Chapter Five
Since she was dropped off by Reggie at the crossroads Annie was making good time but still had quite a trek to Camp Crystal Lake. With her skin sweating under the penetrating Sun and if the side of the road wasn't so stony, she would have taken off her go-go boots which were starting to kill her feet. If she didn't get picked up soon she swore to herself that she'd stop and camp in the nearby fields. She didn't care. Luckily though some distance behind her Annie could hear the sound of a vehicle approaching and breathed out a sigh of relief, turning around with her thumb out by her side to make sure that they'd stop for her.
Shortly afterward a jeep rounded the corner and could evidently see her on the side of the road but roared right past her. Before Annie could curse though, the jeep parked itself a little further down the road, just behind a stone bridge, and waited for her to get in. Running as fast as her tired legs could carry her Annie threw her backpack into the back and climbed into the passenger seat upfront with the driver.
"Hi. I'm going to Camp Crystal Lake," Annie replied with a smile as she made herself comfortable in her seat.
As soon as she got in the driver sped off again en route to Camp Crystal Lake. The jeep thundered over the bridge and around another corner, which opened up to a long stretch of road with forest on either side of it. With her window slightly opened Annie used this moment to run her hand through her perspiring hair, enjoying the cool air thrashing at her sticky skin and drying it as well.
Turning to face the driver she sparked up a conversation to help past the time, "Guess I always wanted to work with children. I hate when people call them "kids". Makes them sound like little goats," she then laid back on her chair as she continued, "But when you've had a dream as long as I have, you'll do anything." She then peeked out the window, seeing that they were coming up to more forest, now getting thicker with overgrown branches and foliage. The driver stayed ever so quiet, their eyes concentrating on the road instead of their passenger and remained ever still too.
Up ahead Annie could see the entrance to the camp to her left and breathed another sigh of relief, finally reaching her destination. As they got closer she could see the mail-box standing by itself, a typical model that most of America had, and the large "Welcome to Camp Crystal Lake" sign that hung over the entrance welcoming all. Yet the driver never slowed down or parked the jeep to allow her to get off. They just kept on driving down the long stretch of road. Annie, who was getting a strange feeling in her gut, turned in her seat and looked back, wondering why they weren't stopping. Facing the driver she thumbed in the direction of the camp, "Hey, wasn't that the road for Camp Crystal Lake back there?"
Nothing. The jeep was still going and the driver never flinched.
Getting a little restless and a little scared Annie spoke up again, "I think we'd better stop."
That didn't seem to work either, the driver just went faster, the jeep's engine roaring louder as it gained speed.
"Please?" Now Annie was really scared and didn't know what to do, "Stop, please! Please! Stop!" She insisted but it seemed her words weren't reaching the driver, as though they were ignoring her. Grasping the obvious fact that they weren't going to slow down or stop Annie took one last look at the driver before opening up her door and leaping out onto the side of the road. Her stunt caused her to roll over and in the process injure her leg as she laid flat-out on her back in the ditch.
Staggering to get up she uses the large boulder next to her for leverage, pushing herself onto her feet and wincing at the sharp pain that rushed from her wounded leg. The driver suddenly pulled on the brakes and started to immediately reverse back to her. Annie, wasting no time in finding out what they'll do to her, she nevertheless limped further into the forest, hoping to lose them inside. As the driver climbed out, Annie hearing them open and shut the door, she spun round to see if they were following and her eyes open wide at what she saw. Reaching into the back of the jeep they pulled out an axe as it gleamed in the sunlight. Spinning back round Annie raced as best she could into the forest, her heart pounding a thousand times a minute and feeling the pain shoot from her injured leg but she needed to keep going. Turning sharply to the right Annie pushed her way through thick branches, not caring whatsoever as they slashed at her skin and tore at her clothes. Looking back every so often she could see that they weren't following her but she didn't cease her fleeing. Nearly out of breath and her heart now in her throat she needed to rest but she couldn't, not with that maniac still out to get her. After what seemed like hours of constant running Annie slowed down and gazed behind her to see if they were still following. They weren't but just as she stepped back, her foot slipped and she slid straight down a deep ditch, meeting sludgy mud at the bottom. Now caked from head to toe in mud Annie cried out in her head for this nightmare to end but she needed to stay strong for her to stay alive and hopefully making it to the camp. Trudging to the other side and climbing desperately to the top she pushed herself ever forward, her wounded leg still giving her trouble. Hearing herself taking deep breaths her lungs were literally on fire and she required rest but she couldn't.
"Aahh! Fuck!" Annie cried out in extreme pain, looking down to find that her good leg was now ensnared in a bear trap, its sharp teeth digging into her flesh. Her other leg collapsed under her weight and she slumped onto her backside, her hands trying frantically to pry open the jaws with every ounce of strength she had left.
"Come on…come on!" Annie pressured herself, already aware of the fact that the maniac would've heard her screams at that moment. It's no use! I'm too tired with all that running!…What was that? Something rustled in the bushes somewhere in her vicinity and she had the feeling that it was her pursuer. Looking around the ground for any type of weapon to defend herself with, she found it in the shape of a thick branch that felt robust enough to hurt anyone as she gripped it tightly in her hands, waiting for them to appear.
They did, brandishing the axe in both hands, but Annie wasn't going down without a fight, swinging the branch frantically out in front of her, "Stay away from me, you son of a bitch!"
Using the blunt of the axe the driver vigorously knocked the branch from Annie's hand, who stumbled onto her backside, trying to inch herself away but can't because of the bear-trap. They loomed forward, wielding the axe overhead, listening to Annie's desperate cries but not stopping.
"Please! Please, don't do this!" Annie cried, her arms out in front as though they might protect her, "I don't want to di--," but she was abruptly cut off as the axe was slammed right down the middle of her skull, splitting it in two like a watermelon. Like the mentioned fruit, her head erupted everywhere in a combination of blood, hair, skull and brain matter, her face no longer identifiable and her clothes, especially her white shirt, were now drenched in her own blood.
As Annie's lifeless body slumped back against the large tree behind her the figure dropped the axe beside them, knelt down on one knee and freed the leg that was ensnared in the trap. Picking up the axe again and letting it swing by their side they then grabbed hold of Annie's leg, the one she injured earlier, with their free hand and pulled her along the dirt, her blood trail mixing with it and the leaves, back to the jeep…
