way, but he had never mentioned them. He spoke like he had never seen any of those movies. And yet his and the rest of the cases were eerily similar to the movie events, although such characters as Jason Voorhees or his mother were completely fictional. There was definitely something strange and frightening about that camp, and sheriff Holden couldn’t understand what exactly it was. He felt his head would explode soon from all these thoughts when his deputy Rick Johnson entered the office.

“Sam, there are two guys waiting outside the door,” he said. “Remember the three girls that went missing on Saturday? Those guys said that they found them.”

“Is that right?” Sam raised his eyebrows. “Invite them in then.”

Deputy nodded and called for the visitors to come in. Sheriff watched the two young men enter the office, and judging by their faces, he thought that they were brothers. One of them was holding a poster with the photos of the three missing teenage girls; one of those posters that were hanged around the town.

“Good day, sheriff,” one of the men greeted him. Sam greeted them back.

“Good day, gentlemen,” he said. “Please introduce yourselves first.”

“I’m Charles Ferguson,” one of the men said and then pointed to the other one. “And this is my brother Michael.”

“Alright then. So, the deputy told me you found the missing girls. Is that right?”

“Yes, sir,” Chuck replied, putting the poster on sheriff’s desk. “Those are the ones, we are absolutely sure. We recognized the faces.”

“Why didn’t you bring them here then?” Sam asked. Chuck and Mike exchanged glances, and then Chuck finally said:

“Because we found them dead, sir.”

16: Chapter 16

For a moment there was complete silence in the office. Sheriff Holden blinked fast, digesting the information he just heard, then he addressed the deputy.

“Rick, record everything what you hear,” he said. Deputy Johnson nodded and prepared to write things down. Sheriff then switched his attention back to the brothers.

“Where did you find them? And when?”

“We found them today, sheriff, around 12:30,” Mike replied. “You see, my brother and I have a rather… weird hobby. We visit abandoned buildings with our cameras, hoping to find something of interest. And that’s what we did today. We explored a deserted apartment building that was never finished, and when we descended into the basement, we found the bodies. My brother felt a nasty stench in one of the rooms, it smelled like rotting meat. We found out that it was coming from a pit littered with lots and lots of bricks, rocks, and pieces of concrete. Well, curiosity got the best of us, and we began raking through all those stones until we found three female corpses buried underneath. And when we looked closer at their faces, we realized that they looked familiar to us somehow. In a minute or two we remembered that we had seen these faces on missing people posters that were hanged around the town. And then we quickly ran to you.”

When the brothers finished their story, sheriff sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead. This town had always been known to be peaceful and safe, and now suddenly some murderer appeared like out of nowhere. He or she, whoever it was, must be caught as soon as possible.

“Can you both show us the place where you found the bodies?” sheriff asked. Chuck and Mike nodded.

“Yes, sir, we can lead the way. It’s not even that far,” Chuck said. “It’s just the ruins are well hidden in the woods where people rarely go. I’m not sure whether you can drive close to it. I guess when you reach the woods, you’ll have to walk through it to get there. Oh, and there’s very dark in that basement. Without a flashlight it’s impossible to see a thing.”

“It’s not a problem,” sheriff said and then addressed the deputy. “Come on, Rick, we’re going with these men to the crime scene. And tell Rogers and Garcia to prepare to go with us. The suspect might still be around there somewhere.” Then he turned back to the brothers. “As for you two, I have one good advice for you. I strongly do not recommend you going to such places. What if the killer was still there? It’s your luck that you found no one.”

“Yeah, you’re in fact right, sheriff,” Chuck agreed. “Although we never forget about the risk, so we carry a baseball bat and a kitchen knife with us.”

“I see. And yet I do not advise you to roam in suspicious places. It can be dangerous.”

“Okay, we’ll take this into account,” Mike said, and his brother nodded in agreement.

“Good. Now let’s go,” sheriff said. “You lead the way.”

Chuck and Mike followed Sam Holden and his deputy to the car. Two police officers, Rogers and Garcia, got into their own car and followed the sheriff’s vehicle until they all finally reached the town outskirts that bordered the woods. Sam and deputy Johnson exited the car and looked around.

“Yeah, this place sure doesn’t inspire a sense of safety,” Johnson said and turned to Ferguson brothers. “You guys sure are tough. Even I would think twice before stepping here, although I’m a cop.”

“All right, enough chit-chat. We have work to do,” Sam said, ordering the officers to join them and follow the brothers into the woods. It didn’t take too long until they reached the edge of the wooded area and that’s where the ruins were.

“So that’s where you found the bodies?” sheriff asked the brothers.

“Yes, sir,” Mike replied “at the very bottom.”

“All right, you take us there,” he said and looked at his colleagues. “Keep your weapons ready. The suspect might still be in this area.”

Sheriff and the others followed Mike and Chuck into the ruins, staying alert on every step. The brothers went first, shining their flashlights until they finally reached the room with the pit where bodies were.

“Jesus, it stinks like hell!” officer Rogers exclaimed, pressing his nostrils shut. The rest also couldn’t help themselves and pressed their noses shut as well, trying to breathe through their mouths.

“That’s what we were talking about,” Chuck said. “When we first felt that stench, we were close to falling unconscious. I’ve heard that decomposing corpses stink, but sure didn’t expect it to be that bad.”

“All right, now step aside,” sheriff commanded, moving forward and followed by deputy Johnson and both officers. They descended into the pit to study the bodies better.

“Christ, just look at them,” officer Garcia said, looking at the bodies with shock on his face. “Who could have done this to human beings?”

“I don’t know, man,” officer Rogers said. “One thing I know for sure: whoever did this is a true beast.”

“Man, I’ve never seen anything like this,” deputy Johnson muttered. “I’ve come upon murdered victims before, but this beats all the records. What force one has to use to smash a face like that? Or twist the neck in such unnatural way? My God, it’s just… it’s unbelievable.”

“The third one was most likely strangled to death,” sheriff added. “For now all we can do it call the paramedics to take the bodies to the morgue. The coroners then will establish the exact cause of death.”

While the sheriff was on phone, his colleagues looked around the abandoned building nervously. It was eerily silent everywhere, like time itself has stopped in this place. They waited for the paramedics to arrive and collect the bodies; and as soon as they were taken away, the cops exited the ruins and in a few minutes dismissed the Ferguson brothers as they couldn’t provide any more help right now. Sheriff took their contact information and warned one more time about suspicious places. Then Chuck and Mike left the crime scene.

Sam Holden then returned to the office with his colleagues, each returning to their usual business. The investigation had to be conducted here, and the first step was to wait the results of autopsy and examine the bodies properly for fingerprints or any other clues. Sam always looked calm, and his colleagues were oblivious to the fact that deep inside his heart was now beating frantically in his chest, and his hands were shaking.

It wasn’t the first time he had to investigate murder. But such brutality he had seen only in one place.

Camp Crystal Lake.

17: Chapter 17

Since the visit to the psychic Sandra couldn’t find peace of mind. The thought about her being haunted by a real demon was just killing her nerves. Caroline felt even more anxious, being afraid that something really bad could happen to her daughter. Both of them could have never imagined that such thing as supernatural could ever appear in their life. But here they were, Sandra being followed by a malevolent entity that most likely wanted to use her as a vessel to live in this world. In any other situation it would sound unbelievable, but not this time.

This time it was a tough reality.

While Caroline was busy with the laundry, Sandra sat in the living room with a newspaper in her hands. It was almost 19:00, and in the moment she had nothing else to do. She skipped the pages one after another as nothing of interest could be found. There were always the same boring political news, nothing else that could sound interesting or useful. Sandra yawned lazily and was ready to put the paper down when suddenly something caught her attention. She read the criminal news column and felt cold sweat running down her temples. The article read the following:

“Today around 12:30 three corpses of teenage girls were found buried under a pile of bricks in the basement of an apartment building hidden deep inside the woods that border the outskirts of the town. The girls – fourteen-year old Kelly Withers, fifteen-year old Jenna Sinclair, and fourteen-year old Danielle Crooker went missing last week on Saturday. The parents of the deceased claim that their daughters met up in a town park around 17:00 and never returned home. The bodies were accidentally found by two siblings, Charles and Michael Ferguson who reported it to the police immediately. The local sheriff Sam Holden was shocked by the brutality and ferocity with which the victims were killed, especially Jenna Sinclair who had her face smashed into bloody mess almost beyond recognition. Police is now roaming through the area, concentrating most of the attention to the wooded areas, and the investigation is being conducted to find out more clues about the killer’s identity. Meanwhile the town residents are asked to stay alert, and if you spot any suspicious person, contact the police pronto.”

Sandra put the paper down and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Her hands were shaking from the overwhelming anxiety. The bodies were found, the same three girls that Jason made her kill. They have no idea who did it, not yet at least; but it doesn’t mean that they will never find out, does it? The demon was clever enough to provide her with the gloves so she left no fingerprints, but one day the cops might find some other clues. And the last thing Sandra wanted was going to jail. She knew it wasn’t actually her who killed those girls; so did Joan and Caroline. But how could she prove that to the cops? They only know what they can see; no more, no less. And if they find any evidence, it would only work against her and not some supernatural entity. She had to think well what to do about it.

Sandra got up and went to the laundry room where Caroline was putting the dirty clothes into the washing machine. Hearing her daughter’s footsteps behind her, Caroline turned around and stopped her business right there. Sandra looked as frightened as the day when she showed her the photo of the entity at the church door.

“Sandra, dear, what’s the matter?” she asked gently.

“Take a look this,” Sandra almost whispered, handing her the newspaper and pointing at a certain spot. “Read this article.”

Caroline took the newspaper and quickly read the article Sandra told her to read. Sandra saw her mother’s eyes widen in horror and face grow pale.

“So they have found it out,” she whispered.

“I’m scared, mum, I’m so scared,” Sandra said in a shaking voice. “I don’t want to go to prison! That bastard made me do that, and I couldn’t resist his power! I didn’t kill them!”

“I know, sweetheart,” Caroline said gently, giving her daughter a hug. No matter how nervous Sandra was, being in her mother’s loving arms helped her to calm down. “We’ll think of something. Right now you must stay calm and think clearly. There has to be a way.”

Sandra nodded and was preparing to say something when a sudden phone call made her jump. For a moment she hesitated to pick up but eventually took her cell phone to see who it was. Her mouth stretched in a faint smile when she saw Joan’s name on the screen.

