Friday the 25th: Finale
Margaret fell forward and landed on her knees, staring blankly at the red water. Kelli was screaming at her, but her ears seemed to have decided to stop working. All she could hear was the cracking of the ice and Will's final scream, playing over and over in her mind like a broken record. However, she was shaken back into reality by Kelli's firm hands grabbing her shoulders.
"Come on," Kelli yelled, dragging the redhead to her feet. "We have to run." Kelly tugged her, running desperately across the snowy ground.
"He's gone…Gone…" Margaret found herself unable to tear her eyes away from Will's watery tomb. The monster was now clawing his way out of the water, his rugged arms tearing their way through the ice as he dragged himself onto the shore.
Kelli looked over her shoulder, still pulling Margaret along with her. She sprinted through the snow, heading for the clearing in the trees that hopefully led to the road.
"He's coming for us now…We're going to die," Margaret whispered, her voice emotionless and robotic.
"Don't say that. Just run," Kelli snapped, peeking over her shoulder once more. The psychopath was behind them, walking slowly and methodically after them. An old machete gleamed in his right hand, its rusted blade catching a ray of morning sunlight.
"I can't run anymore," Margaret was breathing heavily, barely able to keep her legs moving. "I can't."
"You have to, or I'm leaving you behind," Kelli yelled at her, although she could feel her own legs gradually giving up on her. Suddenly, Margaret yelped, tripping forward and landing on her knees.
Kelli kept dragged herself forward, having decided to leave her behind. However, seconds later, her conscious unfortunately decided to kick in.
"Come on, get up," Kelli yelled, turning around and jogging over to help Margaret back up. She glanced up at the lake, which was now deathly silent and still. The maniac had disappeared from behind them, leaving nothing behind but footprints in the snow.
"Is he still coming?" Margaret asked, trying to balance herself on Kelli's shoulder.
"I don't know. He's gone. Come on. Let's keep moving," Kelli looked around, peering into the trees.
"Can we rest for a little while? Please?" Margaret begged.
"No. We don't know where he is. We're almost at the road."
"What if we get there, and he's waiting for us?"
"It'll be fine. We'll flag a car down. Now, move," Kelli demanded, dragging the other girl by the hand. The silence was beginning to unsettle her.
"There won't be any cars around this early in the morning," Margaret shivered. "We're going to die out here in the cold."
"No, we're not. Now, shut up."
"You can't make me."
"I can leave you out here and go off on my own, remember?" Kelli asked, shooting her an angry glare. After only one night with Marge, she already hated her attitudes.
"I'm sorry," Margaret said softly. "But you can't expect me to be optimistic right now."
"That's why I'm telling you to shut up."
"Fine," Margaret said, closing her eyes. She trudged along, her legs barely able to move.
Kelli sighed, finally relaxing a little. She could see the road up ahead, and felt a ping of relief that it had already been plowed. "We're almost out of this….God, what a way to spend Christmas."
"Nobody will believe us….What will we tell them? Some hockey masked killer hunted us all down and murdered us?" Margaret sniffled, tears still rolling down her freezing cheeks. "The police will think we did it."
"I didn't think of that…" Kelli said softly, stopping on the side of the road. She looked both ways, praying silently for a car to come by. "But I don't have a motive….I never met any of you until last night. Besides, there's no evidence against either of us."
"But what will we tell them? There's a monster in the woods? He can't be human. No human could do what he did," Margaret shivered, staring out at the empty street.
"I don't know what we'll tell them, damn it!"
Margaret had once again been tamed, and reduced to staring quietly down at her broken high heels.
"Look…I'm sorry, okay? But I can't take any more of your whining. Now, let's keep walking. Maybe we'll come across someone," Kelli said, starting down the road. She was grateful for the smooth pavement, having spent the last few hours trudging through mounds of thick snow.
"How far is it to the next town?" Margaret asked, following the girl like a lost puppy.
"I don't know."
"We could be going right back toward him…He could be down there, waiting for us."
"Just keep walking, and once again, shut up," Kelli sighed, closing her eyes. She hadn't realized how cold she was, her nerves having been dulled by the icy air.
Margaret sighed softly and continued on her way. She wondered if she had gone deaf, given the ethereal silence of the surrounding forest. It was much too quiet for liking.
