CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

COMMAND PERFORMANCE

Phil tried to pull the machete out of Deputy Marlin's back, but he found that it was stuck. How the hell could Jason do this? He wondered.

A gurgling sound came from the deputy's lips as he dropped to his knees revealing Phil standing behind him.

Quickly, Phil grabbed Deputy Marlin's gun out of his holster. Then he let go of the handle of the machete, which appeared to be the only thing holding Marlin up because he immediately fell over.

Phill looked at Steven Freeman and the others and smiled. “Surprised?” he asked, looking around at the shocked expressions on their faces. “Oh no, you'd never think that good old, friendly, reliable, Phil would do something like this. No way in hell.”

“My go, Phil, have you gone insane?” Steven Freeman exclaimed, shocked.

“Actually, I feel more sane than I have all my life. I feel released.” he told him.

“Ryan, he has the mask.” Rashid said. “I can sense it on him.”

Phil patted his coat. “Oh, yes, I do believe you're right.”

“Phil, you don't understand what'll happen to you if you put on that mask.” Freeman said.

“Listen to Ryan...I mean Steven. It is unwise for you to keep possession of that mask. Its evil will consume you and the only possible outcome will be your death.”

Why must we sit here and listen to these fool's drivel? The voice asked. Let's just get out of here.

“I'm enjoying myself.” Phil said to the voice, this time not speaking under his breath. “This voice in my head is so pushy.” he told the others, tapping his head.

Phil enjoyed the look of confusion Freeman and the others were giving him.

“Listen to me.” Freeman said. “I'm your friend. I'd never try to steer you wrong. Don't listen to that thing in your head. It doesn't care about you. All it wants is for you to become Jason's puppet.”

This enraged Phil. “I'm no ones fucking puppet. Not Jason's and definitely not Doctor Bob's. I'll show you. I'll show all you you who thought I was just Doctor Bob's bumbling assistant. Oh, yeah, Phil doesn't have the stuff to be a doctor, atleast not one that deals with actual living people. Oh, no. He gets stuck having to live in the shadow of a hick town coroner. Oh, and, by the way, he is so dickless that even the town tramp won't have anything to do with him. Well, actually that's changed. I've shown her the error of her ways. Not that there was much left of her after I finished having my fun.”

Are you done yet? The voice said, impatiently. Or I'm I going have to listen to more of this.

Phil let out his breath and calmed himself. “Oh, yeah, I feel better now.”

So can we leave now? The voice asked, sounding bored.

“Yeah, I guess.” Phil said. “But I need to get something from my dear friend here.” He indicated the deputy's body, which was lying face down on the floor in front of him.

Cautiously, while keeping his eyes and gun trained on the people in front of him, he felt around on the deputy's gun belt. Finally, he found what he was looking for, Marlin's key ring.

He was just unhooking the key ring when a bloody hand clasp down on his.

“What the fuck!” Phil exclaimed as the deputy shifted on his side and glared up at him. Bloody drool was dribbling from Ed Marlin's lips.

At that moment Freeman tried to make a move toward him, but Phil immediately pointed the gun at him and shook his head. “I wouldn't try that, Steven.”

Then Phil glanced down at the deputy. “You still alive down there, Ed?”

Phil tried to pull his hand free but the deputy held on.

“Well, we can't have that.” he said, pointing the gun at Marlin's head and pulling the trigger. The back of Ed Marlin's head exploded sending red and pink shrapnal splattering onto the floor.

Micki screamed and grabbed ahold of her cousin's arm.

Then Phil pulled himself free of the dead deputy's grip. He cringed at the sight of what he'd done. “Ehew, what a mess.”

“You sick fuck!” Freeman exclaimed, trying to go after him, but Micki held him back.

“Hold back your anger, Ryan.” Rashid said. “Agressive action will only lead to one of us getting hurt or killed.”

“I'd listen to your wise old friend here, Ryan.” Phil said, sarcastically. “Oh, and you know sometime you're gonna have to tell me why the old man calls you Ryan. But for now I have to say goodby.” Then Phil started backing toward the door.

