Hello, this is Diana, and welcome to Chapter 9 of The Heart of a Jasonette.
I have a bit of news regarding another story of mine. I know I mentioned this somewhere before, but I am planning on redoing my Jason Takes Manhattan story. After reading articles from different sites, I realized most people do not care for the psychic connection Rennie has with Jason. In my case, I have two characters, Joy and Rennie, with supernatural elements. So I will post a new Manhattan story that still has Rennie, Joy, and possibly Julius so he can have an epic fight against Jason in Madison Square Garden. This time, the two girls will not have powers. But they will still be different from the others in their own ways. I do thank all those that have liked the former story. I hope you like the new one as well.
I appreciate your time. Please enjoy the chapter below containing the latest adventures of a Jasonette. :)
Kenny thought he was running aimlessly with no landmark in sight. That is, until he burst out into an open area. He was on a dirt road which continued over a rickety bridge. In the hope that a bridge meant houses nearby, Kenny crossed it. He arrived at a house with a long porch and an awning. A brown barn surrounded by a white fence stood a short distance away.
Higgins Haven.
Kenny was standing where Jason had committed his second massacre. His heart fluttered in his chest. He had come to a memorable place in the Crystal Lake legacy.
He staked out the barn and decided that it should be a good hiding place. He made a beeline for it, opened its creaking door, and closed it behind him. The place was full of stuff that had belonged to the Higgins family long ago. He walked down the hay strewn path to the back of the building.
Like Diana, he needed some rest. The size of the forest took a lot out of a person. Kenny looked up the ladder that led to the upper rafters. Might as well take a breather where there was an escape route, even if it was through the barn window. He headed upwards to the second floor and settled against a hay bale.
A stretch of time came and went after which Kenny snapped open his eyes. Had he dozed off? He remembered he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. He had been too riddled with excitement about the tour. Kenny scrambled over and looked out the barn opening to see if anyone was approaching. The open space out there presented him with nothing. Just to be sure, he examined the floor below the ladder.
Kenny hadn't much time to sigh in relief. The loft exploded into shards of wood, and Jason's enlarged head appeared through the hole. His raging expression zoned in on Kenny attempting to crawl away. Jason gripped onto Kenny's leg and pulled his body toward him. The young man gave it his all to yank away from the monster, but like with any victim, it was to no avail. Kenny went through the shattered gap from which Jason had emerged. Along the way, he suffered gashes from Jason's machete as a method to weaken him even more.
Jason dropped to his feet, throwing Kenny at one of the piles of junk. He pushed the stuff off him and took a deep breath, still sitting on the barn floor. Kenny couldn't simply give up. This towering man was his idol. There had to be something he could do. He let the honor wash away the fear. Kenny knelt before the looming juggernaut.
"Jason Voorhees." Speaking that name outright brought blissful tears to his eyes.
"I am your biggest fan. I mean it. I've worshiped you since I was a child."
Jason himself was not moving.
"I've dressed up like you for who knows how long. Not to say that I'm trying to copy you. Nobody can. You're one of a kind; the ultimate killer."
There was still no reaction from Jason. Kenny wished he could probe the mystery of Jason's mind.
"You have no idea how long I've waited to see you. I'm no threat to you at all. Why would I ever want to hurt my idol?"
Jason sheathed his machete; an action that gave Kenny hope. That didn't necessarily mean Jason was listening. Kenny decided to chance it. He got to his feet, staring with dedication into the eye of the beast. The sudden glare Jason poured upon him sent Kenny stumbling away towards the wall and knocking over more of the barn supplies.
He blinked only once and then saw Jason holding a shovel in his hands. Kenny's admiration could not calm pure evil. The murderer moved closer and closer.
"Jason, wait," Kenny spoke in a weak voice. "I know you're not used to this, but I'm not lying. You're the number one thing in my life. I won't interfere with anything, I promise."
Those words went in one ear and out the other To Jason, they were all human lies. He pointed the shovel at Kenny's abdomen and dug it deep into his flesh. Jason pushed harder and harder, slicing through intestine and bone. The young man cried in a tone he had never used. Not just because of the agony, but the fact that the legend he worshiped was killing him. The stories he had told others; the many variations of Jason he had cos-played, it all wound down to nothing.
Jason, how could you betray me? I've done everything for you.
Jason scooped out his heart with the shovel's blade and let it splash on the floor; a twisted sense of irony. Kenny's upper half slid away from his torso, after which the killer threw aside the red soaked tool.
There was no meaning to the speech given by the former Kenny. In Jason's mindset, he was a human, and humans were all the same. Jason glanced over the bisected corpse.
Good job, Jason. His mother's voice reflected to him. Some try to understand you, but they never will. Only I know how you truly feel. Don't ever forget that.
A presence next to Diana made her stir from her rest. She shifted her eyes to Rose standing there, vigorously clasping and unclasping her hands. There was no question to the cause of fear. Rose had seen Jason too.
Diana sat up and got to her feet. She wondered how long she had rested. Long enough.
"I saw the monster... Please, help me!" Rose cried.
The braver girl looked out the window for the others that Rose had accompanied.
"Isaac and Norman. Where are they?"
Rose hung her head.
"Well, I lost track of them. This forest is just so overwhelming that I couldn't keep up. I'm sorry."
Diana sighed. She went to the door and motioned for the other girl to come.
"Come on, we can't stay here. Let's gather who's left and get out of here."
She said the words so casually that it frightened Rose. This girl was...something else. When Diana headed outside, the once pampered girl followed close behind.
Once they were back in the center of the camp, Diana studied the surroundings with the eyes of a hawk. There were always clues if one took the time to look around. Granted every moment made the difference between life and death. To their right, there were bushes that were broken in one spot. Diana pointed it out.