“Hello?” she asked.

“Good evening, Sandra,” Joan spoke on the other side of the line. “I have news for you. I spoke to Father Torres and told him about your situation, without mentioning the murders of course. He would like to talk to you. He has an evening mass on Thursday at 17:00, so after that he would be able to dedicate his time to you. It seems that the events that happened to you raised interest in him.”

“Oh, really? That’s nice to hear. Thank you very much,” Sandra said, sighing in relief.

“You’re welcome, dear,” Joan said. “I can be present during the conversation if you wish. Father Torres doesn’t mind me to be near.”

“I’d be glad if you did.” Sandra really wanted Joan to be near her as she knew everything about terrible condition. “By the way, I also have to tell you something, Joan. I’ve just read today’s newspaper and learned that the bodies of the dead girls were found.”

“Yes, I know it. I’ve read about it as well,” Joan replied. “As I said, if it becomes urgent, we can contact sheriff Holden directly, without any colleagues of his. We know each other for some time already; and believe me - he has seen things in his life. In fact, he had a few truly frightening cases in his practice that might even have something to do with your case. And I say – they might, which means that it’s not sure.”

“What do you mean?” Sandra asked in confusion. Caroline was standing close and listening with all her attention.

“You see, during one of the conversations he told me about a few people that claimed to be controlled by some force that made them commit gruesome murders,” Joan explained. “But then he wasn’t a sheriff yet, he was a deputy. It happened when he was still a young man around your age. He said that deep inside he felt that those culprits were innocent although technically the murders were committed by their hands. But all the evidence spoke against them, and they ended up either in prison or in a mental hospital.”

Hearing this information, Sandra and her mother exchanged surprised glances.

“But it really does sound exactly like my situation,” she said. “So it means that those who were forced to kill have also been influenced by Jason.”

“Sounds like that, doesn’t it?” Joan agreed. “Although he hasn’t shared all the details with me, I didn’t know about Jason then. But now I’m rather sure that it wasn’t just any random demonic entity. It was Jason after all.”

“Now I’m really interested to know about those cases,” Sandra admitted. “It all sounds too much like my own situation. Looks like I’m not alone after all. But, on the other hand, it would be risky. If sheriff Holden finds out that the murders were committed by my hands, I sure will go to prison.”

“This is why it has to be thought out very carefully,” Joan said. “And before we get this far, first you go to meet Father Torres. I recommend you to go to the mass too, and when it’s finished, he will meet you. I think I’ll visit the mass too. It sure will only do us good, especially to you.”

“I guess you’re right. Well then, we’ll see us on Thursday,” Sandra said, her voice now sounding happier. “And thank you very much once again.”

“It’s my pleasure, dear,” Joan replied gently. “Have a good evening.”

“Thanks, same to you.”

Sandra then put the phone down and looked at Caroline.

“Did I hear it right? She said that sheriff has faced similar occurrences,” Caroline said with interest in her voice.

“It seems that way,” Sandra nodded. “I guess that later or soon I will have to face the sheriff. It’s inevitable. But we have to prepare for this so I may have a chance not to be locked in jail.”

“Or in a mental hospital,” Caroline added. “It would be even worse.”

“Yeah, because I’m far from being insane, mom,” Sandra said confidently. “I know why exactly it all happened, and I bet those who committed the murders knew that as well. It must be put to an end. We have to stop Jason.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” Caroline smiled and returned to her laundry business. Sandra then turned the TV set on to watch something that could help her relax for now. Her nervousness has faded after she talked to Joan and truly hoped that she would get the help she needed.

There could be hope after all.

18: Chapter 18

The time until Thursday afternoon passed without any occurrences which made Sandra happy. Jason didn’t bother her for now, but she knew it was only temporary. Whatever plans he had for her sure weren’t reassuring. She would agree to take any measures to prevent things from getting worse.

As soon as the time approached half past four, she left her house with Caroline. Since the incident at the church Sandra was afraid to go alone. She was sure that Jason would use the moment of her solitude and do nasty things like he did at the church door or something even worse. It didn’t take long for them to reach St. Nicholas church, and right when they approached it, they saw Joan standing at the entrance with Dan and Mary Burrows.

“Oh, hello!” Sandra was pleasantly surprised to see the old acquaintances. “What brought you here?”

“Well, we visit the holy mass both on Thursdays and Sundays,” Mary replied, smiling. “And how are you doing? We heard from Joan that there are rather unpleasant things happening in your life since we met at the church.”

“Yes, it is what it is,” Sandra replied sadly. “This entity that I caught on camera doesn’t leave me alone, and it has only gotten worse since then.”

“That’s most unfortunate,” Dan shook his head and then suddenly began raking though the inner pocket of his jacket, turning his attention to Joan. “I brought the photos that Sandra took with our camera by the church. She took one for herself, and now I brought the rest just like you asked.”

“Thank you,” Joan smiled, taking the photos. “Do you mind if I keep them for some time? We have an appointment with Father Torres after the mass, and I’d like to show them to him.”

“It’s perfectly alright with us,” Dan said, and Mary nodded in agreement. “If they can be of some help, you’re free to use them to your purpose.”

“I’ve brought mine with me too,” Sandra added and pulled the photo of Jason. “This would serve a proof, considering that the pictures were taken by the camera gives out the photos right away after a snap.” Then she looked at Caroline. “Mum, meet Dan and Mary Burrows. They were the kind people that helped me after the attack by the church. And thanks to them I found Joan.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Caroline said with a smile, shaking hands with the Burrows spouses. “And you have my deepest gratitude for helping my daughter.”

“It was our pleasure,” Dan said with a kind smile. “When we saw her literally being thrown away from the church door by some invisible force, we were deeply shocked. We’ve never seen anything like that before.”

“So helping her was the least we could do,” Mary added.

“And I’ll be grateful for that forever,” Sandra said, looking at them with a kind smile.

“All right then, shall we go in? The mass will start in a few minutes,” Joan said then, and all went into the church. People were still gathering, occupying every free spot they could find on the benches. And when Father Torres came out to greet all those that were present, peace and warmth ran through Sandra’s heart and soul. She was happy to get into the church without problems; and now, looking at the priest, she was sure that this grey-haired man had good heart and he wouldn’t refuse to help at least with an advice. The evening mass wasn’t long, it took an hour and a half as maximum. And as soon as the service was over and people left the church, Joan then walked to Father Torres, followed by Sandra and Caroline.

“Good evening, Damien,” she greeted him. Joan and the priest had known each other for a while, so now they felt free to call each other by their first name. The same went for sheriff Holden as well.

“Good evening, Joan,” he greeted her back and then looked at the new visitors, focusing on Sandra. “And you must be Sandra, right?”

“Yes, Father, that’s me,” she replied. “And this is my mother, Caroline.”

“I’m very pleased to meet you and see new visitors at the church,” he smiled kindly. “Now, please follow me to my office.”

Sandra and the others then followed the priest into the door behind the altar where only priest and others church workers are allowed to go. He invited them inside and offered to take a seat and then sat at his desk.

“So, Joan told me about your situation,” he began, looking at Sandra. “And this is very unfortunate. But first tell me – have you been baptized?”

“No, Father,” Sandra admitted. “We’re not a church-going family or believers. Not just me, so is my mother and also my father. We were never into religion or anything like that.”

“Well, that’s sad to know,” the priest said. “I’m afraid it can only make things worse.”

“Why’s that?” Caroline wanted to know.

“You see, the Devil preys on those whose faith is weak, or those have no faith at all,” the priest explained. “And those who were not baptized, the ones who do not believe and pray to the Lord, or visit the church make themselves an easy and very suitable target for the forces of evil.”

“But isn’t it so that those who don’t believe in anything supernatural do not ever encounter it?” Sandra asked. “Those who believe in God believe in the Devil too. Isn’t it only logical that those who believe and are afraid of something are more likely to face the paranormal?”

“That’s what people who call themselves atheists and non-believers think,” Father Torres replied. “They think if they do not believe, they are automatically protected from anything that is beyond our physical world. But I’m afraid they are terribly wrong. Such individuals only open the door for the forces of Hell to enter their lives. And considering that so many people often take the supernatural as a joke and play with the occult is twice as dangerous.”

Sandra nodded, listening to the priest’s explanation, and then asked more questions.

“This is all so strange. I’ve never had anything like that in mind, I mean playing with the occult and things like that. And I really don’t understand why some people do that if they are not magic practitioners. Even trying to summon Bloody Mary before the mirror sounds awful enough, although all of this may be a hoax. I think these people don’t realize they are playing with fire, and once they will get burned. But I never did anything like that, and yet this… demon or whatever it is, chose me as its target. I wonder why it is so.”

“You know, Father, when I first spoke to Sandra, she was sure it was some kind of a ghost or spirit,” Joan added. “But from what she told me, I concluded that it’s an inhuman spirit, a demonic entity that is extremely manipulative and enjoys tormenting people.

“Yes, most likely it is like you say,” the priest said. “Now, Sandra, please be so kind and tell me everything that happened. Joan just told me about it in general, and it would be helpful to understand the whole situation if I knew all the details.”

Sandra then went on with her story from the first occurrence at her home at night when she heard footsteps behind her door. Father Torres leaned a bit forward, listening with genuine interest. She hesitated whether she should say about the three girls, but when Joan nodded reassuringly, she thought for a moment on how to put it better.

“The situation got far worse when he took my mind and body under his control,” she explained. “It happened when I stumbled on a group of four teenage girls around fourteen or fifteen years. Three of them were beating up the fourth one, kicking her while she was lying on the ground and closed her face with her hands for protection. That’s when I felt something strange happening to me. I began seeing images before my eyes, the memories that aren’t even mine. It was of a heavily bullied child in a summer camp who finally drowned in the lake because of mean children and irresponsible camp counselors. That’s when I felt strength increasing in my body, inhuman strength that I’ve never possessed in my entire life. I knew who exactly was controlling but couldn’t do anything about it. He was much stronger than me. So he made me harm the mean girls one by one which… resulted in their death.”

“So it means you actually killed those girls?” the priest asked. He was peaceful but rather surprised than horrified.

