Early morning in Higgins Haven had been quiet as usual, especially on a Sunday morning. The small town usually had early mass, followed by the local businesses opening as usual within a few hours. At the local hardware store, the owner had come in early for inventory, not realizing that he wasn't alone.
A tall figure that had just made his way from Camp Crystal Lake had broken in to do a little early morning shopping. He'd been away for a while, and the intruder knew there would be a new generation of sex-crazed teenagers to murder, but first he needed to get back in the groove by murdering a few of the locals. As Michael Swayze counted the merchandise, he didn't hear the intruder skulking around the backroom. The intruder would have felt like a kid in a candy store looking at all the deadly toys, if he were able to feel anything at all. Unfortunately for Swayze, the intruder was Jason Voorhees, the unfeeling, undead killing machine. And without a mask currently, Jason looked even deadlier and grotesque than usual. Jason ran his hand along the racks until he found a shelf of saw blades... Swayze had just finished counting the hammers and screwdrivers, and was now headed on to count the power tools. As he turned around, a sawblade whipped through the air, removing the left hand carrying a clipboard. The man screamed as he looked at the bloody stump where his hand used to be, just as another sawblade cut through his leg, sending him to the ground, just as a third sawblade flew right into his forehead, cutting deep into his skull. The man's dead body fell to the floor as Jason noticed a hockey mask sitting in a half-off bin of unsold Halloween merchandise... * Max found himself under water again, struggling to break through the surface, not being able to reach it, no matter how much he struggled. He could feel the water filling his lungs as he tried to escape, but couldn't fight against threw water pulling him down. As he was ready to give up, Max saw a door near him, as if it were a bright light. Having no other option, Max swam for the door, opening it and falling out, spitting out water as he got to his knees. As he slowly stood up, he realized that he was standing in a diner he'd never been to before. "MAX! Hey, buddy!" a teenage boy shouted. "Get your ass over here, you have got to try this apple pie!" The boy had dark blonde hair with heavy bags under his eyes from not sleeping very well. Max slowly approached him, water dripping with each step he took. That's when Max noticed that no one in the diner even took notice of him, as if he were invisible. "It's my first time here, too. You're kind of all the way across the country and I can't hold this connection too long, so let's cut to the chase," the boy said. "I know you're spooked right now, but trust me, I'm a friend." "Where did you come from?" Max asked as he tried to move out of the booth, realizing the floor beneath his feet was cold. He looked down, seeing his shoes and socks were gone, as he'd taken them off to dry next to the fire the night before. But if they were at cabin, how did he get to the city? What the hell is going on?" "It's going to be okay, Max," the boy told him. "You just haven't figured out what you can do yet. Just remember to keep calm and focus on where you to want to go." "Who are you? How did I get... where the hell am I?" "Like I said, I'm a friend, one you're going to meet real soon," the boy told him. "Just remember that you can do this. It's going to get rough, and a lot of people are probably going to die, you just gotta be brave. We all had to be brave before he brought us together. Face your fear, Max, it's the only way to beat him." "Beat who?" Max asked. The boy just smiled as Max woke up on the couch at Will's house in Higgins Haven. "Are you okay, Max?" Will asked as headed to the door to put on his boots. "I know the couch isn't the most comfy thing in the world, but--" "I fell asleep!?" Max shouted as he jumped up. "I have to get back to the lake house before Grady--" "Relax, he was here a few hours ago to make sure you were okay, but neither of us wanted to wake you," Will told him. "You're lucky to have a brother that cares for you." "Yeah," Max said "I guess I am. I guess I should get going, you probably have stuff to do." "Actually, I was going to head into town to get those fuses," Will told him. "Do you want to... come with me? Maybe grab some breakfast along the way?" "I can't, I need to get home, get cleaned up, get a change of clothes." Max told him. "Use my bathroom, grab a shower, I'll loan you some clothes to wear," Will said with a smile. "Besides, Grady smelled like weed and beer, your friends are probably sleeping off their high. We'll be back before they're sobered up." * The old woman who'd warned Max to leave town the previous day, searched the kitchen for the sharpest knife she could find to defend herself. She knew Jason was coming back, and he was coming to kill everyone he came across. As the woman turned around, she saw Jason standing in the doorway, a fresh machete in his hand that he'd just recently picked up from the hardware store. "I've stayed in this town since the last time we met," she told him. "Just so I could put you down again the next time you came back. This is where you die, Jason Voorhees." Jason just tilted his head as if he had been trying to remember who she was among his vast list of victims. He marched forward as the woman held her knife toward him, ready to defend herself, but he grabbed her arm before she could attack, twisting it with a sickening crunch. Before she could scream, Jason reached into her mouth, pulling her entire jaw off with ease. * Will's old pick-up truck pulled into the dusty road of Higgins Haven, parking outside of the hardware store. The truck was a relic and barely holding