\
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
STALKED
“Holy Shit!” Shawn exclaimed, jumping back and nearly running into Julius and Morgana when Lilleth Nague's body landed on the ground in front of him.
“It's too late!” Morgana screamed. “The evil's here.” Julius pulled her closer to him, protectively.
Marshack pulled his pistol from its holster and held it at ready. “Everyone stay together, and try not to panic. I suggest we all calmly make our way inside the cabin.”
“If I may be so bold, officer, I believe that course of action would be a most tragic tactical error.” Rashid said, moving up to him.
“Excuse me?” Marshack asked, as he scanned the woods with his eyes looking for any movement.
“These cabins are in such disrepair that I doubt that they would provide us any protection if Mr. Raman chose to play his hand.” Rashid told him.
“Then what the hell do you suggest we do besides standing here like targets in a shooting gallery?”Marshack said, still watching the woods.
“Though it isn't the safest course of action, I suggest we get these people to their vehicles and away from the danger area.”
“But isn't that what Phil would want us to do?” Ryan asked, surprised, from beside Micki, whose expression showed she was in accord with him.
“Exactly, and our knowing this is to our advantage.” Rashid said.
“How so?” Micki asked, now looking totally confused.
“Excuse, me.” Carol Martinez said, coming up to them. “What the hell's going on here? Is this some kind of a joke?”
“My god.” Shawn said, in disbelief, now leaning against the wall beside the entrance of the cabin, “Are you fucking ignorant? The truth is laying on the ground in front of your face. Take a fucking look for yourself.” He glanced over at the split face of Lilleth Nague, which was looking up at him.
“Stuff like this just doesn't happen in reality.” Carol shot back at him.
“ What fucking world have you been living in?” Shawn said, amazed.
“Young lady, I can assuredly tell you that this situation is not some sort of deception.” Rashid informed her.“This is a life and death situation, and unless you wish to find yourself as a casualty I would suggest you take this situation seriously.”
Then, before Carol could open her mouth to comment, Rashid turned back to Officer Marshack. “Officer, I would suggest we decide a course of action swiftly before Mr. Raman decides to take further action of his own.”
“We'll do this your way,” Marshack told him, “but it'll be on your head if this is a mistake.”
Marshack looked over at Julius and Morgana. “Mam, will you be able to travel?”
“I can make it.” Morgana said, but she still looked weak and was holding onto Julius for support.
“I'll take care of her.” Julius assured him.
Then Marshack looked around at Rashid and the others. “Stay together and follow behind me in a straight line. If something happens the only thing I can suggest is all of you scatter and hope for the best.”
“Oh
boy, that makes me feel confident.” Shawn commented.
Then
Marshack, his gun still out and ready, started down the trail between
the cabins. The others followed, even Carol, though reluctantly.
“We're fucked.” Shawn said to no one in particular.
“I second ya on dat one, man.” Jamal said, from beside him.
Phil watched hungrily from the cover of the darken forest as the procession of his future victims headed between the cabins. All he wanted to do at that moment was charge and start slashing them down, but Lewis had other ideas.
“Oh, my friend, I can sense that you are anxious to spill blood, but a true artist knows how to relish the act and build the terror of the prey.” Lewis told him, as he paced in front of Phil. “Believe me when I say you'll thank me when we are finished.”
It was at times like this Phil wished he could move his mouth enough to say something, but he knew any kind of resistance would only get him a dose of the mind numbing pain Lewis had treated him to in the alleyway earlier. So, all he could do at this point is wait and watch.
The logs in the fire pit, from the séance earlier, were still aglow, giving Marshack and the others some faint illumination as they entered the clearing behind the cabins where the hearse and the van were parked.
“You know we're really screwed people.” Shawn said to no one in particular. “I've seen enough of those Blood Camp movies to know either this dude's fucked up the cars or we're going to find some dead bodies in the front seats.”
“This isn't a movie.” Ryan pointed out.
“No, and according to you people all this is all perfectly reasonable.” Carol said sarcastically.
“We never said that.” Micki said, in an annoyed tone. “But facts are facts. You saw that woman's dead body. Isn't that proof enough that there's some sort of a psycho out there in the woods?”
Carol looked at Micki defiantly. “For all I could tell that body could've been a very creative dummy that you guys made to put a scare into us.”
“And why the hell would we go to all that trouble?” Ryan asked in total amazement.
“It's perfectly obvious.” Carol told him. “To maintain the legend of Jason Voorhees. This town is making a hell of a lot of money off the tourist trade. If my documentary was to expose how ludicrous this whole thing is, and put some doubt in people's minds, all that money would be in jeopardy. I think that's reason enough.”
