A/N: As with chapter one, I present this for now, unedited. All mistakes are mine.
Enjoy..
As John walked towards his room, far down the road a car was making its way down the highway. Inside the radio was blaring, quite loudly as if to keep the driver awake. The girl in the passenger seat was flicking pages on an e-reader, using the roof light to see what she was doing. The man driving reached for the radio controls, and blindly adjusted the volume down to keep his eyes on the dark and dimly lit road.
As he pulled his hand back and placed it on the steering wheel, the car began making a clunking sound. He lifted his hands off the wheel and looked around dashboard in front of him – as if he could suddenly see through to the engine bay. As he slowed, the engine gave one last clunk, and ground to a halt.
"What's up, Dave?" The girl asked, lowering the e-reader into her lap, and looking around the outside of the car.
"I'm not entirely sure." Dave replied as he pulled the steering wheel and angled the car onto the side of the road. The car slowed to a stop, and Dave pulled the handbrake on - more out of habit than actually needing to.
Dave pushed the door open, and stepped out, grabbing his keys from the ignition and pulling the switch to pop the hood as he did. "Wait here. I'll check it out." Dave said and disappeared behind the door before the girl could reply. She watched him through the windshield until he lifted the hood and disappeared behind it. All she could see was a small light between the windshield and the hood that would move around quickly.
Within a few seconds, the light went out, and Dave called out "Julia!"
He was at the door, before she could reply back, and leaned in through the open window "Pass us the torch from the glove compartment Hon." Dave asked, stretching out his hand as Julia opened the compartment. She rummaged under some papers before her hand struck the rounded cylinder of the torch. Grasping it she pulled it free and passed it over to Dave who took it and disappeared behind the hood of the car once more.
Julia sat looking around nervously while she was waiting for Dave to fix the engine. She placed her hands in her lap gripping them together. As she did she noticed the light move back around the side of the vehicle and turned her head towards Dave's door. He pulled the door open, and sat back inside the car putting the torch down on the seat and rubbing his hands furiously to combat the coldness that was numbing his fingers.
"So, what's the deal?" Julia asked holding her hands together between her knees and trying to stay behind Dave's body to stop the breeze that he had just let inside the car from making her cold.
"Looks like the cambelt" Dave replied "Though I can't be sure in this light. We're going to have to call triple A. Do you have your cellphone on you?"
Julia leant down to the floor of the car by her feet and did a quick ruffle through her bag. Her hands rummaged past some papers and then some make-up before finding her cellphone. She grabbed it and sitting back up in the seat pushed the button to enable the screen and unlocked it. As it opened to the home screen the battery indicator flashed a menacing red. Julie looked at the percentage: 3%
"Low battery" She told him as she turned the screen around to show him. "What about yours?"
Dave shrugged. "Didn't bring it." He told her "I decided office stuff could wait till Monday, and I didn't want to chance it." Dave looked around the car, and then wound the window up on his side, stepping out after he had finished.
"Looks as though we're walking then" Dave announced as he pushed the door shut from outside and walked to the front of the car. He slammed the hood back down; pushing on it to make sure that it clicked shut properly and moved around to Julia's door. Pulling it open Julia looked uncertain "You mean, now?" She asked looking around cautiously as she got out.
"The sooner we start, the sooner we'll get somewhere." Dave told her as he pushed the door shut. Pulling the keys from his pocket, he pushed a button on the keyring. There was a click and a quiet beep as the car doors locked. Dave turned to Julia and put his arm around her shoulder.
"So which way?" he asked, turning his head to look at her as she looked back and forth down what looked like a darkening road.
"Well, we may as well head the way we were going." Julia said still a little uncertain of walking. "We didn't see anything the other way for a good three or four kilometres."
"Onwards it is." Dave told her, turning Julia in the direction as they began to walk down the road. They only walked a few paces before Julia spotted it. An old sign tucked almost out of sight behind some bushes.
"What's that?" She exclaimed pointing in the direction of the half hidden sign.
Dave's eyes squinted as they walked; trying to read what was inscribed into the sign but couldn't quite make it out. "I don't know." He replied hesitantly "It looks like some sort of hiking trail, or maybe a camp?"
The sign became clearer as they neared it, and Julia could make out the part that wasn't hidden beneath the undergrowth. "Camp C-R-Y" she said spelling out the last part in an attempt to guess what it might be. They came up closer to the sign. Dave pulled his arm away from Julia and walked up to it, stepping past the undergrowth and pushed it away from the sign. He could see that it was old wood. No-one had taken care of it in years, but he mentally put it down to lack of funds and read the rest of the inscription that was now showing clearly.
Camp Crystal Lake.
Dave walked back out of the undergrowth by the sign. Brushing himself down, he moved back beside Julia. "Well, I said we wouldn't have to go far" He told her smiling confidently.
She looked nervously back at him "I don't know, Dave." She replied as she looked down the overgrown road towards where the sign was pointing. "It doesn't exactly look like anyone's here."
Dave reached for her hand as he started slowly moving down the path "I'm sure it's fine. It's late, everyone's probably just asleep. C'mon, let's go."