“Yes, Father,” Sandra replied, lowering her head shamefully. “But please, try to understand. I was a puppet in his hands that he could control the way he wanted. I was powerless against him. So, the fourth girl ran away before he made me kill the third mean girl, so she saw nothing. The demon was clever enough to provide me with gloves not to leave fingerprints and also made me carry the bodies to the abandoned building in the woods and bury them in a deep pit beneath a pile of bricks and concrete. But the bodies were discovered by two guys who liked roaming around such ruins, so the sheriff and the police know everything except the fact that the culprit was actually me.”

She sighed heavily and pulled out a photo of Jason from her pocket.

“When I said I knew who exactly controlled me, this is it,” she said, handing the photo to the priest. “It’s the same entity that didn’t allow me to enter the church. That’s what Daniel and Mary Burrows saw when he pushed me away with all his force, making me land painfully and damage my elbows against the asphalt during the impact.” Sandra rolled up her sleeves to show the elbows with dried blood on them. “Then I noticed that Dan was carrying a camera I recognized as one of those types that give out photos right after the snap, so the photos being fake is out of the question. He kindly allowed me to make a few pictures of the church entrance, and that’s what I caught on camera.”

Joan then gave him the other three photos.

“Dan and Mary allowed me to keep these photos and use them for a good purpose if they can be of any help,” she explained. Father Torres then put his glasses on and studied the photos.

“What is this?” he said with genuine surprise in his voice. “I’ve never heard about such entity. To me it looks like a man in white mask.” He then turned to Sandra. “You said you know exactly what or who it is. So what is it?”

Sandra cleared her throat and spoke:

“It may sound unbelievable, but this entity looks like Jason Voorhees, a fictional serial killer from a famous classical horror movie franchise called “Friday the 13th”. Joan gave me a detailed explanation that it’s the result of many people believing Friday the 13th to be a day of bad luck; and after those movies appeared, for many people around the world, and especially in our country, Friday the 13th is associated exclusively with this character that goes on killing spree every Friday the 13th. So yes, this is what you call a thought form materialized in our world by belief and fear of masses. As far as I understood, it got enough energy to materialize itself, but it’s still in a non-corporeal state.”

The priest nodded in agreement after Sandra finished talking, and then he began his monologue.

“This is all absolutely right. Joan knows what she is talking about. People often are not aware of the power of their mind that is capable of amazing things. I’ve heard a very similar tale from my colleague when I visited Scotland seven years ago. In one of the Scottish castles the owners made up a legend about a supernatural entity that appeared in the castle every full moon. It was done to attract more tourists, and their plan worked well. Tourists started coming twice as more than usual, curios about the entity. Time passed and the legend gained more and more details that the owners themselves did not create. People talked about it, believed in the legend and feared it, thus feeding it with more and more energy. As a result the owners began to notice that they weren’t alone, that an entity had really appeared in their castle. They called a priest then, the one that I met in Scotland, to come and bless the castle. But all was far from easy, as the entity responded with aggression towards the attempts to banish it. Thus the owners were forced to leave their family property, and all because of the monster that they had created. And that’s what is happening to you right now. You said that those movies are famous, and so is this Jason character. The movies were created for pure entertainment, but I guess their creators had no idea that it would affect the masses like that.”

“You’re right, Father, I totally agree,” Sandra said, nodding. “I just want to add that all started after I and my friends were camping to Swartswood Lake, and it was exactly Friday, June 13th, which is Jason’s birthday, according to the movies. We made Friday the 13th movie marathon there, bringing our laptops with us. We laughed and made fun of those movies. If they seemed scary in the eighties, then today no one takes them seriously. It’s just good old classics. Thus we spent a night of fun with the movies, and next day we returned home. That’s when it all began. And what’s even stranger… Neither of my friends is experiencing anything like I do. It’s just me. And I really don’t understand why the demon chose me. I mean, there plenty of other people who aren’t baptized, even in our town. So why did it have to be me?”

“While it could be the reason I mentioned before, about not being baptized and a member of the church,” the priest replied “you’re very right by saying that there are plenty of other people the demon could choose from. I assume that the demon sees something in you, something that attracts him.”

“I explained her last time what demons come for into the world of the living,” Joan added. “They usually want human souls. But this particular demon, this Jason thing, is after something else. At least I have such a feeling. I made a proposition that he might want to gain a physical form to exist in our world. He’s still a non-corporeal entity, and what he may want is to be corporeal.”

“Yes, Joan, I agree with you,” Father Torres nodded. “The demons do come into human world in search for souls. But no demon can just come and take a soul. It has to be offered to him. And when he gets what he wants, he goes back to Hell.”

“Well, I’m not planning to offer my soul anytime,” Sandra said. “Neither is my mother. We’re not giving our souls that easy. If that’s what he wants, he won’t get it without a fight.”

Joan looked at Sandra, smiling at the strength of her spirit. She was glad that this young woman was ready to do anything not to allow the evil entity do more harm. But she thought the priest had to know about similar occurrences that happened in the past.

“Damien,” she began “I remember when I spoke to sheriff Holden, he told me about a few very similar cases like Sandra’s; about people who committed murders and claimed to be controlled by something. He hasn’t been a sheriff then yet, but these cases are still fresh in his memory.”

“Really? Go on,” he said. “I’m listening.”

“He didn’t tell me all the details, but the first similar case happened in the eighties. To be precise, it was 1986, and the last one was in 1996. As Samuel Holden was just a deputy then, but he was sure that all the culprits were innocent, although technically the crimes were committed by their hands. But those people had nothing to prove it, and each of them ended up either in prison or in a mental hospital. So I think Sandra isn’t alone that suffered from this entity. Judging from what he told me, I concluded that it was the same demon that now is after Sandra. It all sounds eerily similar.”

“Yes, it pretty much seems like that,” he sighed. “We can only guess how many souls he claimed through these murders. And now he devoured three more. He’s already strong enough, and that’s most unfortunate.”

“And now he possessed my daughter,” Caroline said angrily. “Although it was for a short time, he very well might do it again. I hope it doesn’t come to an exorcism in the end.”

The priest took off the glasses and rubbed his forehead.

“You see, exorcism is the most extreme measure taken in those cases when nothing else can help. Nowadays it is preserved only by the Catholic church. And they keep it, so to say, “hidden in a closet”. It’s very complicated because exorcism is a very archaic procedure that requires years of practice, and even then there were cases when it went terribly wrong. One of the most knows cases was in Germany, when a young woman named Anneliese Michel went through sixty-seven rites of exorcisms during ten months which finally resulted in death of that unfortunate young woman in 1976. She refused to eat and drink during the exorcism process finally died from emaciation, malnutrition, and dehydration."

“God, this is terrible,” Caroline said.

“Yes, may her soul rest in peace,” Father Torres said, crossing himself. “But before even getting so far as the exorcism, the church has to approve it. It means that solid proof must be provided, and that’s the hardest part.”

“Anyway, I hope things won’t get that far,” Sandra said sadly.

“Of course. There is still hope.” He then opened one of the drawers and pulled out a crucifix and prayer beads. “First of all, I strongly recommend that you, Sandra, and your mother go through the process of baptism. It will only do good to you if you both become members of the church. We can now arrange a day and time for this if you wish.”

Sandra looked at her mother with a questioning glance. After a few moments of silence Caroline finally nodded.

“Yes, let’s do it,” she said. Joan was silent but only smiled and nodded in approval.

“I suggest we do it on Sunday right after the morning mass when people leave the church,” Father Torres said. “Would it be suitable for you?”

“Yes, absolutely,” Caroline replied. “I don’t work on Sundays, and Sandra is now on summer holidays.”

Sandra just nodded. It would suit her as well.

“Very well then,” the priest said. “Come to the mass at 10:00 a.m., and after that we’ll begin the baptism.”

“Sure, we’ll be there,” Sandra said.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Father Torres then handed Sandra the crucifix and prayer beads. “These things are blessed. Hang this crucifix into your room and carry these beads with you always, wherever you go. All the things holy serve as a repellent against everything unholy. But the main thing you have to do is pray, and pray wholeheartedly. Pray in the morning after you wake and before you go to sleep. And you must believe. God will hear you and help you.”

“Thank you very much, Father,” Sandra and Caroline said almost in one voice. The priest nodded and handed them his business card.

“If anything happens, do not hesitate to contact me,” he said. “Joan will also be available and provide any help she can.”

“Absolutely, without any doubt,” Joan confirmed the priest’s words.

“Thank you, Joan,” Sandra smiled to her and then turned to the priest. “And thank you once again, Father. I’ll gladly follow your advice. Jason has ruined many people’s lives already, and I won’t let him ruin mine as well.”

“May God help you,” Father Torres said, making a sign of the cross on Sandra and then on Caroline. “See you on Sunday.”

The priest accompanied the three women to the church doors, blessed them and wished them a pleasant evening. Sandra and Caroline thanked Joan for all the help and then went into the direction of their home. Caroline really hoped that after they become Christians, there will be bright times in their lives, especially Sandra’s. And Sandra, in turn, had her own hopes and expectations. She knew that her actions will definitely get a reaction from Jason; he sure will be pissed off. But it was worth trying.

Maybe it would help her get rid of him once and for all.

19: Chapter 19

Arriving home, Sandra and her mother felt relieved after the conversation with Father Torres. But Sandra was concerned as well. She was sure that these actions of hers would certainly earn some aggressive reaction from Jason’s side. She went to a holy place and asked help from a priest, and the demon sure is not going to like that. She tried to prepare herself mentally for any occasions, but fear of the demon was stronger than anything. Caroline tried to calm her down as much as she could, but still Sandra’s nervousness never left her even for a second.

After Sandra left for her room, Caroline stayed in the kitchen to prepare the tea, but just as she turned on the kettle, her heart almost stopped from surprise and a bit of terror when Sandra’s piercing scream echoed through the house.

“Mum!” Sandra yelled her lungs out. “Mum!!”

Caroline abandoned her business right away and ran to her daughter’s room as fast as her legs could carry her. Entering Sandra’s room, Caroline saw her standing in front of her bed, staring at it in horror.

“What happened, dear? Are you alright? You scared me with your scream,” she said. But Sandra didn’t even need to reply, and Caroline got her answer when she looked at Sandra’s bed; her eyes then widened in disbelief and unadulterated terror. There, lying in the middle of the bed were a white hockey mask and a machete. There was no doubt that it was a real machete with a sharp, metallic blade.

“Wha…what is this?” Caroline stuttered. “Where did you get that?”

