Chapter 7

As the sun rose in the morning sky, a new day has come, and with that life began awakening. In such a delightful and sunny day like this there just could be no place for gloomy mood. But not for the Cooke family. There was still no sign of Sherry and her whereabouts, and police still hasn't found a clue. Sharon Cooke suffered the most from sorrow, as every mother would after finding out about her child's disappearance. She was close to falling into depression and not even going to work, but her husband and son managed to persuade her not to that, explaining that work would at least keep her busy and make her think about something else, otherwise the situation could get worse.

Studies helped Richard to get at least a bit distracted from thoughts about his sister, and although he continued assuring himself that she's alive and fine, terrible thoughts about her never coming back plagued the back of his mind, and every time he mentally slapped himself on face for thinking this. And after the day in University was over, he didn't want to go home that soon, as everything there reminded him of Sherry, and pressure in his eyes began to increase, but he didn't let the tears fall down his face. He was sure that parents felt the same. Richard decided to walk slowly around the city before getting into his car, and maybe go to some café to have a drink and think about the next steps.

There was one café in the city center which he often visited in his free time, so Richard decided to go there. As he was slowly approaching his goal, he suddenly heard a man and a woman talking not far from him. The male voice sounded so familiar, that it couldn't be confused to any other voice. Richard realized at once that it was no other than Jordan and his bitch of a girlfriend, Vanessa. They were sitting at the table in the café and didn't seem to notice him, so Richard understood that this was his chance to follow them unnoticed and listen to what they talked. He had suspicions that Jordan and Vanessa might have something to do with Sherry's disappearance, but he had to be sure. If it results in him being right, there had to be proof, so Richard carefully walked closer to them, hiding among other people and turned on the digital voice recorder in his smartphone so each word of theirs would stay in it.

"So, have you decided about the exact date for going back to camp?" Jordan asked.

"Oh, of course," Vanessa giggled. "You could try to guess what it is."

"How should I know? I guess it would be weekend. Saturday maybe?"

"A bit faster. We're going there next Friday," Vanessa explained. "I hope you know what date it will be?"

Jordan pulled out his phone and checked the calendar.

"Well, what do you know, that's Friday the 13th," he laughed. "But what's the purpose?"

"Thrill," Vanessa grinned. "Haven't you ever watched the Friday the 13th movies?"

"No, I haven't. I'm not interested in horror movies as such. What do those particular movies have to do with our journey to the camp on Friday the 13th? I remember when we brought Sherry to Camp Crystal Lake, you mentioned some guy named Jason Voorhees that might presumably live there and he would take care of her. So, what is this all about?"

"Well, the movies are about teens going to Camp Crystal Lake which is supposedly cursed, and having fun there before getting killed. And this guy, Jason Voorhees, drowned there in his childhood. Later his mother went insane and chopped the counselors that were responsible that day for not watching him and having sex instead, but in the end she was beheaded by one of the survivors." Vanessa tried to remember the main line of the movies so Jordan would have a clue what they are about. "After her death Jason continued killing anyone who dared to step into the camp territory. He's some kind of unstoppable killing machine. A monster, if you want. Each time he is supposedly killed by the last survivor, but it's just for some period of time, and then comes back to continue killing. And every time things happen on Friday the 13th. It's like triggering his activity."

After Vanessa finished re-telling the movie storyline, Jordan kept silent for a few moments, like thinking something over.

"Alright, but those are movies, right? But the Camp Crystal Lake we brought Sherry was absolutely real, remember? Do you think that Jason Voorhees really lives there?"

"I don't know, I'm not sure. But if the camp exists, then Jason also might exist, you know? Well, better for us. At least that bitch will get what she deserved!"

Hearing all of this, Richard felt blood getting cold in his veins, mixing with an increasing feeling of burning rage. He could barely keep himself from rushing forward and beat those bastards up until they are dead. But he decided not to do that, being in the city center, and continue listening to get more information.

"So, if I understand you right, you would like to imitate the Friday the 13th movies… sort of?" Jordan asked.

"Yes, exactly. That's why next Friday is the best option, and the date is 13th. But to be honest, I highly doubt about Jason's existence. The main point is the feeling, you know?"

"Ok, I get it now. It's like telling campfire stories, but in this case it confines itself with one particular story."

