Friday the 13th: Lost Lake

❦ Chapter 4 • The Journey Begins ❦

Claire would give her market a final glance over her shoulder as she and Stryker followed the tall and lean giant donning a hockey mask into the night. The chances of her returning to this shop- even this town for that matter- were very slim. She knew panic would ensue once the crime was discovered. Perhaps she would be suspected of the murder. She let out a sigh, causing Jason to turn his head to look back at her.

"Nothing," Claire reassured the strange masked man, feeling intimidated under his stotic eyes. "I'm just… deep in thought." Surely the police would suspect that she was responsible in some way just by the fact that she took her belongings and left.

Jason just shrugged his shoulders and carried onwards down the empty streets. Claire found it odd that he was particularly keeping in the shadows and avoided the streetlights, as if he was using the darkness as camouflage. Then again, something was off about this guy the moment he stormed into her shop. His most noticeable feature being the dirtied hockey mask with three distinctive chevron markings- one on each cheek and one right on the forehead. Claire kept from questioning it in case it was a sensitive topic. Surely there was reason Jason felt the need to wear it. Also, his clothes. He wore a couple layers of torn shirts with noticeable holes and tears, and a huge tattered brown jacket on top of them.

Claire wanted to ask him if he lived on the streets, but was afraid she would rile up his anger. It still frightened her how easily he had killed the man who attempted to rob her shop. Therefore, Claire wanted to remain on the giant's good side.

"So… uh… where are you from, Jason? You said you lost your home, right? So did you live somewhere close by here or something?" Claire would ask, striking up a conversation with him. It was better than just the eerie silence, and she wanted to know more about her newfound ally.

Jason would take the red journal she had gifted him out of his battered and torn jacket to write something. Yet, he seemed extremely hesitant; he tapped on the paper mindlessly, as if he was unsure what to tell her. Jason would finally crack under pressure, and would harshly scribble something down before holding it up so Claire could read it. It took a moment since his handwriting was blocky and messy, but she made out the words fine enough on her own within a couple seconds.

«CryStAL LaKe.»

The two words would send an icy chill down her spine. Claire remembered that location. It was the place where the massive wildfire had started, trailing almost all the way up the East Coast. Then she recalled the news interview with Tommy Jarvis…

"Y-You're Jason Voorhees??" Claire whisper-yelled in shock, as not to draw attention in case anyone was around.

The tall masked figure would nod once, and almost looked crestfallen.

"How can that be? The Crystal Lake reports swore you were just a legend," Claire went on, not too sure how to feel. Sure, she was in the presence of the supposed death curse that haunted the lake, but she wasn't afraid he would kill her. If Jason wanted to, he would've done so a long time ago. Then again, it wasn't exactly hard to believe. This man was an absolute unit compared to her. His rugged appearance coupled with his dark necrotic skin and his silence should had been a very clear sign that he was not exactly a normal human being.

Jason just shrugged his shoulders. It was hard to tell what he was feeling or expressing under his mask with only his eyes visible.

"I'm still with you, you know," Claire murmured. "I just can't believe you're real. So, you know where that Cole guy went, since you must have supernatural tracking and all."

Jason's shoulders shook, indicating a silent chuckle of amusement as he jotted on the notebook again, flipping to a fresh page. «I mUsT ReTUrn hOme FiRsT. I neeD tO sPeaK wiTh MotHeR.»