together, but it was Will's first vehicle and something he cherished since he'd earned it on his own. "I'll just run in and grab the fuses, then we can head back," Will told him as he got out of the truck and headed to the door, finding it locked with the 'closed' sign hanging in the window. "That's odd, the store's supposed to open at 10. It's 10:45." Max got out of the truck, wearing a white t-shirt and blue jean shorts. The t-shirt had a large 'M' printed on it, a printing error that would have been a 'W' for 'Will' if it'd come out right. Max peeked into the window, not seeing anything but darkened lights. "Maybe he got into the holy spirit and he's still at the church?" Max asked. "Nah, the preacher has to get home early to take bets on the game," Will told him. "Church would have let out by 9. Maybe he's just out back getting a smoke." "Town usually this quiet on a Sunday morning?" Max asked. "A lot of people have moved away over the years because of the killings," WIll said. "Those that stay are too set in their ways to pick and move on." "Like you?" Max asked. "I couldn't help but notice your brother and shirtless buddy came with dates," Will countered. "How come you didn't bring a girl?" Max went on ahead and tried to the backdoor. "I wanted to come alone. I'm not really a dater, I keep to myself." "A handsome guy like you?" Will asked. "You probably have your pick of the ladies." "Can we talk about something besides my lack of a love life, please?" Max asked defensively. "... Sorry," Will told him as he turned his head away. "Didn't know it was a sensitive subject." "Yeah, well, it is," Max told him bitterly as he walked past Will. "I don't think the guy's here. We might have fuses at the house you can have. Let's just... go back, I'm ready to get back to the lake house where I can hole up for the rest of the week with a few books." "Max, wait," Will told him as he followed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you, okay? Can we just... start over? You're the first person I've had a decent conversation with since... ever. I don't want to end a friendship because i said something stupid." Max stopped with turning around before barely whispering. "I don't like to talk about it. There are... things wrong with me, let's just leave it at that." "Okay," Will told him. "I didn't mean to pry. I just really like you. I don't think there's anything wrong you, and if you think there is... you can talk to me whenever you want. I won't judge, I promise. You ever want to unload, I'll listen." "Thanks," Max said as he sniffled a little bit. "You promised me breakfast." "There's a pancake house up the street," Will smiled. "We can walk there." As the two walked off, Jason stood across the street, dragging a freshly murdered victim's body behind him as he noticed the two young men. Teenagers often traveled in packs, they'd lead him to fresh kills... * Los Angeles "You're sure he's at Camp Crystal Lake?" "Yeah, I saw the sign when I was looking through his dreams to find the guy." "We need to get there now. Nothing good ever comes out of that place, especially if he's awake." "What about the kid we came to L.A. for?" "The others can find him and catch up with us after. We're going to get Max. The sooner we get him, the faster we can end this war." * "Here you go, fresh fuses that I found in the kitchen drawer," Joe said as he tossed them to Will a short while later. "Kind of surprised the handyman didn't already have spares laying around his house." "Yeah, well power outages don't happen that often," Will told him. "You guys enjoying your vacation?" "You have no idea," Joe said as he watched Becka outside in a bikini top. "This is the greatest spring break ever." "Thanks for taking care of Max," Grady told Will. "I'm glad he had someone watching out for him." "Watching out for him? He fell asleep on the couch, it's not like we were out partying," Will said. "Grady, I think you might be a little... over protective of Max. He's 17, he needs to start getting out into the world more." "You don't know Max like I do," Grady told him. "He used to be more outgoing and adventurous. Wanted to be an archaeologist like his old man, was willing to take any risk or do whatever he had to get a job done. But then a few years ago, something happened. He was captain of the swim team, took them to state. But the diving board was slippery and Max fell, hit his head on the day down and knocked himself out. By the time they pulled him out of the water, he'd been under for two minutes and his head was bleeding. He nearly died. Hasn't gone back into the water since. He's been scared of the water ever since." Will just sighed as he looked out the window, watching Max sitting on the dock as he read a book. A few minutes later, Joe walked up behind him. "Get your ass up, Max, we're going for a hike." * Becka found Beverly in the basement, practicing kickboxing. "What are you doing?" "What does it look like?" Beverly asked. "I'm on vacation, but I still have to stay in shape. I'm not head cheerleader for nothing. You want to try?" "What the hell?" Becka asked as she walked up to her friend. "Okay, just do as I do," Beverly told her as she did a jump kick. Becka tried, but fell on her butt and started laughing. "We'll work on it," Becka told her. "Trust me, soon you'll be able to kick anyone's ass who tries to mess with you." * "Is this where you're finally going to make good on that promise to beat me up that you made in 7th grade?" Max asked as they further up the trail. "I think you're doing a pretty good job of that yourself," Joe told him. "This whole trip's been for you, you selfish asshole." "Come again?" "Grady thought that if we got you up here to unwind, you might start to get back to the guy we used to know," Joe told him. "I'm sorry about your accident, and