"That's right," Vanessa nodded. "But to get a better picture I'd recommend you to watch some of these movies. To understand what our party will be like, so to say."

"Alright, I'll take a look when I have time," Jordan finally agreed. "But what about others? Do they know already the exact day of departure?"

"Some do, some don't. Nolan and Brit already know, as they helped us to bring that bitch to the camp. I still have to inform Nikki and Kayla, and Cort also already knows and is more than willing to go. By the way, he's a fan of Friday the 13th movies, just like me. Oh, and did you call Chelsea and Luke?"

"Not yet," Jordan replied. "I'm planning to contact them today, so don't worry about that."

"Ok then," Vanessa smiled. "The larger company, the better. Right?"

"Yeah, can't be more right!" Jordan laughed loudly. "So, shall we go now? I promised to help my father with a few things after studies, so he's awaiting my call."

"Sure, no problem. See you tomorrow then."

After Jordan paid the bill, they stood up, exchanging a kiss, and then left. Richard turned the voice recorder off, putting the phone back into the pocket of his pants and clenching his fists in fury. So he was right all this time! Those two pieces of shit kidnapped Sherry and brought her to the abandoned camp to die in a killer's hands. He couldn't believe his ears and just stood there for several minutes. The young man was overwhelmed with such shock like he has never been in his life. Vanessa clearly wanted Sherry dead. But why? Richard knew she and Sherry couldn't stand each other, but to such an extent? No! Sherry can't be dead, it's just not possible!

Richard was in such panic that he didn't even think about telling this information to his parents or police. There was only one thought racing through his mind – save Sherry! She was kidnapped just yesterday, and there might still be a chance to save her. If the killer is really out there, there's no time to waste.

Richard rushed to his car and hurried home. Luckily his parents were still at work, so he didn't have to explain things to anyone, for now. He remembered that father kept a handgun in the safe so he could take it now without any problems. After that Richard locked the front door, jumped back into the car, putting the gun into glove compartment. Before leaving he pulled out the map of the area and checked where that camp could be. "If I have problems with finding it, I can always use the navigator or, at least, ask the locals," he thought, activating the engine and driving away, hoping to reach his destination as soon as possible.

***

When Sherry opened her eyes, she couldn't understand at first where she was. It took a few seconds to remember what this place was, what happened yesterday and that it was home of Jason Voorhees. Sherry slept rather good, which surprised her, considering her being at Camp Blood. She yawned and stretched her limbs when suddenly there was sound of heavy footsteps approaching the cabin. The young woman knew it could be only one person. The door opened and a large man in a hockey mask entered the cabin.

"Oh… Jason, it's you… Good morning," Sherry sat on the bed, greeting him with a little smile. "See, I said I won't run away, and I kept my promise."

Jason stood motionless, tilting his head to the side.

"What? I slept fine, if that's what you want to know," Sherry said, trying to understand what was on his mind. It was really hard to build up a dialogue if your companion is mute and you can't know what he's thinking. But Sherry hoped for the best. If the "yes" and "no" tactics seemed to work then she should keep it like that, as it was the only way to communicate with Jason.

"So, um… Jason…" Sherry muttered, trying to keep her nerves under control. "Would you mind if I explore the camp a bit? I'd really like to know where bathrooms are."

Sherry felt soon that the need to use a bathroom was increasing step by step and hoped that Jason wouldn't mind if she checked out the camp. Lucky for her, the large man nodded which meant that he allowed her to walk around his territory. But he would keep an eye on her in any case.

"Thank you, Jason," Sherry got out of bed, covering it with the sheet, and slowly began going to the exit, where Jason was. He realized that the girl wanted out, so he stepped outside, letting her to come out in fresh air. The sky was cloudless and sun has already risen high. The weather was great and the air wasn't hot yet, and in the nature the feeling of summer was even better than it the city. Sherry could only wonder what time it was now, but as it wasn't hot yet, she thought it still might be the time before the noon.

The young woman looked around, scanning the area with her eyes. Generally everything here looked like a normal summer camp, but the buildings were old and it seemed like they would collapse any moment. But things weren't that bad, as she has just slept in one of the cabins, and nothing bad had happened. There were several cabins around the lake, a dock for boats, a watchtower, but not even that caught Sherry's attention. She wanted to check the larger building a bit farther from the lake, and she assumed that this might be a place for a bathroom. She entered it and sighed with relief. Those were bathrooms, she could see several sinks with dirty mirrors above them, several toilet cabins, and if you go a bit deeper, there were also showers. Sherry just wanted to know if there was still water here, so she turned the tap. To her surprise, water started flowing from the tap.