“I don’t know, mum, I really don’t!” Sandra replied, her voice shaking. “I like to watch horror movies, but you know well that I do not collect anything connected with them whatsoever. I truly have no idea where it came from!”

Caroline shook her head in disbelief, not because of the thought that Sandra might be lying. She knew her daughter was an honest person. She knew that Sandra wasn’t into this silliness like dressing into costumes of movie characters or collecting any movie souvenirs. It was impossible to believe that the mask and machete were now in their house. Caroline couldn’t imagine how they could get inside if the door and all the windows in the house were firmly locked. It just made no sense.

“It was him,” Sandra whispered in a barely audible voice.

“What? Whom are you talking about?” Caroline snapped back into reality.

“Jason Voorhees.”

Caroline then tilted her head in confusion.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Sandra nodded. “Just think about it. There are no signs of anyone breaking in, all the windows were locked and the door too. And yet these things somehow are now in my room. So I know it was him, I’m sure of it. The question is – why? Why did he leave his mask and machete in my room? That’s what bothers me.”

Caroline then walked to the bed quickly and picked up Jason’s attributes from the bed.

“What are you going to do?” Sandra asked.

“I don’t know what exactly he wants, but one thing I know for sure: I do not want these things anywhere near our house. And this Jason can go to Hell. That’s where he came from, I suppose.”

Saying this, Caroline rushed downstairs and out of the house. Sandra followed her to the exit and saw her mother dumping the mask and machete into a trash bin that was located several meters away from the house. Tomorrow morning the special vehicle would come and collect all the trash like it did every morning. At least Caroline hoped that thus they would get rid of the unwanted things.

“That does it,” she huffed, locking the door after her. “I truly hope that we’ll never see these things again.”

“Umm… I hope so too, but to be honest, I’m not entirely sure that throwing them out will help,” Sandra said.

“Why is that?” Caroline asked, tilting her head.

“Because it’s a demon that left them in my room,” Sandra explained. “We can throw them out as many times as we want, but in the end he will find a way to get them back. It’s not just a psychopath we’re dealing with.”

“What do you think he will do?”

Sandra scratched her chin, lost in thoughts.

“I don’t know. But I’m sure he’s not going to like it. To tell you the truth, I expect him to react aggressively.”

“Is it because I threw his things out?” Caroline asked.

“No, it’s may be just an addition,” Sandra said, shaking her head. “First and foremost, he definitely is not going to like me visiting the church and talking to a priest. Do you remember what he did when I tried to enter the church?”

Caroline nodded. Of course she remembered. How could she forget the day her daughter returned home with injured elbows and showed her the photo of the demonic offender? It’s something she would be unable to forget for a while.

“So, being a demonic entity, he sure will be angered by what I did,” Sandra continued. “Your tries to get rid of the mask and machete are absolutely secondary.”

“All right then,” Caroline sighed wearily. “Anyway, if something suspicious happens, we’ll call Father Torres or Joan. At least they know better what to do in such situations.”

Sandra nodded and went with her mother to the kitchen to have a cup of hot tea. No matter how nervous both women were, it helped them to calm down and relax a bit. Sandra wasn’t sure whether she’d be able to fall asleep tonight after the most recent events, but she hoped for the best.

Yawning wearily, she went upstairs to prepare for bed. The weather outside looked pretty gruesome, and she noticed it began getting worse after they left the church. Sandra didn’t think then that it might be some sort of weird coincidence; but now, when lightning crackled through the dark, menacing clouds, illuminating everything around, she wasn’t so sure; especially when such flashes were accompanied by deafening sound of thunder. Sandra has never been afraid of thunder, but tonight it seemed almost threatening to her. She had a feeling like something bad was going to happen.

And unfortunately, she ended up being right.

Caroline went to her room soon after Sandra, and as soon as she closed her bedroom door, a loud banging noise echoed through the house. The first one to open the door and peek into the hallway was Caroline, and in a minute or two Sandra did the same. Both women had the look of surprise and fear on their faces.

“Did you hear that?” Caroline asked. “What was that noise?”

“You know, at first I thought it’s the noise of thunder,” Sandra replied. “But it was a triple bang. Thunder never sounds like that.”

“Exactly,” Caroline agreed. “I hate to admit it, but to me it seems like someone was banging on our front door.”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I think,” Sandra nodded.

“If this is someone messing around, he sure is getting into trouble,” Caroline muttered. “Shall we check what it was?”

“Sure, just let me take the baseball bat.”

Sandra walked to her bed and crouched at it, pulling out a baseball bat from underneath. She always kept it there for any case. Her life motto has always been “better safe than sorry”, so such behavior was only normal. She and her mother than slowly and carefully descended down the stairs, and Caroline quickly went to the kitchen to arm herself with a knife. It might look silly or funny from the side, but at this moment both women had no reason to laugh. They were afraid, very afraid.

While they slowly approached the door, the triple banging repeated, this time louder than before. Sandra and Caroline jumped in their spots, their hearts beating frantically and creating a feeling like if they were going to jump out of their chests. Now there was no doubt that there was someone at the door, demanding to open it. Sandra crept to one side of the door while Caroline stood at the other, her trembling hand reaching for the handle. Exchanging glances with Sandra who nodded in approval, Caroline finally opened the door with one swift movement. Sandra held the baseball bat above her head, ready to strike; and so did her mother, holding the knife ready. Whoever it was, he was going to regret this tasteless joke.

Both women waited for someone to enter the house, but no one did. In fact, there was not a single living soul outside the house.

“What the hell?” Caroline swore. “Is this some kind of a joke?”

“I… I don’t know…” Sandra stuttered, her voice shaking.

“But we both heard banging on the door.” Caroline was now very confused. “What’s going on?”

“Whoever it was, let’s better shut and lock the door,” Sandra offered.

“Yeah, sure,” Caroline agreed and closed the door, checking once again that it was firmly locked. “If this bastard starts banging again, we’ll pretend not to hear it. We’re not going to fall for this trick again.”

Sandra only nodded silently, but she felt how much her insides were trembling now. She could guess that it was no other than Jason Voorhees messing around with them and trying to freak them out for what they did. And she was more than sure that it was only the beginning. She turned around to go to back to the stairs and in the same moment began gasping. Caroline heard that and also turned around to check what the matter was. It was right then when her heart practically froze in her chest. She and Sandra couldn’t believe their own eyes.

There were the same hockey mask and machete, lying on the floor in the middle of the corridor…

20: Chapter 20

Sandra and Caroline stood frozen in their spot, unable to say a word. The mask and machete were inside the house, although Caroline knew for sure that she had thrown them out an hour or so ago. When both returned to reality from the state of shock, Caroline spoke first.

“What the hell is going on?!” she almost raised her voice. “How are they here? You saw me throwing them out, didn’t you, Sandra?”

“Yes, but remember what said, mum,” Sandra tried to keep calm. “I told you he would find a way to get them back, and that’s what he just did. It’s no use trying to get rid of them. Jason just won’t let you do that.”

Caroline made a deep breath, rubbing her forehead.

“Okay, let’s try to keep ourselves calm,” she said, looking at the clock. “Although it’s almost eleven, I think we should contact both Joan and Father Torres while it’s not too late.”

“Sure,” Sandra agreed and took her cell phone. “I’ll call Joan and you contact Father Torres. Explain everything to him.”

Caroline nodded and took the wallet out of her handbag, pulling out the business card that the priest gave to them. And while Sandra began calling, her mother dialed the priest’s number; and in a few seconds he picked up the phone.

“Hello?” a male voice spoke.

“Hello, is that Father Torres?” Caroline began.

“Yes, it’s me. Who is that?”

“It’s Caroline Wilkins speaking,” she replied. “I have been to the church with my daughter, Sandra and with Joan Henderson on Thursday. We spoke about my daughter’s case with a demon.”

“Oh yes, of course,” the priest spoke, recognizing her. “How can I help you?”

Caroline sighed and continued:

“First of all, I’m very sorry for disturbing you at such a late hour, Father. But I’m afraid that the situation has gotten worse.”

“It’s alright, no problem,” Father Torres said. “So what happened?”

Caroline explained him the situation from the moment they returned home until now. Father Torres was unpleasantly surprised by these events.

“It’s very good that you called me,” he said. “I see that everything is getting serious. All is developing much faster than I expected. Now, may I ask you a question?”

“Of course, Father,” Caroline replied.

“Do you mind if I take a look at the mask and the machete?” he asked. “I think I might have with an idea what to do to buy us at least a bit more time.”

Caroline agreed immediately and dictated the exact address of their home. On the other end of the line, the priest wrote it down and told her he would be at their place in fifteen minutes. Caroline thanked him and said goodbye for now. Sandra, on the other hand, had managed to reach Joan and explain the details of her situation. Joan approved the idea of the priest coming to their house, telling that it was a good and right decision to make. She encouraged Sandra to contact her instantly if anything new happened, and then together they would decide on how to act further. Thanking Joan, Sandra put down her phone and walked to her mother who had also finished her conversation with the priest.

“Father Torres will come in fifteen minutes,” Caroline said. “He wants to take a look at the mask and the machete. He also said that he might have an idea what to do with them.”

“Oh, that’s great. Finally some good news,” Sandra said, smiling. Then there really might be hope.

“And what did Joan say?”

“She said exactly what I had in mind from the moment we left the church,” Sandra began. “The fact that we went to the church angered the demon, and now he will act faster. He brought his things into my room for a reason, and most likely wants to get inside me again to take control. She also said it was a right choice to invite Father Torres into our house. Whatever happens, she told me to contact her at once. Then we can think and decide together what to do next.”

“Good.” Caroline’s mouth stretched into a smile. “I really hope we manage to find a way out of this difficult situation and return to normal life.”

“Yeah, I hope so too,” Sandra sighed sadly. “You know what I thought about just recently, before the banging on the door occurred?”

“What is it?”

“Did you notice how terrible the weather is now?” Sandra asked, pointing out the flashing lightning and loud noise of thunder. No rain accompanied it though. “I noticed it starting to get worse right after we finished talking to Father Torres and left the church.” She then tried to remember herself in childhood. “Hey, has there ever been any case when I got scared of thunderstorm?”

“No, my dear,” Caroline laughed warmly. “You have always been one of the rare children that liked listening to the sounds of thunder. It was sometimes a bit weird to watch you laugh so merrily at these noises, but cute nonetheless.”