“Excuse me, chief.” Shawn said, trying to sound calm and reasonable. “I was the one who nearly had that thing land on me and I can say for sure that that body was the real thing.”
“Fine,” She went on, “but how do we know the killer is out in the woods?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”Shawn asked.
“Think about it.” Carol said. “Isn't it rather convenient that they arrived when they did?”
“Excuse me,” `Micki said, incensed, “but you're a total nut case.”
“Though I find your theory is very creative, young lady,” Rashid said, “if we were so desperate that we would commit such a vicious act as murder why not save ourselves the drama of putting on such a charade and simply kill all of you outright and say it was the curse of Jason Voorhees?”
“Because it'd be better P.R. for you to make believers out of us.” Carol told them.
“Hey, you got one here.” Shawn said, hold up his hand. “Can we go home now?”
“You can count me in dat, man.” Jamal said, holding his hand up too.
“Will all of you please shut up.” Marshack said, annoyed. “With all your yammering that asshole out there could find us from a mile away.”
“I don't believe that is an issue, officer.” Rashid told him.“The fact is that Mr. Raman knows exactly where we are and what we are doing.”
“Perfect.” Shawn commented, shaking his head.
“Indeed it is, young man.” Rashid said. “Our knowledge of this can be used to our advantage.”
“How do you see it that way?” Marshack asked, looking at Rashid with a confused look on his face.
“It is to our advantage because our knowledge of this will prevent Mr. Raman from taking us by surprise.” Rashid informed him.
“Great.” Shawn commented, though his tone was less than enthusiastic. “Bravo for our side.”
Phil was still forced to simply watch Marshack and the others as they made there way to the vehicles. Lewis had had him cautiously make his way to a new hiding place behind a large oak ,just beyond the clearing behind the cabins, so that he'd be ready when the time came for the slaughter to begin. Though Phil knew what Lewis had in mind it was hard for him wait for him to give the signal to attack. His hunger for death had become strong and wanted satisfaction, but his fear of Lewis was stronger. So all he could do is continue to let his hunger fester and hope that the wait wouldn't be that much longer.
“I really hate to be right.” Shawn said, looking down at the slashed tires of the van.
“He got our hearse too.” Julius said, from beside the hearse, which was a few feet away.
“Well, what other great ideas have you got, professor?” Marshack said to Rashid sarcastically.
“Though our present situation is complicated by this discovery it does not change the fact that we must get these people away from this camp, and with all swiftness.” Rashid informed him.
“And how do you suggest we do that?” Marshack asked. “It would be like leading lambs to the slaughter if we tried taking these people into those woods.”
“I assure you it will be far worse if we don't. This camp is the heart of the evil that has cursed these woods. More death in this place will only strengthen that evil and bring it that much closer to it's goal.”
“My god, will you people listen to yourselves.” Carol said in frustration. “It would be almost laughable if it wasn't you sound so sincere.”
“This is no laughing matter, young woman.” Rashid told her.
“Don't waste your breath, Rashid.” Micki told him. “That one won't listen. She's totally deluded.”
An almost injured look crossed Carol Martinez's face. “I'm deluded?” she said in amazement. “You're the ones who are talking about the big nasty evil.”
“Chief, why don't you just shut the fuck up.” Shawn said, partial out of frustration and partially out of fear. “Either try to help us or back off, because I for one don't want to hear anymore of your bullshit!”
“My bullshit!” she said. “You're the one who keeps comparing all this to one of those damned Blood Camp films and you have the fucking nerve to talk about me.”
Thoroughly enraged, she headed over to the driver's side door of the van. “And what are we going to find in here?” she said sarcastically, grabbing onto the handle of the door. “If Shawn and the rest of you are right,” she said, “when I open this door a gnarly dead body will fall out. Let's see.”
“No!” Shawn screamed at her.
Then, she quickly flung open the door. Nothing fell out. Then she dramatically looked into the cab at the empty front seat and laughed. “You see....You see.” she said triumphantly.“I was right, it's all a load of crap.”
Then an object came flying out of the woods and hit the side of the van with a sickening thump and a cracking sound. It rolled to a stop at Carol's feet.
Looking down, Carol Martinez let out a hysterical scream and jumped away.
Looking up at her, was the decapitated head of Bessie Nague. The impact with the side of the van had knocked the tent spike so deeply into her nose that the point of it had broke through the back of her head.