"Well, it almost seems too good to be true," she whispered to herself. "At least I have the possibility to use the toilet, sinks and showers. One problem less, so to say."

Making sure the showers worked too, Sherry finally entered one of the toilet cabins. Finishing her things, she instinctively reached for toilet paper, but then saw that it was so rotten that would be better not to use it. Sherry snorted in dissatisfaction and pulled her panties up.

"Damn, how disgusting! But, on the other side, it was expectable. Well, luckily I use every day hygienic pads, so if I don't use toilet paper for once, nothing bad will happen. But, I guess, as I'm going to stay here for a long time, I have to find a way to deal with all of this later."

After Sherry went out of the bathrooms, she noticed Jason standing right outside. Of course, it startled her, but she realized that he was going to watch her like a hawk that watches its victim. She also understood that it won't be possible to gain his trust this soon, so his behavior was normal. It was up to her to get used to it.

"Woah, you startled me, Jason," the girl smiled, trying to get rid of tension as much as possible. "Um… could you maybe show me where the kitchen or some dining room is? Please? I know everything is empty there, but I'd like to see anyway."

Jason nodded and grabbed her roughly by the wrist. Sherry clenched her teeth from pain, as his grip was truly like iron. While he was leading her to the kitchen, she was pondering about how to make him not to be that rough to her. He obviously doesn't calculate his force and one day he might break her hand like this.

It took a few minutes to reach the building where kitchen was. Sherry explored it while Jason remained in the doorway, watching her every move. Right at the entrance there were many tables around where children had lunch years ago, so nothing of particular interest here. It was the kitchen that interested her the most. Of course, there was dirt everywhere, as in every long abandoned place, the dishes were already rusty, just like the cutlery in the drawers. Nevertheless, Sherry continued searching and hoped to find something useful.

Finally she had her luck. In the last drawer she found a box of matches.

"Bingo!" she exclaimed happily. "This could be useful. At least I might collect some broken branches in the forest and make a fire if needed."

Putting the matches into a pocket of her vest, Sherry continued examining the cupboards. There she found dirty dishes - plates, cups, saucers and bowls, and then suddenly an idea came to her mind.

"Perhaps I could was one of these bowls and then go to search the forest for some berries? At least it's worth trying."

Sherry understood well that hunger will finally take over and she had to find something to eat. So she took one of the bowls from the cupboard and washed it, as there was water also in the kitchen. If there was water in bathrooms, then why shouldn't it be in the kitchen, too? It's only logical. And after the bowl was clean of all dirt, the girl returned to the entrance where Jason was waiting.

"Jason… I'd like to take a walk in the forest and look for some berries," Sherry began talking, showing him the empty bowl. "I don't know about you, but I need to eat something. I hope you understand."

Jason didn't show any signs of understanding for a minute, just tilting his head to the side, and then finally nodded. He could stay without food and have no problems, but realized that the girl wasn't like him and needed to eat. So let it be, he would allow her to explore the forest.

As Sherry was already going to enter the forest, Jason suddenly rushed forward and grabbed her arm, keeping her in her spot. The young woman got so scared that she nearly dropped the bowl.

"Damn it, Jason! What's your problem?" she screamed.

Jason didn't know how to explain that he has placed traps in the forest and wanted to warn her about it. He looked around erratically, keeping his eyesight on the ground, until he found a small stone and picked it up.

"What are you doing?" Sherry was still startled, but curiosity got the best of her. Jason then threw the stone somewhere in front of them and right where it landed, a bear trap slammed shut. "Oh, so that's it…" she said understandingly "did you put the trap there?"

Jason nodded.

"I see," the girl replied. "It seems to me that thus you wanted to warn me about traps, right?"

A nod again.

"Well, thank you very much, Jason," Sherry said, not even noticing herself blushing a bit. "I want you to know that I really appreciate it. I won't go far, I promise, and I'll watch my step. Oh, and I found matches in the kitchen, so I'll try to find some old broken tree branches to make a fire if I need it someday."