Sheriff Lloyd Landis had just walked into his office and was about to pour himself a cup of day old coffee when he heard a gunshot.

Immediately he rushed into the hall and nearly ran into the blond female deputy from the front desk.

“Where in the name of Sam Hill did that come from?” he asked, partially to himself.

“It must be from the back.” the slim figured deputy, he now recalled was named Kelly Campbell, told him. “That assistant guy from the coroner's office came through here after you left with Steven Freeman and a couple other people.”

“And you didn't ask what their business was?” he asked, surprised at her.

“I'm sorry, Sheriff, I was on the phone at the time and, anyway, I thought it was proceedure to let Doctor Bob and his assistant in.”

The sheriff gave her a stern look. “That doesn't include them bringing guests, young lady.” Then he motioned for her to follow him “ And I can guess where they went.”

Cautiously they made their way down the empty hall toward the back of the building, where the evidence room was located. Landis had his hand on the butt of his gun, ready to pull it at a moments notice.

“Who's watching things back here?” Landis asked.

“I think it's Ed Marlin.” She said, in a half whisper.

Finally they reached the abandoned desk to the side of the door to the evidence room. Landis pulled his gun and held it in the ready position. Deputy Campbell mirrored him by pulling her gun as well.

“Why the fuck would he let them in there?” he asked, looking over at the door. “I specifically said I didn't want anyone in there without my authorization.”

Deputy Campbell opened her mouth to answer, but was stopped by the sound of a key opening the door.

Phil had lucked out and was finally able to get the key in the keyhole. It had taken him a few moments because he had to do it while he was keep Freeman and the others at bay with the gun.

After turning the key, he felt around and grasp the door knob. Turning it he slowly opened the door and backed out of it. “Stay back, you fucking freaks!” he yelled as he headed out the door. “I'll fire!”

Suddenly he felt the cold touch of a steel gun barrow to his temple.

“Now you be smart and put that thing down.” he heard the voice of Sheriff Landis say from beside him.

“Oh, thank go it's you, sheriff.” Phil said. “You got to let me close the door. They're crazy in there. I thought I was going to die.”

Suddenly there was yelling coming from inside the evidence room. “No...no don't listen to him!” was the only thing that could be made out.

“Please, Sheriff!” Phil demanded, excitedly.

“Ok.” The sheriff said, though he kept the gun at Phil's head. “But then you drop the gun and the keys and put your hands behind your head.”

“Fine.” Phil said as he quickly closed the metal door and locked it. Then, as instructed he dropped both the gun and the keys and cautiously put his hands behind his head.

Sheriff Landis locked a handcuff on Phil's left wrist and brought it down and behind his back. Then Deputy Campbell took his other hand and manuvered it behind his back and locked it in the other handcuff.

Landis lowered his gun and turned Phil toward him. “Now, boy, you better tell me what the fuck is going on and what's happened to my deputy.”

“Oh my god.” Phil said, and managed to surprise himself by forcing some tears into his eyes. “Oh my god, I thought I was going to die in there. They forced me to help them. Their crazy. They killed Doctor Bob and Lupe. They made me forge Doctor Bob's signature and yours on papers that allowed them to go through the stuff from the murders.” Phil made himself sound frantic.

“Ok.” Landis said. “Now, calm down and tell me what happened to my deputy.”

Phil started shaking.Now for a command performance. He thought. “They killed Ed. He got suspicious when they started going through some of the older boxes looking for some freaky looking book from the Voorhees house. So, Steven used Jason's old machete and stabbed him with it. But he was still alive so they used his own gun to blow his head off. They were so distracted by watching this that I saw my chance and tackled Steven and got the gun away from him.”

“So you convieniently managed to get the gun away from Freeman and the girl and make your escape.” The sheriff said, shaking his head.

“And there was the other one.” Phil said, looking terrified. “He was the one who was controlling things.”