“Yeah, I remember my reaction,” Sandra giggled. “But I must admit that today the thunderstorm instills fear into me. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but I can’t stop connecting it with Jason’s anger. It’s like he’s doing all he can to show us how furious he is.”

“Pretty possible, although it might really be a coincidence,” Caroline pondered aloud. After what she had seen, now it seemed to her that anything was possible. “I can only hope now that Father Torres at least can help us get rid of that damn hockey mask and machete.”

Fifteen minutes passed quickly, and as soon as it happened, silence was broken by the sound of a doorbell. Sandra and Caroline stood up and walked to the front door, opening it and inviting the priest into the house.

“Thank you very much for coming, Father,” Caroline said with a smile.

“Of course,” the priest smiled back. Then he turned his attention to Sandra, and his face became serious. “Now… the mask and machete… May I see them?”

“Of course, right this way,” Sandra led him into the kitchen where the mentioned things were lying on the table. “These are the iconic attributes of Jason Voorhees,” she explained. “This hockey mask is that he always wears and never takes off to conceal his ugly face; and the machete, his most favorite weapon. I don’t know why he left them in our house, but sure he had some reason. If he wants to possess me again, I still can’t comprehend the need for these objects. He could very well do it without them.”

The priest then took the mask first and studied it for a moment. As soon as his fingers touched it, he understood that it wasn’t some cheap plastic copy. It was made of some solid material. And the machete, he could feel its cold metal blade against his skin, sharp as a razor.

“This is a real weapon,” he said, putting it back on the table, and then looked back at Sandra. “If the demon brought it here, there may be only one reason for that. In case he manages to possess you, he…” The priest sighed heavily and then continued after a pause. “As much as I hate to say it, he will make you use it to murder more people.”

Sandra exchanged glances with her mother and sighed heavily.

“That makes sense,” she admitted. “How didn’t I guess it before?”

“So how do we get rid of them?” Caroline asked in a worried tone. “We already know that throwing them out is not an option. That… demon will return them back to us one way or another. We’re open to any suggestions. All I can say is that I do not want these things anywhere near my daughter or our house whatsoever.”

Father Torres nodded in agreement.

“Yes, and my offer is the following: allow me to take them to the church. Perhaps if they are kept in a sacred space, it will weaken the demon in some way and make it more difficult for him to achieve his goal. Thus it might help us buy more time to take measures and find a way to get rid of him once and for all.”

Caroline and her daughter looked at each other and finally nodded.

“Sounds like a good idea,” Sandra agreed. “I’m ready to do whatever it takes to get rid of Jason Voorhees. I don’t want to become murderer against my own will. He forced me into it once, and I don’t want it to happen again.”

“I will discuss it with my colleagues as well,” the priest continued. “Someone might know where to seek help and keep the mask and machete safely stored and locked. Until then, they will remain in the church.”

Sandra and Caroline smiled warmly, feeling happy about a new hope.

“Thank you very much, Father,” Caroline said. “We will be eternally grateful.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he said with a friendly smile. Then he made a sign of the cross on Sandra and her mother. “May God help you and guard you in this difficult time. Together we are strong and can defeat the demon. And now it’s time for me to leave for the church. The sooner these things are delivered there, the better. Have a nice evening.”

Sandra and Caroline thanked the priest once again for his help and kindness. He blessed them both once more, took Jason’s attributes and left. Both women sighed with relief, but were still anxious. The first step was made. Now they had to wait and think about the next step in this dangerous battle against the powerful demon that was Jason Voorhees.

***

Jason was in rage. The situation was already starting to get out of control. This girl is doing everything possible to create obstacles on his way to achieve his goal. Now she decided to use the help of the priest. That was so pathetic. If he had such opportunity, Jason would have laughed at her miserable attempts. Nothing will stand in his way to reach Camp Crystal Lake and be reborn in a physical form. This girl had large potential as a host, so he knew he chose wisely. Her attempts to free herself won’t stop him. Jason would do whatever it costs to get what he wanted.

And now it was the perfect moment to act.

***

As Father Torres got into his car and started the engine, a strong wave of anxiety overwhelmed him. While driving, he glanced at the hockey mask and machete lying on the passenger seat. Something inside was telling him that his life was in danger. So all he wanted to do not was to get to his church as fast as possible.

When he finally reached the destination, the priest took the mask and machete with him and quickly started walking to the church door, pulling the keys out of his pocket. But before he managed to reach the church steps, the priest felt a strong gust of wind, although there was little to no wind at the moment despite the thunder. And right then he felt a presence of something behind his back, just in the moment he felt the sudden wind blow. Father Torres slowly turned around and froze in his spot, widening his eyes in pure terror from what he saw. Jason Voorhees was standing between him and the car in all his menacing might, drilling the trembling man with his ominous, demonic gaze. The priest’s heart was beating like rabid in his chest, fear and horror filling his mind. He almost delved into panic, but managed to keep himself under control. In a situation like that panic was the worst solution, and the priest knew it. He knew also that he had to get into the church no matter what. With that thought he turned around to continue walking, but his plans were doomed to fail.

And then he felt an unknown force, sudden and deadly, lifting him up into the air and throwing him away from the church. The priest didn’t know it, but this time the force was even stronger than it was in Sandra’s case. Father Torres fell on the ground, hitting his head against the asphalt. The impact was so strong that the priest instantly fell unconscious and darkness consumed him. He could no longer see how Jason picked the mask and machete from the ground and vanished in the thin air, leaving the unconscious priest lying on the ground in front of the church…

21: Chapter 21

Joan Henderson felt anxious. After Sandra contacted her again and told that the priest took Jason’s mask and machete with him, something inside told her that something terrible was going to happen. She didn’t know what exactly, but she felt that not only Sandra was in trouble, but Father Torres as well. With that thought, she took her cell phone and dialed his number. To her horror, no answer came. And after a couple more tries the result was the same. It could only mean that something really happened to him.

Taking her handbag, she rushed out of her house and got into her car. Before starting the engine, Joan sorted through the options, wondering where the priest could have gone after he left Sandra’s home. If you think logically, the first place to go would be the church. It’s very unlikely that he would bring the mask and machete to his house. In fact, no sober person would do that. Bringing anything connected to a demon into your house would mean the same as inviting him into your life. Making such conclusion, Joan started the engine and drove to St. Nicholas church. It didn’t worry her that the time was past 11:00 p.m., as she felt the matter to be urgent.

She arrived to the church quickly, as her own house wasn’t located far from the town center. And as soon as she parked the car and got out of it, Joan spotted someone lying on the ground right before the church. She rushed to see who it was and saw that it was indeed the priest.

“Damien! Do you hear me?!” she spoke almost in panic, but the priest didn’t move. Joan then took his hand to feel the pulse and learned that he wasn’t dead, just unconscious. She then pulled the cell phone out of her bag and called an ambulance. The paramedics arrived soon and collected the priest to drive him to the hospital, and Joan followed them. She waited outside the hospital ward until the priest finally regained consciousness, and then she was allowed to come inside and talk to him.

“Are you alright, Damien?” Joan asked, looking at the large bruise on the right side of his face. “What happened?”

“Joan…” the priest moaned, trying to support himself on his elbows and clenching his teeth in pain.

“Hush, don’t move, you’re in no condition to get up.” Joan made him lie back down.

“Where are they?” he asked.

“Where’s what?”

“The mask and machete,” the priest whispered, his eyes full of terror.

“Didn’t you take them?” Joan tilted her head a bit. “Sandra called me and said you were in their house and took the mask and machete with you.”

“Yes, that’s right. I wanted to take them to the church until the solution is found,” Father Torres explained. “But he… he didn’t let me.”

Joan was silent, her face expressing horror.

“The demon in a hockey mask,” the priest continued. “He did this to me. I’m here because of him.” He sighed heavily and spoke again. “I saw him, Joan, I saw him with my own eyes. And I felt how much he wants to possess her and take control. Sandra is his target, and he’s coming for her.” After a short pause his face expressed a plea. “Please, do all you can to save her. Contact the sheriff for help if it’s necessary. If I remember it right, there were a few similar cases in his practice. Just help Sandra, I beg you. I wrote down her address in my notebook, you can find it in my bag. Please, don’t let the demon turn her into a blood-thirsty murderer.”

Joan smiled warmly and nodded.

“I won’t let it happen, Damien. I promise.”

***

Meanwhile Sandra and her mother were preparing to go to sleep. Both were very tired from all the recent events, even more than from usual work. Sandra went to the bathroom to wash her teeth and just refresh herself with cool water. Somehow it always gave her a little bit of relaxation, no matter what the circumstances were. She didn’t know whether she would be able to sleep tonight. The thunderstorm outside has become even more severe, and the feeling of dread never left Sandra’s mind. She couldn’t stop thinking that the thunderstorm is a sign of impending danger. And her suspicions turned out to be right when she heard a noise of metal being dropped behind her back. Wiping her face with a towel, Sandra turned around and froze.

The same hockey mask and machete were lying on the floor behind her back.

Sandra rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. But no, her eyes didn’t deceive her. Jason’s attributes were really there. She turned her back to them, holding her head in total confusion and trying to comprehend why they were in the house again if Father Torres took them away. And when she lifted her eyes to look at herself in the mirror, her eyes grew wide from the feeling of pure horror.

Jason was standing behind her back again, but this time he wasn’t going to leave. Sandra felt coldness surrounding her when suddenly something lay down on both her shoulders. In the reflection she saw two large and dark-grey hands holding her shoulders steady, and in the next moment Jason literally collided with her, making the young woman let out a short, piercing scream. Once again her body has been consumed by a demonic force, this time making her feel much stronger than before. The inhuman strength overwhelmed every muscle in her body, allowing her to get rid of any obstacle that was in her way. And as a final step, she picked up the hockey mask from the floor and put it on her face, grabbing the machete afterwards.

The image was now complete. Jason Voorhees has taken full control over her.

Exiting the bathroom, Jason led Sandra to the stairs when Caroline appeared in the doorway of her bedroom, staring at her daughter in shock.

“S-Sandra…what are you…” she muttered, still unable to believe what she was seeing. “How the hell are these things in our house again? And why are you wearing this damn mask? Take it off and put the machete down!”

Sandra didn’t move a muscle. Only her eyes narrowed behind the mask, looking at Caroline with a menacing glance.

“Did you hear what I said? Take the mask off!”