Jason nodded, but he knew that even if she was careful, she won't be able to detect the traps, as they were very well hidden. And somehow deep inside he felt that the girl getting hurt is the last thing he wanted to happen. She treated him like he was a normal human being, which made him happy, and Jason thought that he might have found a friend. But still he had to make sure he could trust this girl fully, and for that some time was necessary.

While the girl was looking for something eatable in the forest, Jason made sure he deactivated all the traps, so it was safe for her to explore. He didn't know whether she will manage to find something there, as he never paid any attention to such small things as berries. But she needed to eat. And what if she doesn't find anything? It was up to him then to find food for her.

Jason was lost in thoughts for some minutes until a good idea popped up in his mind. He walked quickly to his hut that he built himself deep in the forest and took a spear from there. Then he returned to the lake and stepped to the edge of the dock, waiting patiently with the spear prepared for a strike. And when there was a right moment, Jason pierced the spear into the water with all his might and pulled out a fish on its tip. This would do as food, at least for today. Jason could only hope that the girl knew how to cook.

Soon Sherry returned with an armful of dry branches and with a small bowl full of blueberries. Looks like she managed to find what she wanted, so the fish that Jason caught would be an addition.

Seeing him with a spear and a fish on its tip, Sherry couldn't believe her own eyes. Did he just… catch that fish for her?

"Oh god… Jason, did you get this fish for me?" she asked, although she could already guess the answer. Jason nodded. As she treated him well, he thought he also might do something good for her. "I can't thank you enough for your help. I wish I could pay you back somehow…" Sherry had no idea how to repay what he did for her, but it looked like that treating him with respect was enough for him. "Well, I guess now making fire is more than necessary. But I'll check other cabins quickly, maybe there are some old newspapers or something. It would be much easier to get these things burning."

Sherry put the branches and a bowl of blueberries on the ground and ran to her cabin first. There was nothing useful, so she looked in other buildings. In one of them she could find a few torn pages of a newspaper, but it would be enough to make a fire. As she came back, Jason had already chopped the fish into pieces with his machete and gutted it with his hunting knife that he held in a holster, bringing the pieces on a dirty plate from the kitchen. Sherry could only admire his intelligence. She had heard about him being retarded because of hydrocephaly, but now she saw that it was wrong. A retarded person could never know how to set traps and hide them properly, but Jason did it like a professional hunter, which he actually was.

While Sherry was making fire, Jason studied her with much of attention and had to admit that she was pretty. He was surprised about such thoughts as he never cared about female beauty. All of them were just victims, prey for a hunter, and Jason just chopped and gutted them without mercy. And now here he was, sitting near the lake with this good girl who treated him well, and thinking how beautiful she was. This feeling was very new to him.

When the branches began to burn, Sherry ran to the kitchen and found an old pan that, of course, had to be washed. In addition she washed two more plates, not knowing if Jason was going to eat or not, but it would be better to bring plates for both. After some time the flames have decreased and it was now safe to put the pan on the burning coals. The pan became hot soon and Sherry began frying the pieces of fish and Jason sat next to her. During the process she decided to build up a dialogue with him.

"So… do you live here since the childhood, Jason?" she asked. Jason nodded in response. So at this point the movies didn't lie. "I guess your mother was the only family member that you knew?"

He nodded again.

"Well… I guess I heard what happened to her, and I want to say I'm very sorry to know it. It's so painful to lose the one you love. I have a family – mother, father and a brother. They must be very worried and might even think they lost me, as I suddenly was gone from the city and now I'm here. I wish I could find out how exactly I got here…"

Sherry lifted her head up and saw Jason staring at her. She knew he was just curious, but couldn't help blushing.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" she began "With all the recent happenings I totally forgot to tell you my name. I know yours and you don't know mine, it's unfair, don't you think?" Sherry laughed "So then, my name is Sherry. Now we know each other."

Jason just nodded in response, but deep inside he was happy that the girl, Sherry, obviously trusted him. Now it was up to him to learn to trust her. He wanted to know more about her, but as the time passes, she would definitely tell more. If everything goes on like now, there were high chances to build up a strong friendship.

Sherry was going to say something, but before it could happen, suddenly a male voice echoed through the forest, screaming out one word:

"Sherry!!"