Friday the 25th : Chapter One
The demented Santa Clause mannequin sitting in the center of Vera's Fashions and Gifts stared blankly out at the crowds that filled the store's aisles. It was Christmas Eve, and hordes of patrons were hoping to snag those last minute Christmas deals, although most of the merchandise had already been picked clean. Margaret Addison, the last cashier on duty that evening, sat gloomily at her position behind the cash register. She was a relatively short woman, with a lanky build and a mound of curly red hair.
"Two minutes until eleven." she sighed, glancing at her watch. "Attention shoppers, Vera's Fashions and Gifts is closing in two minutes. Please bring your purchases to the front of the store," she announced into the telephone beside her. Her voice filtered over the loudspeaker, echoing off the store's festively decorated walls.
However, the shoppers were either not paying attention or simply didn't care. They continued to stroll down aisles at their own leisurely pace, grabbing whatever they could off the racks.
Margaret's face slowly turned into a scowl. She was tired, hungry, and annoyed. It was Christmas Eve, and she wanted to go home. "Either you bring your purchases to the front of the store right now, or you're all getting locked in tonight," she growled, slamming the phone back down. Luckily, the owner and manager had gone home for the evening, saving her from a strict lecture and slap on the wrist.
"Now that's no way to talk to the customers. It'd be a shame if Mr. Wilson found out," smiled a somewhat plump blonde man who had approached the counter. He was dressed in a maintenance uniform and toting a disgustingly murky mop and bucket. His nametag read William Singleton. Leaning over the register, he placed a brief kiss on Margaret's lips, lingering for a second before pulling away.
"If he does, I'll have to file sexual harassment charges," Margaret smiled, seemingly cheered up by William's presence. "So, do you want to come over to my place tonight?"
"Sorry, Margie. I'm driving home for the holydays. My parents are expecting me tomorrow morning," William said sincerely.
"Oh," Margaret sighed, not bothering to try and mask her disappointment, "I guess I'll be spending Christmas alone again."
"Why don't you come with me? It's about time my family met my fiancée," Will smiled, having been forced into the offer by his own culpability
"I don't know. I don't want to impose," Margaret replied, milking as much guilt out of the man as she could.
"You know you can't impose on me. I just have to stop and pick up my cousins, and then we'll all drive up to my folks' house together."
"Oh, alright," Margaret smiled, leaning over and kissing him again.
"Excuse me! We're waiting," huffed a tiny old woman who was at the front of the line of customers that had formed behind William. Apparently, Margaret's warning had gotten through to them.
"Excuse me, ma'am….I'll meet you in the parking lot in a few minutes, Will. Just let me finish up with these customers."
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"Mind if I smoke?" Margaret asked, lighting a cigarette without waiting for a response. She was crammed in the passenger seat of Will's rickety old car, which was driving down the highway at least four miles above the speed limit. Snow had begun to pour down from the dark sky, almost completely obscuring William's vision.
Will's cousins, Danielle and Nicolas Urban, were squeezed in the backseat. The two were twins in every sense of the word, with the same long face and protruding nose. Their hair was dark and stringy, and they both seemed to be terribly allergic to Margaret, as they hadn't stopped sneezing since they got into the vehicle.
"I don't mind," Danielle and Nicolas said, almost in complete unison. However, they rather despised second-hand smoke and wished Margaret would stop.
"I mind," Will said. "You keep puffing in my face."
"Oh, shut up. You think it's sexy," Margaret smiled, blowing a deluge of smoke from between her teeth.
William coughed, rolling down the window, "You can't do this at my parents' house. They'll kick you out."
"Oh fine, I'll get rid of it," Margie sighed, rolling down her own window and tossing out what was left of her cigarette. The car was now speeding down a heavily wooded section of road, its headlights barely able to break the ethereal darkness that seemed to engulf the automobile and its passengers.
"We're near Camp Crystal Lake," Nicolas noted, looking out the window.
"Do we have to talk about that?" William asked, slightly groaning.
"Talk about what?" Margaret asked, quite interested.
"Back in the eighties, a bunch of kids were killed around here. One of the killers was never caught…He's supposed to still be out there, waiting," Danielle said, trying to sound sinister, but the effect was ruined when she sneezed in the middle of her sentence.
"Spooky," Margaret bit her lip, looking out the window. A figure stood in the distance, on the side of the road. However, it was much too dark to make out any defining features other than a human silhouette. "Hey, pull over. It's a hitchhiker."
"Are you nuts? I'm not picking up a hitchhiker," William protested, speeding up slightly.
"We can't just leave them standing out here in this weather. How would you feel if that was you? Besides, they look like they're just a teenager," Margaret frowned.
"I'm not pulling over," Will retorted, shaking his head.
"Why? Afraid it's the Camp Crystal Lake Killer?" Marge teased.
"No."
"Then pull over."
"Fine! Just get off my back," William shouted, pulling over to the side of the road. He hadn't even realized exactly what he was doing, but now it was too late. He wanted to drive away, but the stranger was already climbing into the backseat.
"Hey. Thanks for pulling over. My car broke down, down the road. I was afraid I was going to freeze to death." smiled a pretty blonde teenager. She was bundled up in a snow cap and overly puffy jacket. "I tried to walk, but it's impossible to get anywhere in this snow. My name's Kelli, by the way."
"Hey, Kelli." Margaret smiled warmly, looking back at the newcomer, away from whom Danielle was trying to inch. "I'm Margaret. This is Will, Danielle, and Nick."
Kelli smiled brightly and greeted each passenger, although Margaret seemed to be the only one to welcome her presence.
"So, Kelli, where are you headed?" Will asked, starting back down the road.
"Just into town," the girl replied, looking out the window.
"Going home for Christmas?" Margaret asked, taking out another cigarette.
"I guess you could say that," Kelli shrugged.
"Mysterious. You wouldn't happen to be the Camp Crystal Lake Killer, would you?" Margie chuckled, lighting up.
"I just might be," Kelli smiled, winking. Suddenly, someone ran across the road, directly in front of the car.
"Shit," William yelled, pulling the steering wheel as the automobile swerved off the empty highway. Margaret screamed as the vehicle lost control. Within seconds, the world faded away, as the darkness seemed to pull the tumbling vehicle and its unfortunate prisoners into the foreboding forest.
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I hope you enjoyed Chapter 1. Keep an eye out for Chapter 2! Hopefully, the entire story will be out before Christmas.