“Excuse me?”Landis said, a slight indication of surprise in his voice.

“Yeah, there was three of them besides Phil.” Deputy Campbell told him. “He was a short foreign looking guy. He sort of looked like one of those guys from the old mummy movies. You know, the ones with the red hats and tassles.”

“Yeah...yeah, he said he needed the book and the mask to bring Jason back.” Phil interjected excitedly.

“That fucking mask.” Landis said in frustration “I should've had Cort torch that damned thing.”

Landis looked over at Deputy Campbell. “Take him to the front and take his statement.”

“Uh,... Sheriff.” Phil said, indicating his cuffed hands.

“Let me think about that.” Landis said and motioned for Campbell to proceed.

“But wait a minute, Sheriff. I told you I was forced to help them.” Phil said in a panicked tone.

“Yeah, that's what you said, but they might say something different.” Landis told him.

Ryan looked at the door Phil had just escaped out of and thought about giving it a swift kick.

Rashid must've sensed Ryan's mood. “I understand your frustration, my friend, but we must now devote our energies into trying to evaluate our situation. I have little doubt that soon the sheriff will be coming through that door followed by his deputies.Therefore, we must be ready and try to keep the outcome from becoming unfortunate.”

Ryan shook his head and turned away from the door. “Why is it that we always end up in situations like this. I can just imagine the crap Phil's telling them out there. We'll be lucky if the sheriff doesn't come in with guns blazing.”

“The sheriff may be a hardass, but I don't think he's as bad as that.” Micki said.

Then the phone on the wall started ringing, startling all three of them.

“Ryan, I would suggest you answer that since you are the one who is more aquainted with the sheriff.” Rashid said.

Reluctantly, Ryan went to the phone and picked up the reciever. “Hello.”

“Is that you, Steven?” asked the familiar voice of Sheriff Lloyd Landis.

“Yeah, it's me.” Ryan said simply.

“What in the name of hell is going on, Steven? I just left Doctor Bob and that Mexican receptionist of his. They were gutted and fucked up to all hell. That rat faced flunky of Bob's says that you and your cousin and that foreign guy you got in there with you did that to them.”

“That's a fucking lie.” Ryan told him, totally shocked by what the sheriff just told him. “Oh my god, he killed Bob. We asked him to ask Bob to get permission from you to take a look at a book you guys took from the Voorhees house. We've come up with information that that was the book Pamela and her brother used to bring Jason back from the dead. We figured it might hold a clue to how to deal with the present situation with the mask.”

“More of that supernatural shit.” Landis said in frustration.

“Lloyd, you've got to stop Phil. He has the mask with him....” Ryan started to tell him, but he was cut off by the sheriff.

“Now wait a minute, he said you have the mask. He also said something crazy about you using the mask and that book you mentioned to bring back Jason.” The sheriff told him.

“Damnit, Lloyd, I told you Phil has the mask. You've got to get it away from him before he puts it on.” Ryan told him excitedly.

“Now hold onto your panties. My deputy has him cuffed and is right now taking his statement. He's not going to be putting on anything or doing anything other than what i tell him until I get the the bottom of this. And neither are you or your buddies in there. So don't try any funny stuff. You got that, Steven?”

“I got it, sheriff.” Ryan answered. “Just please go and check him over. I swear he has the mask.”

“Fine...fine. I'll do it.But you'd better not be playing games with me.” Landis said before he hung up.

“Campbell, I called you.” Sheriff Landis said as he headed up the hall toward the front desk. “What's going on up there? Is he giving you any problems?”

Upon entering the entry hall Landis saw what was wrong. Phil had escaped. He'd left Deputy Kelly Campbell sitting at her desk, very much dead. She'd been stabbed through the eye with the mail spear from her desk, with the letters still attached.

Phil had left a note written in the blood that was still dribbling from Campbell's eye and left it on the chair next to her with the abandoned handcuffs and key. On the note was simply the words JASON LIVES.

RETURN