I'm sorry you lost your dad, but Grady really cares about you, and I care about Grady, he's my best friend." "This isn't just about the accident," Max told him. "I keep having these... dreams that I'm drowning, and they feel so real. And each time all of you are standing there, but I can't get above water to reach you." "So, what, you're scared of a few daydreams?" "I think it means that I'm going to lose all of you," Max told him. "That I'm going to end up all alone. It's like I'm going to drown without my friends." "Max, I'm not your biggest fan, but none of us are going anywhere," Joe said as he put a hand on Max's shoulder. "Ignore these stupid dreams and focus on what's real, like the rest of us. Get your balls back and go for a swim. See you back at the house." Joe walked away as Max just stared at the trail ahead. * Jason stood at the edge of the woods, staring at the lake house not too far ahead. In it stood the victims who deserved to be punished by his hand... * While Joe and Becka were swimming, Grady and Beverly sat on the porch swing, enjoying each other's company. Out back, Will was teaching Max to how to swing an axe to chop firewood. "Okay, now put all your strength into the swing," Will said as he stood behind Max. "Aim for the center of the block." The axe came down, barely chipping the block of wood. "It's alright, that was a good swing," Will said as he took the axe. He took his position and brought the axe down, splitting the piece of wood evenly. "It takes practice to get the hang of it." "This should be simple for me, I work out twice a day," Max told him. "I mean, not with an axe, but I do lift weights." "I can tell," Will said with a smirk. "Well, from your arms anyway. I take it you don't take your shirt off much." "Only when I'm alone," Max said. "I haven't been shirtless in public since I was on the swim team." "Grady mentioned something about that," Will said as he put the axe down. "Is that why you won't go swimming in the lake?" Max just lowered his head as he looked away. "Do you know what it's like to almost drown? For the water to have such a death grip on you that you can't fight, you can't struggle, hell, you can't even breathe? I lost all control during those minutes. I hate not being in control of my own body. I swore that after that I'd never be in that situation again. I can't." "So, what, you're just going to avoid large bodies of water for the rest of your life?" "It's not impossible," Max said confidently. "I've managed to do it for three years." "Sure," Will said as he started unbuttoning his shirt. "Whatever works for you." "What are you doing?" Max asked. "Going swimming," Will said as he kicked off his boots. "It's hot and I've been working since we got back. I'm going to take a little break. You're free to join me." Undoing his pants, Will tossed them away as he ran toward the water before jumping in. Max walked toward the edge of the water, just watching Will swim out some. "Come on, Max! It feels great out here!" Max scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably as he just turned to walk back towards the house, passing Grady and Beverly as he went. "I think Will almost had him out there," Grady said. "I thought getting Max out here with us would work." "It'll happen, just give him time," Beverly told him. "We still have time for him to come around." Another light rain started as Grady put an arm around her shoulder. "Enough about Max for today. Let's talk about us. I think I'm ready for... you know." "Seriously?" Beverly asked. "Yeah, I mean, if you are." "Tonight sounds perfect," Beverly said as they kissed. "I've been waiting for this for a while." "I just wanted to wait for the right moment," Grady told her. "The lake house sounded perfect. Nothing can ruin this night for us." * Max sat on his bed, tears streaming from his eyes as he held the old faded ball cap in his hand. "Max?" Will asked as he knocked on the door, having put his pants back on with his shirt still unbuttoned. He had his boots in his arms as he sighed. "I'm sorry if I--" "I'm a coward, okay?" Max asked with a laugh. "I'm just a big fucking coward. I'm scared of swimming, I'm scared of talking with people about my problems, and I'm scared of... my feelings for you." "What?" Will asked as he sat down on the bed. "Max, are you--?" "I don't know, I've been confused for a while," Max said. "And like everything else, I'm just too scared to face it. I don't know who I am, or what I'm supposed to do. The only thing I really know is that I'm tired of being scared." Will put an arm around his shoulder to comfort Max. "It's okay, Max, I was... confused once, too. Honestly, I kind of have feelings for you, too." Max just raised his head and stared at Will before the two started to share a gentle kiss. As soon as their lips touched, all of the stress and self-hatred he'd been feeling for the last few years stopped. All Max could feel was calm and peace for the first time. As they held their lips to each other, the hat in Max's hand started glowing as the faded cap started getting a full red color to it. * As the rain pounded harder, Joe held Becka's hand as the two rushed into the old barn, laughing as they got out of the rain. As they got inside, Joe pulled Becka into a deep and passionate kiss. "Make love to me," Becka whispered against his lips. "Right now." Two started kissing heavily as he led her to an open spot of the barn, letting his swimming trunks fall to the ground, kicking them away. They landed at the feet of Jason, who watched them through the eyes of his hockey mask, his machete patiently waiting for the right moment... TO BE CONTINUED...
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TOBIAS CHRISTOPHERAuthor, cap-bearer. Archives
April 2019
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