Sandra still did not budge. Caroline was confused, unable to comprehend what was wrong with her daughter.

“Sandra, please, that’s enough. Like if the situation is not bad enough. Give me that mask and machete!”

She approached her daughter to remove the mask from her face, but before her fingers touched the mash, Sandra grabbed her mother by the throat. Caroline’s eyes got so large like if they were soon to bulge out of their sockets. She tried to take Sandra’s hand off her throat, but couldn’t, as the grip was too strong. It felt like a hand of iron was holding her and pressing so hard that it was difficult to breathe. That’s when Caroline realized that it wasn’t her daughter that she was facing. It was Jason Voorhees in her body again. The inhuman strength Sandra possessed now was more than enough to prove it.

Jason wasn’t going to waste his time on this woman. He had more important business ahead. Using Sandra’s body, he lifted Caroline into the air as high as Sandra’s height allowed and threw her to the edge of the stairs. Caroline rolled down the stairs, hitting her head against the rails and steps; and from such a strong impact she fell unconscious. She was no longer an obstacle.

Led by Jason, Sandra descended down the stairs and went to the front door, opening it so roughly that it hit against the wall with a loud bang. Jason knew exactly where to lead her, so she just left her house and disappeared in the darkness.

22: Chapter 22

Joan arrived to Sandra’s house, following the address written in the priest’s notebook; and to her surprise she saw that the front door was widely open. She parked her car at the house and walked to the door, wondering what could have happened. And just as she entered, the first thing that attracted Joan’s attention was Caroline lying at the stairs, seemingly unconscious. Joan rushed to her, calling her name and trying to bring the woman to consciousness. With Joan’s help, Caroline finally managed to fully awake and sit up. She moaned in pain, holding her head; and blood was oozing from her temple.

“Are you alright, Caroline?” Joan asked her in a worried tone. “What happened to you? Where is Sandra?”

“She… she’s gone,” Caroline stuttered, still in pain.

“Gone? What do you mean – gone?”

“Jason…” Caroline whispered almost without voice. “He is controlling her again. The mask and machete… They were back to our house, although I still can’t understand how. Father Torres took them away and…”

“Father Torres has been attacked,” Joan said. Caroline looked at her with surprised face expression.

“Attacked? How? Why?”

“Jason didn’t let him do what he planned. I found the priest lying on the ground in front of the church door. He was unconscious, so I immediately called an ambulance. He’s in the hospital, but he will be alright, so don’t worry about him,” Joan explained, and Caroline nodded. “So it seems that Jason took his things from Father Torres and brought them back to your house. But what happened to Sandra?”

Caroline coughed and spoke:

“I heard her screaming in the bathroom, but when I went out of my room, I found her in the hallway with the mask on her face and machete in hand. First of all, I was shocked to see that those things were in the house again, and then my daughter had that creepy mask on and holding a bladed weapon. I tried to persuade her to put this all down, but she stood like a stone statue and didn’t respond which made everything even more unnerving. Finally I tried to take it off her face myself, but ended up being thrown down the stairs.” Seeing Joan’s surprised look, Caroline continued: “I didn’t even manage to touch the mask when she grabbed my throat and pressed with such strength that I thought I was going to get suffocated. I tried to free myself from her grip, but it was like iron. Sandra had never possessed such strength. That’s when I realized that it wasn’t Sandra, but Jason Voorhees controlling her. And then she… or he, to be precise, lifted me up from the ground and threw me forward. I rolled down the stairs and blacked out.”

Joan was silent, processing all the information she just heard. Caroline was close to panic. She was very worried about her daughter which was only natural.

“I felt that something bad was going to happen,” Joan muttered. “First it was Father Torres, and now, coming here and seeing the door of your house wide open, I understood instantly that the demon has begun to act.”

“Yes, but where is my daughter?” Caroline asked, her eyes filling with tears. “Where could she go in such awful weather? Where has this bastard taken her?!”

“She could be anywhere,” Joan said, trying to calm the crying woman down. “We shall go to sheriff Holden right now and tell him everything. He had faced similar cases during the years of his work, and unlike most of his colleagues, he’s not as skeptical when it comes to the supernatural. So come on, dress up and we’ll go. There’s no time to lose.”

Caroline then got up and ran upstairs to her room to change while Joan waited for her by the stairs. She returned after five or six minutes, managing to go to the bathroom to wipe the small trail of blood that slowly ran down her cheek. As soon as Caroline was ready to go, she locked to front door and got into Joan’s car, hoping that sheriff and the police would help her to find her daughter.

It didn’t take long until both women arrived to the sheriff’s station. They literally burst inside and ran to the surprised police officer on duty. He looked a bit startled when they appeared before him so suddenly.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“Is sheriff Holden here tonight?” Joan asked.

“Yes, he is,” the officer replied.

“Please tell him that Joan Henderson is here. It’s urgent. I really need to speak to him. The matter is very serious.”

“All right, just a moment. I’ll call to his office,” he said and picked up the phone. While he spoke, Caroline felt so nervous like she had never felt before. It felt so embarrassing to talk about this matter with the sheriff or police in general. They always are skeptical about anything concerning supernatural and may provide little to no help. But Joan insisted that the sheriff was open minded to such things and would listen.

Finally the officer put the phone down and spoke:

“The sheriff will talk to you right away. Please proceed forward. His office is on the left. You’ll find it without problems.”

“Thank you very much.” Both Joan and Caroline thanked the officer and walked to the sheriff’s office. As they were told, sheriff Holden was there, sitting at his desk. Deputy Rick Johnson was sitting opposite him and doing some paper job. Seeing his visitors, the sheriff stood up to greet them, looking a little bit surprised to see Joan.

“Good evening, Joan,” he said with a smile, greeting Caroline as well. “What brought you here in such a late hour?”

“Good evening, Samuel,” Joan returned the greeting. “I’m afraid we had no choice. We are here on a serious business that cannot be delayed.”

After a short pause sheriff looked at the deputy.

“Rick, would you please leave us for some minutes? I must speak with these ladies alone.”

“Of course, as you say, sheriff,” deputy Johnson said, standing up and leaving the office. As soon as the door closed behind him, sheriff turned his attention back to his visitors.

“All right, go ahead. I’m listening.”

Joan cleared her throat before speaking.

“First of all, we came directly to you because this matter is… a bit beyond what police is able to comprehend. I know you’re not such a skeptic like most of your colleagues.”

“Yes, it’s true,” Sam Holden nodded. “I was born and raised in a religious family, so I’m a believer as well.” He raised one of his eyebrows then. “Are you implying that this business has something to do with the supernatural?”

“I’m afraid it has,” Joan said. “Also, it’s directly connected to the recent murder of three teenage girls.”

Sheriff tilted his head, and his face showed unadulterated interest.

“How exactly is it connected?” he asked.

Joan thought for a moment about how to put it better and then spoke again.

“If I remember it right, in one of our conversations you told me about a few cases when a person murdered his or her friends without any solid reason? The first one happened in 1986.”

Of course, how could he forget that? Each of those cases burned into his memory like fire, especially the first one when David Connelly slaughtered the entire camp counselor team.

“Yes, that’s something I still cannot forget,” Sam admitted. “The brutality of each murder was truly astonishing. Reality is sometimes even worse than any horror movie.”

“And each culprit claimed to be controlled by something that forced them into these crimes, right?

“Yes, that’s right,” sheriff nodded. “What about it?”

Joan sighed heavily.

“Well, I’m afraid it happened again,” she said. “The murder of the teens is the case.”

“And no matter how painful it is to admit it,” Caroline added “but the murders were committed by my daughter, Sandra.”

Hearing this, Sam Holden moved a bit forward, his attention sharp.

“Your daughter?” he asked. Caroline nodded. “Starting from here, tell me more details, please.”

Caroline collected her thoughts and spoke.

“I still can barely believe that it happened, sheriff, but my daughter is in grave danger,” she said. “One day she came home from the walk on Sunday with a worried look on her face. When I asked her what the matter was, she pulled out a photo from her jacket pocket and showed me it.”

“This is what she’s talking about,” Joan interfered, pulling four pictures out of her handbag and handing them to the sheriff. He looked at them with full attention, and then his eyes widened in surprise and horror when he realized that the image he was looking at reminded him very much of a certain movie character.

“Oh my God…What is that?” he asked in confusion.

“These photos were made by a camera that gives out the pictures right after the snap,” Caroline continued. “So the photos are real, do not doubt that. But if you still have any doubts, you can give them to an expert. Now, as you see, they were made at the church. My daughter wanted to go into that church, but this thing you see in the photos didn’t allow her to do it. She said that some unknown force threw her away from the church right before she managed to step inside. She returned home with her elbows injured to blood, that’s what she got from the impact after falling to the asphalt. Luckily, she got help from a couple named Daniel and Mary Burrows who were passing by. They had the camera with them, and they kindly allowed Sandra to take a few snaps. That happened last Sunday.” She sighed heavily, hesitating to speak about the murder, but she knew that it had to be done. “After that she confessed to me that the day before, and it was Saturday, she stumbled on a group of four girls in the outskirts. Three of them were beating up the fourth one. Sandra told me also that in the moment she saw this scene, she began seeing some strange images, like memories that weren’t even hers. She saw herself in a summer camp, being attacked and bullied by many children, calling her an ugly freak and punching and kicking her. And then there were the irresponsible camp counselors that were busy having sex instead of watching the children. Sandra said that in this moment she was overwhelmed by burning hatred. She hated the children, she hated the counselors. Plus, she felt her entire body gain such strength that could even be called inhuman. And that’s when her vision returned to normal, but she heard just one call in her mind – to kill the bullies. And that’s what she was forced to do. She claimed to be controlled by something, which means that her own body didn’t obey her. It’s like, you know, being a puppet on strings; only in this case the puppeteer was inside her. This “puppeteer” is what you see on the photos. The rest is history.”

After Caroline finished her story, Sam felt drops of sweat running down his temples. He pulled out a paper handkerchief and wiped his forehead. His heart was beating frantically in his chest.

It happened again. The same story that began in 1986 and ended in 1996, but now it started anew. Every person that was blamed in murder claimed absolutely the same that this woman was speaking about. All of them said they gained inhuman strength and were controlled by something they couldn’t understand. And the images of being bullied in a summer camp, each culprit spoke about seeing them before the kills. If just one person said something like that, he or she would probably be considered insane, like it happened first time with David Connelly. But such cases occurred again and again, always following the same pattern. So there was definitely something extremely suspicious going on.

