Jasmine finally realized it that very moment that Jason had arrived at her open window after carrying out a massacre. Had he left any signs that could lead back to her, besides those of blood on the window and on the porch railing? If he had wanted to harm her family, she had served him everyone on a silver plate, including herself.
Although she didn't really care much about the bogus guide, the end that met him by Jason's hands was really atrocious, and who knows how many others had died that night thanks to the help she had given him. Sure, Jason would have done the same with or without her, but what she had meant as a simple gesture to put herself under good light could also have caused her and her parents a lot of trouble. What would have happened if the police had used the dogs and arrived in front of her house? What if Jason had left the ax somewhere and they found her fingerprints as well as those of the killer?
The girl felt observed, judged. No one there was actually looking at her, they were all too busy looking at the crime scene, but she sensed scornful looks all on her, bringing old not-so-pleasant memories to her mind. She couldn't stay there any longer, she didn't want to. Staring at the ground and her hair hiding the sides of her face, she pushed her way through the crowd, with her Finn following right behind her. Her "escape" didn't last long though, as she bumped into someone.
"Excuse me." Two voices said in unison, hers and another male and decidedly familiar one. She looked up, meeting Mike's tired and surprised gray-blue eyes.
"Jasmine!" Exclaimed the guy, who did not expect to find her there. "Hi, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, uh, hello... I... I came for a ride around town, but then..." she replied, with small nervousness in her voice. Her gaze returned to the shattered door and the yellow tape that marked the scene.
"Yeah... nice mess..." The two watched the scene for a few moments, while two agents dispersed the crowd. Someone, another agent, approached the two.
"Hey Mike, your father wants you at the hotel, they found the other boy."
"Alive?" He immediately asked, hopefully.
The colleague shook his head in the negative answer, going to take the news to the other policemen.
Mike sighed, running a hand over his stressed face, then turning to Jasmine.
"I'm sorry that we keep meeting always at the wrong time, which apparently is also always in the same place."
Jasmine, who had been listening and watching him, shook her head. "Nah, don't worry. Maybe it's me, I choose to come around at the least opportune moments. " She replied, smiling slightly, trying to lighting up the mood.
"Anyway I have to go so...I'll see you around?"
"Yes sure. Bye, and... good job. "
They both turned and began to go each on their own path. Mike, however, stopped almost immediately, calling the girl.
"Hey Jasmine!" He reached her again, blushing slightly. "I ... I'd be free for a while for lunch, would you like if ... we eat something together?"
The girl, taken a little off guard and with something else to think about, was unable to say no, also because Mike seemed to be a really good guy and the hopeful look with which he stared at her didn't help.
"Yes, that's fine." She smiled at him. "Are you ok if we go at the Red Corner? I have to go there anyway to see my parents, so..."
"Yes yes, that's pefect!" He said, smiling. "It's ok at 1p.m.?"
"Perfect."
"Ok! See you later then!"
"See you later!" This time it was she who watched the boy go away.
She went back to her bike, with the impression that she had just improved Mike's bad day.
"Someone seemed pretty happy, didn't they Finn?" In response, the dog let out a snort that cheered his owner more. "Let's go, boy."
She got on the bike, determined to find a quiet place where she could reflect about the last events without having to go home.
After touring a neighborhood she hadn't seen the previous time, she decided to stop at a bakery on a street corner. There were a couple of tables outside the shop that, together with the wonderful scent of freshly baked sweets, seemed to call her. This, combined with the fact that her anxiety made her very hungry, prompted her to go in for a mid-morning snack, despite the excellent breakfast she had already had. In a couple of minutes she found herself sitting with a fruit juice in one hand, a chocolate croissant in the other, a thousand thoughts in her head and Finn gnawing on a breadstick under her chair.
She had to figure out what to do now, to try to think of all possible alternatives. But which one to start first?
First, Jason had come literally inches away from her during the night after a massacre and had decided not to hurt her, her parents, or Finn. Since it was a Friday the 13th, and given what she herself had seen at the lake and at the cemetery, although she was unaware of Jason's presence in the second case, she was not at all surprised that all this had happened. The false guide was just the icing on the cake, since generally, or at least from what she knew, Jason was more practical than theatrical. It was evident that he had used the man to send everyone a very clear message, the only thing that could surprise her was that the killer had taken longer than usual to punish him.
It was therefore logical for her to think that the rest of the victims were the tourists from the other day.