Julia moved hesitantly towards Dave's hand, and took it. Dave pulled her in and put his arm across her neck as he led her down the path.
"I've never even heard of a camp site in this area." Julia said still a little apprehensive about going down the overgrown path. "Don't you think that's a little strange?" she finished.
Dave didn't appear to concerned "it's fine" he replied sounded confident as they walked "It's probably just some kind of local school thing. You know somewhere where the kids go for summer. Nothing to worry about."
"I don't know. There's something about this place that doesn't feel right." Julia replied back as they walked into the dark road. She could feel the hairs on her neck begin to stand up with each step that brought them closer to the camp.
As Dave and Julia walked into the camp it was obvious to them that it was most likely deserted. The wooden buildings were half rotted, and children's play equipment lay rusting around the side of one of the cabins.
They walked across to the nearest cabin. Julia grabbed tightly on to Dave as they walked and continually looking behind as if they were being followed. The two stepped onto the ramshackle porch, the wood creaked beneath their footsteps as they stepped towards the door. Dave knocked.
The door swung open, making a loud creaking sound as it did so. Dave let go of Julia and cautiously poked his head in the door. Seeing nothing Dave turned back to Julia "Wait here a minute." He asked her "I'm just going to have a look around." He finished turning back into the empty room.
"Dave, Wait. What if we aren't the only ones here?" Julia asked looking more frightened, her eyes scanning the shadows for movement.
"It will be fine" Dave replied holding up his hand to re-assure her, which didn't really help. "I'll be back in a minute" he finished as he wandered into the next room.
Julia stood outside the cabin, arms folded across her chest, and her jacket pulled around her as she waited for Dave. She scanned the darkness around the cabin looking for movement, or any signs of someone being here. Nothing.
Even so, Julia decided it was probably better to be in the cabin. At least she could block the door she thought to herself and made a move inside. Julia pushed the door shut as she entered the cabin and it clicked shut as the aged lock slipped into the frame. She walked over to the window and, pushing aside the tattered curtain, she looked out onto the driveway they had walked down.
Julia squinted as she looked out the window. A figure caught her eye. Just as she was thinking that she imagined it, the figure moved, disappearing behind a tree. Julia stepped back and let out a involuntary yelp as she brought her hands up to her mouth in surprise. She turned as she heard footsteps behind her, just in time to see Dave rushing in carrying what looked to her like a saucepan.
"Where did you get that?" She asked a little confused. Dave lowered the pan to his side "There's a kitchen back there." He said as he walked across the room "What was the yelling about?" he asked as he neared her.
"It wasn't yelling, just a surprised startle." Julia said indignantly looking a little annoyed but continuing "Outside. There was someone there." As she said it, Dave turned and walked to the window. Looking out he saw nothing except the wind in the trees.
"There's nothing there." He told her turning back to face her "Are you sure?" he asked.
Julia looked on sternly, annoyed that he didn't believe her. "Yes, would you just check again?" she asked sounding more annoyed with each word.
Dave shrugged and went out through the door. Outside, he looked around he saw nothing. No people, no cars, just the wind rustling through the trees. Julia walked closer to the window as he went outside trying to see if he had found anything. As she approached a figure jumped in front of the window and she jumped backwards, almost falling backwards in surprise. She righted herself and looked back towards the window to see Dave standing there smiling and looking pleased with himself for frightening her. Julia shook her head in distaste.
"I couldn't resist." Dave called through the window "Look there's nothing out here. I'm sur…" Dave didn't even finish his sentence as the sound of footsteps on the porch made him turn around. Standing on the porch was a tall figure dressed in what appeared to old style clothing and was all ragged and tatty. In his right hand, Dave noticed a machete hanging down beside his leg.
Dave began to step away from the figure, but before he could make more than a step, the figure swung the machete. The force of the blow swept straight through Dave's neck and made his head bounce off the window as Julia turned and ran into the kitchen area screaming.
Jason turned and walked towards the door. He pushed out with his free hand as he reached the door. It stuck. Jason hit it again harder, and the lock snapped clear of the doorframe. Jason stepped into the room. He turned his head towards the kitchen, then the rest of his body as he began walking.
As Jason entered the kitchen Julia smacked him in the face with an old cast iron skillet she had found on the bench. Jasons body remained stationary while his head bent backwards from the hit. He recovered quickly, and snapped his neck back into position. Jason turned towards the attack and saw Julia standing there. She had dropped the skillet from the reverberations of the hit, and was now standing there with nothing. Jason jutted his machete hand forward and the tip of the blade made contact with her abdomen, sliding in deeper as Jason turned towards her. She tried to scream, but the pain had taken her breath. Jason pulled the machete from her abdomen and grabbed her round the throat, compressing her airway. He lifted her from the ground and marched her forward into the wall until an old utensil rack pierced into her back. Jason released his grip and Julia drooped down against the wall. Jason tilted his head to the side as if trying to see whether she would get up, then turned back towards the door. The cabin creaked as Jason's heavy footprints walked through it. He walked out into the grounds and into the woods, disappearing into the bushes.