“If you choose not to believe me, I don’t blame you, sheriff,” Caroline ended her monologue. “But one I assure you of: my daughter is not crazy. I won’t let anyone lock her up in a mental hospital.”

“Please calm down,” Joan put her hand on Caroline’s shoulder and then turned her attention to the sheriff. “Sam, I know how it sounds, but you told me once that you have experienced similar cases. Doesn’t it remind you on something?”

“Yes, Joan, that’s the point. It’s all too similar,” Sam admitted. “If it was just one case… but now I’m more than sure that it’s all connected. There’s something much more serious going on; something that we still do not really understand.” He then looked at Caroline. “And don’t worry, Mrs. Wilkins, no one is going to lock your daughter in a mental asylum. You have my word. But please, come with me now to the archive. There is something you must see.”

Joan and Caroline followed the sheriff to the archive where all the old files were stored. Pulling out several folders from one of the shelves, he gave them to the women to look.

“These are the files of all the murder cases that started in 1986,” he explained. “Every killer told us absolutely the same things that your daughter told you, Mrs. Wilkins. When you spoke about the details, I felt like cold sweat pierced me. When I saw the bodies of those girls, my guts told me instantly that this case is eerily similar to the ones that happened before. The teens were killed with such brutality that I just couldn’t think otherwise. But there was not a single clue that could lead us the culprit, so we didn’t even know where to begin the investigation. As for the history, I can assure you of one thing: when we interrogated the killers, I knew deep inside that they were sincere. The look in their eyes and the way they spoke… I knew they were innocent, despite having blood on their hands. But I was a young man, a deputy back then. I had no rights to decide what to do with them.”

Caroline swept through the papers quickly with an amazed face expression. All seemed too much the same like in her daughter’s case. But it wasn’t what shocked her to the depths of her soul.

It was the location of the murders.

Caroline rubbed her eyes to make sure her vision didn’t deceive her.

Camp Crystal Lake.

“What… what is…” she stuttered, unable to put two words together from amazement. “Camp Crystal Lake? Am I seeing this right?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sam replied. “It is what it is.”

“But isn’t this camp a fictional place from the horror movies?” she exclaimed. “I’ve never known anything about it!”

“Unfortunately, it’s not fiction,” he said. “And you’re not the only one who had no idea that this place exists. The camp was founded in 1935 and functioned as a normal summer camp for children. But after the first massacre it was closed, and when they tried to open it again, another murder happened. Thus the camp was closed permanently and abandoned. The other murders were committed by one of the campers that came there to spend the vacation. You know, for some reason young people are attracted to places that have their own creepy legends and rumors. And they ended up dead, being butchered by one of their friends. So, after the last such crime in 1996, the authorities made a decision to erase the name of Camp Crystal Lake from all the databases and maps, and thus officially Camp Crystal Lake doesn’t exist. But now it happened in our town. I thought it was only about the camp, but now I see that there’s more about this matter.”

“So you believe that all these cases had something to do with the supernatural?” Caroline asked.

“Yes, Mrs. Wilkins, I do,” Sam replied. “The killers were different, but all followed the same scheme. This is a direct hint that something supernatural is behind every murder. But my colleagues would just laugh and dismiss this theory.”

“All right, so now you understand that we’re dealing with a demonic entity,” Joan said. “You have seen the photos as well. Doesn’t this entity remind you on someone?”

Sheriff nodded.

“It sure looks like Jason Voorhees to me.”

“Yes, and Jason Voorhees is what this entity turned out to be,” Joan said confidently. Sam tilted his head in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

Joan then quickly explained him how Jason came to be and how he brought his mask and machete to Sandra’s house, not forgetting to mention the demon attacking Father Torres to prevent him bringing his attributes to the church. The last thing she mentioned was Sandra putting the mask on and taking the machete before leaving the house.

Sheriff then sighed heavily and sadly.

“Jesus Christ! Incredible…” he said. “So it pretty means that we, masses of people, have created a monster without even realizing it?”

“I’m afraid so,” Joan nodded. “And I now know for sure what he wants. His goal is to gain a physical form to live in our world. He’s a non-corporeal entity for now, so he jumped from body to body, using them as hosts to commit murders. Thus he grew stronger with each kill and devoured their souls. Now he has taken control over Sandra.” She then turned to Caroline. “I hate to say it, but when he achieves his goal, he won’t need Sandra anymore. I’m afraid he won’t let her live after that.”

Caroline couldn’t say a word this time. She covered her face with her palms and started sobbing.

“Don’t cry, Mrs. Wilkins, please,” this time sheriff put his hand on her shoulder. “Tears will not help us to solve the problem. We must keep calm and think soberly in a situation like this.”

“Where is my daughter?” Caroline could barely speak through sobs. “Where has that son of a bitch taken her?!”

“I think I know,” Sam pondered aloud, and the heartbroken mother looked at him with hope in her eyes. “There is only one place where she… or… he would go.”

“Camp Crystal Lake?” Joan suggested.

“Precisely,” Sam nodded. “Now we must drive to the camp as fast as possible and save your daughter while the demon hasn’t completed his mission yet.”

Putting the folders back on the shelf, Sam left the archive with both women. While in the lobby, he ordered all the officers to come together and commanded them to arm themselves properly, saying that they were going to Camp Crystal Lake and look for a young woman in a hockey mask with a machete in her hand.

“Come on, Rick, you’re with me,” he said to the deputy. “We have no time to lose.”

“But Sam, how do you know that she went exactly to that camp?” deputy asked in confusion. “There’s no way she knows about the place.”

“Maybe she doesn’t,” Sam replied nervously. “But he does.”

“Who does? What are you talking about?”

“Jason Voorhees!” sheriff almost raised his voice. “All right, enough chit-chat. Get in the car and let’s go. We must save her from the monster.”

23: Chapter 23 (Final)

Samuel Holden slammed the gas pedal after starting the car engine and squeezed the steering wheel with such force that it seemed almost to bend underneath his fingers. Despite the rain that has recently begun and reduced visibility that it caused he was determined to reach Camp Crystal Lake as fast as possible. Deputy Johnson sat in passenger’s seat in silence, watching the sheriff in confusion and a bit of fear. He had never seen the sheriff in such an anxious state, and if he was so determined to get to that camp then the matter was indeed serious.

Joan and Caroline followed them closely, accompanied by several other police vehicles. The journey didn’t take long, not even half an hour; and the unfortunate mother felt even more shocked by the fact that Camp Crystal Lake was not just a real place, but it was also located so close to their town. Who could have imagined that it was even possible? But here they were, following the sheriff’s car and taking a turn into the woods until they reached a sign that was still standing by the entrance to an abandoned summer camp from the year 1935 and proudly greeted its visitors.

 

“Welcome to Camp Crystal Lake, est. 1935”

 

Caroline’s heart was beating frantically in her chest in the moment she saw the sign. She still could barely believe in what she was seeing. But all she could think of now was her daughter. Not caring about getting soaked in the rain, she jumped out of Joan’s car and started calling Sandra’s name, but to no avail for now.

“Where is she?!” Caroline asked nervously when Sam Holden approached her. “You said she went to this camp! Where is she?!”

“Stay calm, Mrs. Wilkins,” he said. “We’re going to search the entire camp until we find her. She can be anywhere.”

Joan also got out of her car and joined sheriff and Caroline until suddenly she froze in her spot, listening carefully. Her eyes expressed pure terror.

“Did you hear that?”

“What?” Caroline asked. “In this thunderstorm and downpour I can barely hear any other sounds.”

“I heard something,” sheriff said, listening as well. “It sounded like a woman screaming.”

And then, as a proof to their suspicions, a female scream echoed through the woods, this time louder and clearer.

“Oh my God… Sandra!” Caroline exclaimed in horror. “Where is she?!”

“The sound is coming from the lake,” deputy Johnson replied. “I heard it quite clearly.”

“Then let’s go, no time to waste.” Sam rushed everyone forward to the direction of the lake. “If we hurry we can still save her.”

Sheriff and his squad ran as fast as they could until they reached the lake; Joan and Caroline followed them closely not to fall behind. As soon as they got an open view of Crystal Lake, the first thing their flashlight shone on was an unfamiliar car. It seemed like Sandra wasn’t alone here. Some visitors appeared to find the camp by chance, and now everyone witnessed how dearly they paid for this fatal mistake.

Sandra wasn’t the source of the screams. Instead, Caroline watched in horror how her daughter, wearing a hockey mask on her face, dragged a young woman along the wet sand by the hair, the victim screamed in agony. As much as it was visible in the rays of the flashlights, the girl already got several other injuries from Sandra’s hands. At the car was a young man’s corpse lying on the ground with its throat slit, a bloody wound now encircled his neck like a macabre necklace. He must have been this girl’s boyfriend, but nothing of that mattered now. The police squad got to the lake at the very moment when Sandra picked the machete from the ground and pierced the girl’s throat with its deadly blade, silencing her screams forever. Sheriff just closed his eyes and clenched his teeth in annoyance and disappointment, understanding that they were too late to save the victims; but no one knew that they were here. If they somehow were at the camp, it could only mean that they found it by pure accident. Caroline, in turn, covered her face with her hands and sobbed, unable to look at the terrible scene. Seeing the live murder was psychologically difficult already, but this particular murder was committed by her daughter. And if it wasn’t bad enough, Sandra did it under the control of a demonic entity.

When the girl stopped screaming and her limp body fell on the ground, Caroline dared to speak first.

“Sandra, sweetheart, stop! Do you hear me? It’s me, your mother! Please, snap out of it!”

It was really hard for her to speak these words through tears and sobs, but unfortunately, Sandra showed no reaction to her mother’s pleas. Caroline sobbed even more, realizing that Sandra didn’t recognize her. Joan did her best to comfort the suffering mother, but it didn’t help much at the moment.

Watching the whole scene of bloodbath, sheriff then finally snapped and yelled out just one word:

“JASON!”

This is when the woman in a hockey mask finally reacted, turning her head to face the one who spoke the name. Caroline covered her mouth in sorrow, trying to hold back another sob. It was a true ordeal for her to see that her daughter didn’t recognize her and reacted to a male name instead. To a name that instilled so much terror in the hearts of all who were present.