"Isaac and Norman went this way. Let's go."
She decided on this because she had seen Kenny and Aaron go in the opposite direction. Diana headed to the right as fast as humanly possible. Rose tried her best to stay close at all times. It wasn't easy to do, especially when Rose tripped over an obstacle on occasion. The very forest itself appeared to be hindering their path.
Isaac and Norman finally became aware of Rose's absence. They both turned around and scanned the terrain. Nothing but the cry of a blue jay. Norman felt partly responsible.
"Great. We lost track of her. The whole reason she came with us is so we could keep an eye on her."
He started to retrace his steps in the hopes of finding her. Isaac followed him, clearly not as worried as Norman.
"Rose is reckless. She should have kept up with us."
He stayed oddly composed about everything so far. It was getting on Norman's last nerve.
Norman suddenly stopped. A red object protruding from a bush caught his eye. With every step closer, more chills ran down his spine. As soon as he picked it up, he almost dropped it. It was a notepad, saturated in blood. The crimson trickled down Norman's fingers.
"Oh my God..." he said in a shocked voice.
This belonged to Aaron. And there was no doubt that the blood on it was his. Norman called to Isaac, who was by his side in seconds. He looked at the paper, then spotted something on the other side of a tree. Isaac already had the dreadful feeling of what it was.
He made his way over and froze, completely silent. He met the lifeless stare of Aaron, eyes almost rolled up into his head. The young man was positioned against the tree trunk with nails embedded in his hands and feet. There was a gaping wound in Aaron's neck from where the machete had struck him.
Norman had now taken in this discovery of the macabre. He backed away, his chest heaving.
"It was Jason," he uttered solemnly. "He's marking his territory. He's warning us."
Placing corpses to scare future victims was one of Jason's trademarks. Norman had read this in a Crystal Lake article about Jason. The only thing that could be done now was to flee. But what about the others? Norman didn't have the nature to leave fellow fans in jeopardy.
"We have to get back to the bus," Isaac spoke.
Norman didn't know whether to yell at him for being ignorant to Jason's existence. And if Isaac had brought them knowing Jason was out there, then Norman would insist on there being hell to pay.
"I can't leave with everybody else gone. They could still be alive. Like Rose. She didn't get separated from us that long ago."
"Once we get to the bus, we will drive around and look for them. That will be much faster. No need to hide it anymore because Jason now knows we're here."
Norman glowered at Isaac.
"You better hope at least some of them are still alive. You're the leader. This is your responsibility."
Isaac burst out reproachfully.
"Don't you think I know that?! Instead of standing around like targets, let's go salvage what we can of this group!"
Norman was taken aback by Isaac's first display of immense stress. He stayed quiet after that. The two men made haste back to the bus, which thankfully was still intact on the secluded road. Norman had worried that maybe Jason would slash the tires or destroy the bus itself with his strength. Who really knew what Jason was capable of?
Norman sat on the seat next to the door so he could keep watch out that side. Isaac took his claimed spot behind the steering wheel. He set the bus in motion, and it started down the dusty road. Norman trained his eyes through the dimness of dusk that descended. They had to hurry. Night fall would make chances of survival even bleaker.
In a few minutes, Isaac turned the bus onto a paved surface. Norman surmised that it was the main road passing by the camp. Soon enough, he picked up two figures popping out of the brush.
"Isaac, there! It's two of the girls!"
Isaac slammed on the brakes. One of the girls pulled the other away just in time. He recognized them as Diana and Rose. They quickly climbed aboard, where Rose collapsed in the seat behind Isaac. She was deep in a hysterical state, whimpering at the top of her breath. Her dress was weathered and dirty from her urgent trek through the woods.
Norman turned around to where Diana was sitting. She was less stressed, partly staring off into space.
"Diana, what happened? Did you see the others?"
She shook her head. Diana's eyes flickered up to Norman.
"Lila and Aaron are dead. And Kenny..."
"We know about Aaron," Isaac interrupted. "What about Kenny?"
Diana huffed, looking out the window.
"I don't know. Kenny ran off in another direction. We didn't find him."
Rose's voice burst into the conversation. She had jumped from her seat and clutched a hand onto the shoulder of Isaac.
"He's probably dead. Let's get out of here! Now!"
The authoritative man wasn't about to debate this time. He stepped on the gas, and the bus accelerated forward. Rose fell back to where she had collapsed before. The tires churned and jerked over the occasional rocky patch in the road. The three passengers clambered for something to hold onto.
Isaac lacked notice of the tree until it was too late. The speed he was going made any reaction time difficult. The enormous oak tree lay across the road like it was placed there on purpose. Only someone with inhuman strength could have moved the oak into its position. Jason. No doubt there.
As the bus struck the trunk, it rose into the air and tilted towards its side. Everyone on board toppled over to the windows on the left. Diana recalled her head smacking the seat, where she then fell onto Rose. She barely heard the girl's gasp of pain through the grating noise which stabbed her eardrums. Some of the right side windows showered glass upon them. The bus's side screeched for awhile before it came to a stop.
A deafening silence followed. Diana slowly moved parts of her body to check if everything was intact. She lifted herself off Rose and briefly examined her. Blood trickled from a gash in her head from smashing against the glass. Nothing else seemed wrong. She crawled as best she could to the driver's seat. Diana's thoughts came up with a conclusion. The bus had fallen because of another one of Jason's warnings. He wanted to keep them from leaving and had greatly succeeded.
Diana heard someone scrambling around close to her. It was Norman, who was already hauling his bruised body upwards via the bus's door. She picked up on something else and turned her head towards the windshield. That tall and menacing silhouette stalked them from the outside.
"Norman," she pleaded. "Don't leave the bus. Please don't. He's out there."