"Come on, keep up," Kelli called, looking over her shoulder. She thought she saw dim headlights in the distance, but that was nothing more than wishful thinking.
"I'm trying. I can't keep walking in these shoes," Marge huffed, jogging to catch up with the other girl.
"Then why did you wear them?" Kelli asked.
"Well, excuse me. I didn't expect to spend my Christmas Eve running through the woods."
"Shh…" Kelli suddenly froze in her tracks, her entire body tensing. "I think I heard something."
"I don't hear anything," Margaret looked around, her eyes wide with horror. She expected to see the maniac come running out of the trees and drag her away into the bushes.
"Just…Just keep walking," Kelli said, walking again. She was moving faster now, briskly jogging down the lonesome road.
"Yeah…It's your imagination," Margaret nodded, hurrying after her. However, she could hear it too now. The noise was much too similar to footsteps to be comforting.
"Let's run," Kelli suggested, once again quickening her pace.
"Good idea," Margaret nodded, fighting back the urge to scream. She forced her legs to carry her body forward, despite the pain in her feet and thighs.
"I think I see a car," Kelli looked over her shoulder at her companion. However, her eyes widened in terror as she froze and pointed at Margaret with a shaky hand.
"What?" Margaret frowned. "What is it?" However, a large fist clamped over her mouth as the hockey masked executioner emerged from the woods behind her. Kelli knew she should do something, but found herself frozen in shock. Eyes wide, she watched helplessly as Marge desperately struggled with her attacker, her muffled screams barely audible. The murderer used his free hand to raise the machete in the air, allowing it to catch a stray gleam of sun. A lump appeared in the front of Margaret's throat, as the blade pierced through her Adam's Apple, having been shoved through the back of her neck. In the nightmarish moments that followed, blood splashed out of her body like a fountain, splattering across the pavement and snow.
Screaming, Kelli brought her hands to her mouth, stepping slowly backward. She wanted to run, but couldn't tear her eyes away from the horrible spectacle unfolding before her. The maniac withdrew the knife, allowing Margaret to slump forward and land in a heap at his feet. The bloody hockey mask looked upward, setting its sights on its final victim.
Kelli forced herself to turn and run. Reality once again faded away into nothingness. There was nothing left but her, and the steady approach of death itself. She could hear him behind her, moving in for the kill.
"Can I outrun him?" she wondered aloud, looking forward at the seemingly endless stretch of road. "Can I hide?" Although she didn't dare look behind her, she could feel him slowly closing the distance between the hunter and its prey.
Kelli closed her eyes and made the most painful choice of her life. She veered left and hurried into the woods, diving behind a tree. She knew she should've continued to run, but her legs had given up. She had to hide, or die.
She sat down and breathed greedily, trying to catch her breath. From the street, she could hear the monster's slow footsteps. Kelli closed her eyes, silently praying that he would not see her. However, she could hear him step into the snowy woods, his boots plodding heavily through the thick fluff.
Kelli held her breath, feeling around for a weapon. Her fist tightened around a fallen tree limb. Slowly, she crept to her feet, peering out from behind the old oak. She could see her assailant, looking around for her. Her grip tightened on her makeshift protection, her arms ready to swing if the monster came too close
Slowly turning his head, the hunter set his eyes on the tree. He crept forward, knife raised. Kelly screamed as the machete plunged into the tree, inches away from her head. With a sudden burst of adrenaline, she swung the thick branch at the man's head as he pulled his blade from the bark. To her surprise, he crumpled forward from the blow, landing at her feet. His blade landed in the snow, staining it red.
"Is it over?" Kelli asked herself, dropping the stick. Bending down, she slowly reached for the machete. However, the fallen murderer suddenly moved, grasping his hand around her wrist. The other hand moved for the knife, gripping its thick handle
The girl screamed, trying to free herself from her attacker's otherworldly grip. However, she found herself utterly helpless. She could still see the stick lying on the ground, mere inches away from her. With one fluid movement, she scooped it up and slammed it down with her free hand. The hunter released his clamp on her, stunned by the sudden blow. Screaming, Kelli stumbled further into the woods. She knew she was running away from the road, but she didn't dare to turn back.