“It’s all right, Jason,” Sam continued. “You’re now home, at Camp Crystal Lake. You did what you wanted to do. Please, now let the girl go. You don’t need her anymore. And we will just leave and never disturb you.”

It looked like Jason hesitated for a moment when suddenly Sandra’s head snapped up to look at the sky. Strong wind started blowing that felt almost like a hurricane, and when everyone looked up to see what Sandra was looking at, Joan widened her eyes in horror and could mutter only two words:

“Oh no…”

There, in the sky right above the lake a sinister blue light began gathering in something that reminded a spiral. Right after that Sandra began shaking frantically, creating an image of electrical discharge running through her entire body. The shocked officers watched the entire scene and lost the ability to talk for a moment.

“What the hell is going on? What is this?” one of them whispered.

“I don’t know, man,” the other replied. Indeed, neither of them could explain what exactly they were seeing. Thus it continued for a few minutes until Sandra stopped shaking and finally collapsed on the ground. The blue light above then gradually began descending to the water like a thin glowing snake until it fully disappeared in the depths of the lake.

Sheriff and his team stood frozen in their spot, trying to comprehend what they have just witnessed. Finally Sam approached Joan, hoping to get the explanation.

“What was that, Joan?” he asked. His voice was shaking from nerves. “What has just happened?”

“The process of rebirth,” Joan replied, and sheriff tilted his head without words. “This is what Jason wanted. He needed a physical body for killing people to absorb their souls. It began in 1986, the first case that you showed us. He wasn’t strong then so he couldn’t stay in a body for a long time. He found Sandra to be a good candidate for a host, as she is a strong young woman and relatively fearless. He led her here, to the place he considers to be his home to be finally reborn. And these two unfortunate victims appeared to be in a wrong place at the wrong time. He got two more souls, and when he devours enough souls, he will be reborn and finally rise in his own body.”

“He will rise? What do you mean?”

“You know well what I mean, Samuel,” Joan said confidently. “This blue glowing light we saw descending into the lake was the demonic force that will make Jason rise from the lake. So if you want to live, I suggest we take Sandra and leave this place right now.”

Sam nodded in agreement. This cursed camp had always given him the creeps, and the last place he would like to stay for a longer time was Camp Crystal Lake; especially when such devilry had just occurred before his eyes. He and Joan joined Caroline when she slowly and carefully approached Sandra who was still lying on the ground and trembling. When they were close enough, all three could hear quiet sobs coming from behind the mask.

“Mother… Mother…” Sandra whimpered weakly. Caroline then took the mask off her daughter’s face and threw it to the lake in anger, kicking the machete away as well. She touched Sandra’s wet hair gently, still unsure whether it was really her.

“Sandra… is that you? I’m here, honey.”

Sandra stopped sobbing so much and lifted her head to look at Caroline.

“Mum… Oh God, Mum!” she exclaimed and threw herself into Caroline’s embrace. Sandra had no more strength left, and all she was able to do now was give in to her emotions and burst into tears. Caroline couldn’t hold back her own tears of joy, seeing Sandra being back. Joan and Samuel smiled, seeing the touching reunion of a mother and her daughter. But they still had to leave the camp until it wasn’t too late.

Only then Sandra realized that she was soaked wet from the rain and looked around.

“Where are we? Why are we outside during such terrible weather?” she asked in confusion. Then she looked at her hands that still had some blood on them, although most of it was washed off by the rain. Her glance was back on Caroline, expressing nothing but terror.

“Did… did I kill these two people?” she asked in a shaking voice. Caroline just nodded. “But it wasn’t me, mother! It wasn’t me! Jason did it! I don’t want to go to jail!”

Sheriff then crouched and put his hand on Sandra’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry, no one is going to put you in jail, Miss Wilkins, I assure you” he said. “I have seen all what happened, and so did my colleagues. We have seen enough to believe that you’re innocent.”

“Sandra, it’s sheriff Holden,” Joan introduced him to the frightened young woman. “And now we are at Camp Crystal Lake.”

Hearing this name, Sandra froze and looked at Joan.

“Excuse me? Where are we again?”

“Camp Crystal Lake,” sheriff repeated the name. “But now there’s no time to explain. We have to get out of here and fast.”

Sandra nodded, and while Caroline and the others helped her up, deputy Johnson interfered in the process.

“Sheriff… um… you should take a look at this.”

“What?” Sam asked and noticed that the deputy and other officers were looking at the lake in fear. Water started bubbling fiercely right in the spot where the blue light disappeared moments ago. Everyone watched in shock when a head began appearing from the water, rising up and slowly revealing the rest of the body. A large, truly monster of a man appeared in front of them and slowly walked to the coast.

“Jason…” Sandra could barely whisper his name heard only by Caroline, Joan, and the sheriff. The officers prepared their weapons, pointing them at the gargantuan man while he picked the hockey mask from the ground and put it on his face. Then he took the machete too and turned to them.

Sheriff then gave the command to Joan.

“Take Sandra and her mother home,” he said and turned to his officers. “We’ll deal with that thing… somehow.”

“I don’t think you can kill him, sheriff,” Sandra whispered weakly. “He’s already dead, and you can’t kill something that’s already dead.”

“Even if so, we’ll slow him down at least,” Sam said. “This could buy us some time to get out of here.”

Jason then finally moved from his spot and started walking to the sheriff and his officers slowly and menacingly like if he was a black cloud that brings the destructive storm with it. They were ready to shoot him when suddenly a bright light illuminated everything from behind. Sheriff turned around to see one more car arriving to the place of the battle and a lone man got out of it with a shotgun in his hands; and Sam recognized the man instantly.

“Connelly? Is that really you?” he asked in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here for the revenge, sheriff,” Connelly replied. “That’s the least I can do. I won’t let this son of a bitch ruin another life like he ruined mine. I have nothing to lose.”

“Then let’s shoot that bastard,” deputy Johnson added. “Even if we were told that this creature can’t be killed.”

“Yes, you’re right, he can’t,” Connelly agreed, pointing the barrel of his gun to Jason’s head. “He’s home finally, and that’s where he’s going to stay forever. We mustn’t allow him to ruin any more innocent lives.”

Sheriff nodded and at his command everyone started shooting at the approaching monster, retreating back to their cars at the same time. The bullets didn’t affect Jason too much, but as Sam mentioned before, it helped to slow him down a bit. Then he commanded everyone to run to their cars, and the officers did just that. Lucky for them, Jason didn’t start running after them, but walked relatively fast nonetheless. And just as everyone got into their cars, David Connelly decided to make one final move before leaving Camp Crystal Lake once and for all. Illuminating the undead man before him with the headlights, he slammed the gas pedal and drove his car right at Jason, hitting him as hard as possible. Jason flew back almost to the lake from such a strong impact, and while he was getting up, Connelly quickly turned his car around and drove out of the camp, hoping he would never have to return there again.

As soon as they arrived back to the police station, sheriff invited Connelly into his office for a talk. In the normal light he could see his old acquaintance better. Although David Connelly still was relatively young, almost all of his hair was grey; and because of the psychological trauma that he went through Connelly looked older than he actually was.

“Listen, Connelly…” he began, but Connelly interrupted him:

“You can call me David, sheriff,” he said. “I guess the common tragedy brings people together and creates friendship, doesn’t it?”

“Couldn’t agree more,” sheriff said with a smile. “So, David… I wanted to say that I’m very sorry about what happened to you in the past. We shouldn’t have locked you up in a mental asylum. I know it was all because of Jason Voorhees, but who would have listened? I knew… I just felt that you were sincere. Since then my conscience tormented me all this time. Please forgive me. I’m truly sorry.”

Connelly smiled warmly at sheriff’s words.

“Do not blame yourself, sheriff. It’s not your fault,” he said in a friendly tone. “I know it wasn’t in your power then. And I know as well that you believed everything I said, I could see it in your eyes. But it’s pretty understandable that the police would base the investigation only on facts, on what they see. No one would even dare to think about supernatural.”

“Yes, and I do believe in supernatural,” Sam admitted. “I was born and raised in a religious family, so I went hand in hand with this belief all my life. Thus I’m more open minded than most of my colleagues. When it came to some weirder stuff during the investigation, I consulted Joan Henderson, a psychic. She provided much help when we were totally stuck.”

“Very well, I’m glad to know it,” David smiled. “At least one person would listen if people run into a problem that has something to do with the paranormal, and these are great news.”

Thus they continued the conversation for some time, and when it was time to finish, Sam Holden thanked David Connelly for the help and asked for forgiveness one more time. David told the sheriff once more that he held no grudge against him, and with this they waved goodbye to each other. After Connelly left the police station, sheriff left deputy Johnson in charge and prepared to go home. All the things that happened this night affected him very strongly, and Sam felt that if he didn’t get a good rest, his mind might play nasty tricks on him. With that he started the car engine and drove home.

***

Sandra lay in her bed, still unable to recover from the recent events. For a moment she thought that maybe her mind tricked her into seeing the real Jason Voorhees in flesh and blood, but her mother and the others saw it as well, so it was definitely happening in reality. And they told her that they were in Camp Crystal Lake at that moment. So this place actually exists? Sandra couldn’t believe it. All this time the camp was somewhere near their town, and no one had any idea about it? This sure was one hell of a surprise. She was glad though that the sheriff assured her that she wouldn’t go to prison, but she had questions in her mind that she would like to ask him, particularly about Camp Crystal Lake. And she dearly hoped that Jason would never disturb her again, now that he was finally home. He achieved his goal, so now she hoped that he was in peace.

But now she was too tired to think of anything and just wanted a good sleep. Tomorrow will be a new day and a new chapter in her life. With that Sandra finally drifted into sleep.

Meanwhile Samuel Holden sat on his bed, supporting his head with his hands. He couldn’t stop thinking about what happened today. He could never imagine that one day he would witness the birth on a real monster. This is something he won’t be able to forget ever. They managed to get away from Jason Voorhees with their lives, but what now? He truly hoped that Jason would stay in the camp and never leave its territory, but you can never be sure.

“Dear Lord,” he whispered with a heavy sigh. “What have we done? What monster have we unleashed?”

Now he understood the whole matter of the power of human mind. People created a monster without even knowing about it. Something had to be done about it. They have created him, and now it’s up to them to find a way to destroy him.

Sam then lay down on his bed and whispered the last words before sleep engulfed him.

“May God help us all.”