Jason didn't seem to be angry with her then and Jasmine breathed a sigh of relief. Now she had one problem, a big one, less. The gift had been appreciated, or at least the symbolic gesture, without being considered a pander. It remained to be seen whether the offer of friendship would be accepted, or at least the one of peaceful coexistence. Did she really want to have the infamous Jason Voorhees as her friend after the events of the last night? Yes, of course she wanted. As she had always wanted. What he was doing she had known for a long time, the two girls at the lake were just the tip of the iceberg. If she had changed her mind now she would have been just an hypocrite.
It was also true that she certainly wasn't going to force Jason to accept her as a friend. She had taken the first step, but she wasn't quite sure if he had done the same. He had brought her necklace back, but maybe it was just his way of saying thank you, with no other implications.
For the moment, that was more than enough. So now the problem that remained was another.
What if he had left the weapon somewhere and the police was able to trace her? What if the investigation led to her home? A valid excuse had to be found. For a moment she imagined a very shocked Mike watching her as she was arrested. It wasn't a thought she wanted to see turned into reality.
The axe? She could say she found it and left it in the garage, she certainly didn't have what to do with it, but then it was just gone. She thought her father put it away.
A trail that led to her house? It was night, in the middle of the woods, and everyone was sleeping in the house. If someone had entered, Finn would have woken them, but the dog, accustomed to the city, would hardly have paid attention to outside noises.
But Jason had made it to the window, so it was like he was inside the house. And seeing how Finn barked at the lake, it was very strange that he hadn't done it during the night with a stranger, who had chased them, so close.
Jasmine looked at the dog, trying to explain to herself what could have happened. Was Finn not aware of Jason's presence? It was not excluded that Jason had a soft step, indeed it was very likely. She became convinced that this was the best explanation, and anyway she wouldn't have been able to know otherwise, right?
It was at that moment that a thought struck her. The video surveillance system! How could she have not thought about it before?! All she'd need to do was check the footage to find out if Jason was recorded on any camera. She had no idea what the exact angles of all of those were, she was just sure of the one that took up the porch and the street that led to the main road, but she would soon make up for that lack. She should have done it while she was alone though, she didn't want to risk her parents noticing her...illicit activities.
She finished her snack in a hurry, she wanted to go home and settle the matter immediately. However, when she almost reached the exit of the city, she stopped. She looked at the trees in the forest with distrust and agitation. She didn't want to go home alone, not now. She had to do it later, yes, but right now it didn't seem like a good idea at all. Was she finally letting herself be actually scared by the events of the last few hours? Maybe, but she didn't feel like calling what she was feeling at that moment "fear". Agitation or nervousness maybe yes, but in reality she didn't want to check those videos for now. What would she have done if Jason was really caught on them?
Her parents would have panicked if they discovered it, they would not have wanted to stay a minute longer in that house, if not even in that city. And probably her mother had already received the news, so who knows how she could have reacted knowing that the same person who had committed all those murders in such a short time had been at her house, the same person that her daughter had as undisputed idol.
She should have deleted the videos, but what if they discovered her? She was certainly not a hacker or a computer expert, that was the talent of her friend Stuart.
Of course, Stuart! She could have asked him for advice! She wouldn't know where to start, but surely he did.
She picked up her phone to text him, but discovered three missed calls from her mother and twelve messages. She forgott her phone in silent mode.
"Damn" She said under her breath. She opened the chat, reading the various "Call me back" "Are you okay?" "Why you're not answering?" "Do not scare me like this!". She decided that the best thing was to go directly to her, despite she still had more than an hour before lunch time, at least to show her that she was still alive and well.
She wrote a message to Stuart. "How are you with video surveillance systems? I might need a hand later."
Once this was done, she retraced the road back to her mother's workplace, with a confused dog following her.
She finally arrived in front of the diner, immediately understanding why they had called it "Red Corner". It was located on the corner between the main street of the city and the one that led to the nearby hospital. The external walls of the building were painted in a beautiful bright red, the same one that was found on all the furnitures and decorations inside, from what she could see from the window. Only the walls and floor were left white. Now, not that she didn't like red, but it seemed a bit too much.
She left the bicycle tied to the dedicated stand and put the leash on Finn, pleasantly noting that dogs were only allowed if with that on. Her entry was announced by the sound of a bell above her head, which turned a couple of heads towards her, disturbing the background jazz music.
