Niall Mann, 44, the Irish American reporter for The Crystal Lake Gazette, glanced at Lionel Parr, the newspaper's owner.
'You're afraid of the bad karma deal?', he asked him.
'No', Lionel answered.
'Crystal Lake is a small town in New Jersey. Crime is low. And, lo and behold, Annie Phillips is gone, missing. Her parents are screaming at Thomas Bann, the Crystal Lake Mayor. The Democrats are backing B movie actor Ronald Reagan; President Jimmy Carter is under pressure. The Middle East is exploding into a war soon in Iraq, and Iran. Hell, I more mess up, and the White House will cough, and sneeze. And people ignore Crystal Lake; Crystal Lake is a blimp on the horizon. And now people are asking me to write an eight-piece drama about Crystal Lake's history from 1935, to 1979', Niall said.
'Can you do that?'.
'Yes, but it's a $15,000 newspaper, book, and TV documentary deal'.
'Call Edward Lake to finance the deal', Lionel said.
'Fine, I will. Margaret is yelling for me to get pizza tonight for Greg and Mary'.
'Goodnight, Niall'.
'Goodnight, Lionel'.
And he opened the Office door...and got a taxi.
It was 7:05 PM in Crystal Lake.
~~~
~~~
'I got to pee. I'll be right back, Jack'.
'Okay, babe', Jack smiled.
Marcie grabbed her pink panties and put them on.
Her red T-shirt was on as well.
And she was glad to have a break.
She reached the Ladies' Restroom.
The thin wall led to an old mirror from the Great Depression of the 1930's.
'Lizzie! I said: "Lizzie, you'll be the death of me"'.
Marcie didn't see the small, left hand on the green colored, tattered, curtain.
The hand disappeared.
'Jack, is that you? Brenda'.
Silence.
'Come on, guys? Ned...is that you?'.
More silence.
Marcie backed away in fright as she swung the curtain with her right hand.
The axe clunked against the ancient chandelier.
And Marcie screamed in horror.
~~~
Jack smoked dope.
The problem was that Ned was gone.
Vanished.
Jack smoked dope.
He glanced at the watch.
7:22 PM.
He saw drops of blood on the bunk.
What the hell?
The knife came towards his chest.
He was stabbed.
And the arrows from the old archery range stifled his screams.
~~~
¬¬¬
Alice awoke.
'Bill!'.
She was eating hamburgers, fries, and drinking coffee.
The campers were gone---or missing.
'Steve!', Alice yelled.
By 7:30 PM, the weather dropped to °65F.
She went to sleep again.
The danger had yet to come.
¬¬¬
~~~
Brenda opened the loungeroom door.
'Alice!'.
Alice awoke.
'Brenda! Where's Steve?'.
'I don't know. My books were on the bed, but I was playing Strip Monopoly. All the President's Men, by Bob Woodward, and Carl Bernstein, The Final Days, the sequel, and the hardcover of A Woman of Substance, by Barbara Taylor Bradford. The Pentagon Papers was a sad indictment over the Vietnam War from 1955 to 1975. Watergate was the worst case of bad luck for President Richard Nixon after his China visit in June, July of 1972. I studied politics at Georgetown University, and theology', she said. She glanced at the door. 'Bill!'. Bill saw Brenda.
'Oh, hello Brenda'.
'I forgot my books. Goodnight, Bill. Alice'.
'Goodnight, Brenda', Alice smiled.
And she walked to cabin 2.
And the door closed behind her.
~~~
~~~
Brenda was in the Ladies' Restroom.
The light was on...but was dim.
The heavy rain splattered on the windows; the rain was chilly.
Her green colored raincoat kept her warm.
The killer's small, right hand gripped the grey curtain.
And it disappeared again, like a specter.
'Alice, is that you? Marcie?'.
No one answered her.
Brenda sighed...and brushed her teeth in the old sink.
The specter waited...and she smirked.
In her right hand was the bloody hunter's knife.
And the horror of Friday the 13th wasn't over.
~~~
Bill looked around.
'Alice, Steve's gone'.
'Where's he?', Alice asked.
'I don't know. But I'm afraid he's not coming back', Bill answered.
'Will he come back?', Alice asked.
'I'll call the Sheriff', Bill said.
Outside, the specter cut the telephone line.
And the campers hear the sound of their voices if trouble happened at the haunted, and cursed, Camp Crystal Lake.
~~~
~~~
Brenda read A Woman of Substance.
She was thinking why Steve wasn't back.
If he did come back that is.
The SSW wind howled outside cabin 3.
A voice whispered: 'Help me! Help me!'.
Attracted to the ether, Brenda grabbed her yellow nightgown.
She opened the cabin door.
'Hello. Who is it?'.
'Help me! Help me!'.
Brenda felt the storm drenching her gown.
Wet, she grabbed a flashlight in her right hand.
And she suddenly saw the bright lights of the archery range.
Brenda screamed as the arrow came towards her.
And, seconds later, the screams ended.
And the specter stalked the other remaining campers.
~~~
~~~
'Bill! BILL!', yelled Alice.
'What is it, Alice?', he asked.
'The archery range lights are on. And now they're off again. And where's Jack, Marcie, and Ned?'.
'If they're pranking us, I'll kill them', Bill said.
'The flashlights are on the brown table. The light source in the lanterns will illuminate the camp', Alice looked at the window. The yellow-colored raincoat was on cheap, grey chair. And she put it on. The heater was on. It was on the number '3' setting. Camp Crystal Lake's shadow was like the bony fingers of the specter of death; it was as if the tall tales of murder, mystery, and the supernatural, collided; it was an imprint of a nightmare which everyone didn't wake up until the nefarious lake's secrets came back to haunt the living. And Friday the 13th was a day of ill-will towards those who sought it out, like a rejected lover's embrace.
'Bill, can I come too?', Alice asked.
'Yes', Bill answered.
And she explored the campgrounds in the darkness.
It was 8:27 PM in Crystal Lake.
~~~
By 8:45PM, Alice opened cabin 3.
She flicked on the bright light.
On the bed was the blood of a camper's axe.
'What's going on?', asked Alice.
'There's a killer loose, Alice. We need help from the Sheriff. I can't believe that everyone has left', Bill told her.
'If they left', Alice said.
The Office door opened.
Alice checked the phone.
'Bill, someone cut the lines. It's ten miles from town'.
'I know. Look, I'll get a van. We can drive back to my place to get help'.
Bill kissed Alice...and left her alone.
~~~
~~~
Bill wore his favorite plaid shirt, blue jeans, black belt, red socks, and grey shoes.
He glanced at the sign that read: WARNING: NO TRESPASSERS ALLOWED CAMP MANAGEMENT EMPLOYEES ONLY. He opened the shaky door; he took his old red raincoat off. Inside, the cold weather chilled his blood. The other heater was off; the heat consumed the small room that housed jeeps, and other cars. A sign read: FOR GAS ONLY. Bill took off the cap. And drained the engine oil with a cheap stick; the oil was messy; dark.
Bill sighed.
The light read: WARNING: LOW GAS.
Frowning, he looked around for the last time.
And, as he did so, the specter aimed several arrows at his body.
And he was hung up to the ancient door.
And the weather was °61F by 9:00 PM at Camp Blood.
~~~
Page 6.