In a seemingly random fashion, she darted through trees and around rocks, praying her luck would not run out. She didn't even know if he was still following her, and didn't have the courage to turn around and find out.
Suddenly, a clearing seemed to materialize ahead of her. Kelli felt her heart sink as the foliage began to thin. All this time, she'd been going in a circle. She emerged near the dilapidated mess hall of Camp Crystal Lake several seconds later, stepping out beside its old wooden entrance.
Kelli bit her lip, running for the old metal doors. To her relief, they were open. She ducked inside, jogging across the dusty floor and crashing into the kitchen.
"I need to hide. Somewhere. Anywhere," she panted, her lungs burning painfully in her chest. Her eyes came to rest upon the pantry, and she hurriedly pulled open the old wooden door.
She almost screamed as she saw an unfamiliar man inside, his eyes wide in eternal shock. He fell forward, his weight landing on Kelli's tiny frame. Kelli choked as she saw the gleaming knife stuck in his back. He'd been another helpless victim, another unfortunate soul having been unlucky enough to take residence at Camp Crystal Lake the previous evening.
Kelli barely managed to keep the corpse propped up as she moved for the knife, pulling at it with all her might. Thankfully, the bloody kitchen knife slid from the man's back with little trouble. Whimpering, she shoved the body back into the pantry, closing the old wooden door of the stranger's dark tomb.
Suddenly, she could hear the door to the dining hall push open as heavy footsteps filled the building. Kelli ducked behind the kitchen door, clutching her new weapon to her breasts.
The footsteps drew closer, echoing menacingly through structure. Seconds later, the killer threw the kitchen door open, staring around the seemingly empty room. Time once again slowed to a crawl. Kelli raised the knife, swinging it down in a sudden moment of insanity. She could feel it plunge into the nightmare's back, sending him falling forward in a bloodied heap.
"It's finally over. It's over," Kelli breathed, crying. She stared down at the maniac, who was lying on the kitchen floor, still as death.
Kelli walked down the lonely highway, hugging her bloody jacket for warmth. She'd been walking for about fifteen minutes, and wasn't even certain she was going toward civilization.
Seconds later, she could hear a motor in the distance. Kelli turned around to see a weathered old pickup truck speeding down the road.
"Hey! Hey!" she waved her arms, jumping up and down in the middle of the road. "Stop, please!"
The vehicle slowed to a halt, the driver signaling for her to get in from his window. Kelli squinted, but couldn't make out more than a dim figure through the tinted windshield. However, she wasn't about to turn down a ride. She jogged over to the passenger side, pulling open the door and climbing into the warm car.
"Thanks for pulling over. You're my hero," she smiled, looking at the driver. However, her mouth opened into a silent scream as she saw his twisted, rotting face. His eyes bulged as the machete appeared in his hand. Kelli reached for the door, but it was too late. She could feel the blade thrust into her chest, the warm blood trickling down onto her hands. As she slumped forward, the world faded away and her consciousness slowly left her body.
"He's alive," Kelli's eyes shot open, staring timidly around the stark white hospital room. "Huh…"
"Excuse me, ma'am? Who's alive?" a lanky blonde nurse asked from across the bed.
"Where am I?" Kelli asked, trying to sit up. However, her whole body felt in pain and she quickly slumped back down.
"Oh, good, you're awake," a doctor smiled, walking into the tiny room. "You're very lucky, Miss."
"What happened?" Kelli croaked.
"A driver found you unconscious out on the road near Camp Crystal Lake. You're very lucky you didn't freeze to death."
"What about the others?"
"Others?" the balding doctor asked.
"Margaret. Danielle. Will. They're all dead. Still at the camp," Kelli moaned.
"We didn't find any others, ma'am," the doctor shook his head. "We'll try to get into contact with your family. You just rest for now."
"Wait…what about the man?" Kelli asked.
"The man?"
"The killer! The man!"
"We didn't find any man out there, Miss," the doctor frowned.
"Then he's still out there…" Kelli closed her eyes, lying back down. "Waiting…."
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The End. I hope you enjoyed this story. Forgive the clichéd ending, but it was done in the style of the films, no? Anyway, thanks for reading.