The two waitresses in full-red workwear, a girl a bit older than her and a lady much older than her mother, gave her a smile and a cordial "Hello" in chorus.
"Hi" the girl replied. "I'm Anna's daughter, is she busy? Can I see her?"
"Oh! You must be Jasmine then! " The lady exclaimed, quite happy with her arrival. "Your mother has been talking about you all morning, darling! You shouldn't make her feel so worried!"
Jasmine blushed slightly, hoping that her mother hadn't talked too much.
"We had to keep her from running around town looking for you, you know? She was very worried about what happened this night." The younger waitress let her know.
"Yes, you're right. I'm sorry, I forgot the phone on silent and didn't touch it all morning."
"Blessed girl, finally someone who is not obsessed with technology!" The lady said, walking to what Jas assumed was the kitchen, probably calling her mother.
The other girl opened her mouth to say something, but was called to a table by some customers, and she went to them without saying anything else.
Anna didn't take long to run out of the kitchen, she too dressed entirely in red but with a white cap on her head. She was probably preparing lunch, it wasn't long before rush hour by now.
"Jasmine!" The woman ran to embrace her daughter, who suddenly felt very embarrassed at her maternal effusions, all hugs and kisses on her cheeks. "Why didn't you answer me?! Are you OK? You had me worried to death!"
"Mom! Please! I'm fine, what was supposed to happen to me? " She tried to free herself from her mother's arms, and above all to escape from her finally relieved gaze.
"Don't ever do that to me again, young lady! Do you know what happened tonight?! I- "Luckily she froze before finishing the sentence. "I knew we shouldn't have come here" she was about to say, but she held back. The worried and eloquent look that her daughter gave to her was enough to stop her and make her recover a certain composure.
Finally she let go of the girl, who could catch her breath.
"Sorry mom, didn't want to get you worried" She said sincerely. "I... heard what happened, there's nothing else to talk about in town apparently." she continued, becoming sad. She couldn't tell her for now that she had been to the actual place, or she would have made another scene. She too tried not to think about it, and above all to forget that huge dark red stain on the pavement. At that thought, all the red around her made her throat tighten. She looked down, she didn't want to show her mother how uncomfortable she was.
"Ah! I'll met here for lunch with Mike, the sheriff's son." Jas changed the subject, looking calm again. "You remember him, right?"
"That cute boy who came to visit us the first day? Of course I remember him!" Anna smiled at her, winking.
"Mom! Please! Not this again!"
"This? What did I said?" The woman laughed. "Then sit down somewhere, as soon as he arrives I'll bring you guys your lunch" She returned to the kitchen, not before giving her another wink though.
Jasmine sighed in resignation. That woman was incorrigible. She went to sit at a table for two next to one of the windows, giving an embarrassed smile to the two waitresses, who had listened to the whole conversation. The girl snorted as soon as she turned away from them, frowning upon those who could not mind their own business. Even tho it wasn't all their fault either, since her mother hadn't exactly whispered.
She placed Finn's small bowl on the ground, filling it with water, which the animal hurried to drink. She pulled out her cell phone, noting that Stuart had answered her.
Stuart: My God Jas...what have you done?
Jasmine: Nothing...I just wanted to check the footage from the cameras around the house, in case they caught anything...interesting.
Stuart: SO DID HE REALLY TAKE YOUR GIFT?!
Jasmine: Of course he did! The surprising thing, if anything, is that we are all still alive. In the family at least...
Stuart: Don't tell me he killed someone tonight...
Jasmine: What did you expect? It's Friday the 13th, he saw strangers taking selfies in front of his mother's grave, it was sure someone would lose their skins there...
Jasmine: I didn't expect him to be able to catch them all, however... there is no talk of anything else in the city
Jasmine: Anyway, I'll tell you about everything on the group chat later, maybe I'll have some more news. For now just tell me if it is possible to delete pieces of video without anyone noticing.
Stuart: Okay, as you wish
Stuart: But you have to tell us everything, right?
Jasmine: Yup
Stuart proceeded to explain how to do what she asked, but deleting only a portion of the footage was more difficult than deleting all the videos from the last few hours. She would have to check the settings to see for how long the recordings were saved, and make sure Jason hadn't been picked up in the previous days as well. In case of need she could delete all the videos, then maybe use the excuse of an error or a malfunction. After all, technology isn't inerrable.
During her little chat session, the younger waitress came to ask her if she wanted to order something while waiting for Mike, with a too happy smile. She was soon served an ice cold cola, and Jasmine appreciated that there were no further comments.
"So much for keeping a low profile" she thought sarcastically. She had just moved and was already going to lunch with a policeman, someone certainly well known both for his work and for his young age and pretty face. It was normal if there was some gossip on the subject. She would have ignored it, people would probably soon find something else to talk about. Like the return to action of Jason, who as she understood from her library research had been quiet for a while, except perhaps some occasional disappearances/murders attributed to other causes, but which she was very sure were all due to him.
At one point the door bell rang, distracting her from her thoughts. She turned, finding a smiling but very tired-looking Mike going to meet her, intent on greeting the two waitresses. Then he greeted her, and patted Finn too, who had been dozing next to her chair, tired from all the day's movement.
"Hey. Sorry I'm late, did you wait for me for a long time?"
"Hey. No, I came early, my mother was... a little worried. I actually thought you would come a bit later."
"Yeah, I can imagine. This is certainly not a good time of the year for us, but you surely already know it."
"Let's say I'm informed, yes."
"Mh." He said with a sigh. "I'm not at my best today, sorry."
"Nah, don't worry. It doesn't seem to be easy for you. If you'd like to talk about it..." She stopped, not wanting to be considered too interested, but not to be indelicate either. She had never dealt with a cop before, so she didn't know if asking him about the job was something he might like or not.
"There isn't much to say actually, since we're about to eat, but anyway I imagine that the newspaper will give a report too detailed." He said scornfully. "Some journalists don't know half measures. It wasn't a nice view for anyone, that's for sure. "
"Yes, I know the genre." She simply replied.
She knew well what he was referring to, having read detailed reports in local newspaper articles, sometimes accompained by photos quite gorey. Fortunately they were in black and white, so they were just a little less explicit.
"Well then I don't want to bore you with my bad stuff. For the moment I just need to relax a little"He said, getting more comfortable on the chair. "How about starting with... well getting to know each other better?" He proposed, blushing slightly and without looking her.
She found it an adorable reaction, not recognizing herself for a moment. She never cared that much about boys, especially the ones she didn't know. And their beautiful smiling faces were just not enough to arouse her interest. But he was succeeding, perhaps because he was a policeman, so, at least in theory, he was a good guy, who until now also seemed to have good manners and a good family. A guy that her parents would approve and surely insist that she befriend him. Perhaps she was also affected by the suffused atmosphere given by the red that surrounded them and the pleasant background music, plus his almost shy attitude, which made the daily environment of the diner almost...romantic.
"Yeah,sure." That short answer came out quickly, finding her sincerely convinced of those two words of hers. She didn't expect it from herself.
"Well uhm... so, do you want to start first?" He asked, finding a certain cheerfulness.
"I...don't know where to start, so on the spot. What do you want to know?"
"I don't know, everything you want. For example, did you finish school? Or do you go to university?-.. "Asking about the school to understand her age. Nice move, she had to recognize it.
"No, I finished high school. And I'm not going to university, I've had enough of obligatory study." She confessed, shaking her head to reinforce the notion. He chuckled.
"I understand perfectly. I also didn't want to study much, I only kept doing it because I wanted to join the police as soon as possible."
"I probably would've done the same too, if I had the idea of finding a job for which some degree of qualification was needed."
"Do you have any ideas on what you want to do now?"
"I'll look for a temporary job. You know, to start saving money. My goal would actually be to open a library of my onw, but I guess I'll have to wait a few more years for that. "
"Well it seems like a great idea. I take that you're a reader too?."
"Are you as well?" Jasmine asked, interested. She hadn't met many guys that liked to read. He nodded.
"Mh-hm. We're all great readers in the family."
"Admirable! What do you usually read?"
"It will sound cliché, but mostly thriller." He replied embarrassed, scratching his neck. "And you?"
"I read practically everything. I avoid romance novels, but otherwise I don't mind anything."
"Really?" He looked pretty surprised. "Maybe it's because we're in a small town, but I swear to you I've never met a girl who doesn't read romantic stories." He paused, thinking. "I don't actually know many girls who love reading."
"There is a first time for everything I guess." She smiled, pleased with the turn the conversation was taking. "Also for becoming accomplices in a multiple homicide." Said a bad little voice in her mind. Luckily the waitress came to take their orders, distracting her from that fleeting thought of her.
As soon as Mike learned that the dish of the day was pasta alla bolognese cooked by Jasmine's mother, he immediately ordered a double serving, along with a beer. She ordered a regular plate and a refill of the cola.
They continued to talk about this and that throughout the meal, telling each other little anecdotes from the now past school life or some family stories. Anna had overcome herself, the ragù was really excellent and slowly the place was filled with customers asking for another plate. Jasmine felt very proud. Her father had also arrived, but seeing her somewhat busy, he went to sit at the counter, merely greeting the two boys.
When the older waitress came to take the now empty plates and ask if they wanted anything else - a coffee and a cream donut for him and a chocolate donut for her - she couldn't help but ask what exactly had happened.
"They all say different things, as usual. We know about that wretch of Melrose, but the others? " She asked.
"All guests of the hotel, and all had booked the usual Melrose excursion. The only ones who were saved were those who never saw him. "
"Mmh. Good for them then. " She seemed about to say something else, but she didn't know whether to speak or not. She kept looking from Mike to Jasmine. The girl remained silent, listening.
"Come on, say it." Mike spurred her on, already knowing what she wanted to ask and casting an half-annoyed look at the girl sitting across from him.
"Well... do you know who did it? Could it be Jas- "
"We do not know." He interrupted her, in a low voice so that no one would hear. "Jason or not, we're doing what we can. You know what to do, don't linger outside when it's dark and avoid the woods and isolated places. "
"Yes, yes, of course. We know it. I'll bring you the dessert then." The woman left in a hurry, with an air of apology. Mike snorts, sinking into his chair.
"Always the same story. Whatever happens, whether someone dies or not, if there are no witnesses it is always Jason Voorhees' fault. "
"And is it so?" Jasmine asked on impulse, but immediately regretted it. Mike waited a few seconds before answering, looking out the window.
"I don't even know if he really exists, or rather if he still exists at least. Sometimes I end up believing it too. At the station they don't want to hear about it, even my father avoids the subject. "
"It doesn't have to be easy for you."
"It could be worse, but it's annoying. There are always those who use Jason's excuse to try to get away with what they've done. I shouldn't say that, but it happened that some agents used it just because they couldn't solve a case. "
"Ah!"
"Yup."
A little more time passed, changing the subject and trying, without much success, to bring back the former joy. After the dessert, he got a call from his father, he had to go back to work. He insisted that he paid the whole bill, and he didn't want to hear reasons.
They said goodbye, both happy to have been able to spend time together, and exchanged phone numbers, promising to organize something else again. He also offered to introduce her to someone from his group of friends, but she replied with a rather vague and unconvinced yes.
"See you then." He said, a little embarrassed for some reason.
"Yeah, see you next time." She replied, not knowing the reason for that strange, nameless sensation she was experiencing.
Soon as Mike was gone, Robert, who still had a few minutes before he too had to go back to work, sat down opposite his daughter with a cup of coffee in hand and a far too happy face.
Jasmine now felt another sensation, similar to the one she had experienced when Jason followed her home with a machete in hand, albeit slightly less intense.
Jasmine was afraid. Her father wouldn't stop making jokes and asking her all the details of what he already called a first date for who knows how long. And they weren't alone with her mother yet! At that point, Jasmine would have preferred to go back to the forest and be chased by Jason.
Author's Note:
Hello! As promised, with the pandemic and the lockdown I was able to write and update faster than usua- ah no, that was just a dream. Forget it.
Well, from August 4 to December 21, I literally took almost half a year to update.
I ask for your forgiveness, there are no excuses that can hold up.
So I thank you with all my heart for making it this far, I really appreciate it. And I really appreciate all those who continue to follow this story despite the eons that pass between one update and another.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I wanted to devote myself a little more to Mike's character and finally I found someone that was as I imagined him. I found the actor Jeremy Sumpter (the Peter Pan from the 2003 movie)!
Also, if you are interested, I have published the first part of a lockdown themed collection with the characters of my stories, OC and otherwise, and the first chapter is dedicated to Jason and Jasmine (all from the point of view of our beloved killer). It's a little spoiler about the future of this story, but I suppose you all know where I'm going with this, so maybe it's not that much of a spoiler XD
What can I say, I wish you a Merry Christmas, remember to follow the rules, wash your hands, wear a mask and do your best!
Until next time and again thanks and best wishes! <3