Far away a man stumbled and crawled parallel to the interstate. He stayed hidden by bushes, his car abandoned somewhere far beyond in the dark. His goal was the gas station he had passed by not too long ago. Again he stumbled and fell on his knees, breathing heavy, fighting through the pain. His body yearned for him to get some rest and heal. But yet he was driven on by his hate. And rage. The looming shadow of his own failure. And his voices. They screamed at him. Scolded him. For a moment he pressed his eyes shut, trying to get the voices out of his mind. But still, they whispered to him about shame and failure.
He had been so close, so very close. And yet his opportunities to fulfil his destiny had slipped away from his grasp one by another, leaving him nothing but his all-consuming hatred. In front of him, he saw the lights of the gas station through his blurry vision. He needed another car. He needed to get a distance between him and the place of his failure. He needed...rest. With a low growl, he forced himself up on unsteady legs. His knees shook, threatening to buckle, while he felt dizzy. Yet he willed himself to go on, his new goal only a few a feet away. He watched the man refill the tank of his van. Watched as he went in to pay, leaving the car unattended. Now was his chance. Silent as a shadow he slipped out of the dark and onto the backseat of the man's car. He didn't need to wait long for the man to return. He heard the engine start, felt the car begin to move slowly. Slowly he sat up, just as the man looked into the rearview mirror. With a surprised intake of air, the man hit the breaks, stopping the car and turned to confront the stowaway. He never spoke a word as his throat was slit by a sharp knife. The murderer got out from the backseat and pulled the body out of the driver's seat. Nonchalantly he let him rest face down in the dirt and sped away on I-76 E. Away from his failure waiting for his time to come.

Jason awoke from a deep sleep, which made him wonder. He seldom slept, since he came back from the grave for the first time. Normally he just would go still until it was time for him to go out and hunt. And yet, here he lay, feeling alive and rested. Yawning he stretched his legs out, before carefully turning over. Mairi still slept by his side. The look on her face was so peaceful and content. Jason thought back to yesterday. To the fair, to the feeling of walking arm in arm. And to their night. What they had done. For a moment he a slight frown appeared on his face. He had done the bad thing, his mother had always told him about. And yet it had felt so good. He sighed with contempt, deep down knowing that what they had done was different from what his mother meant. He knew that his soul now belonged to Mairi. He was her's now, truly hers, she had claimed him. And he knew that she loved him unconditionally. She had shown it to him on so many levels. She loved him for who he was. And this had somewhat healed his crippled soul.
Carefully he ran one finger down from her shoulder to the soft curve of her round hips and let his huge hand rest there. He knew now what the warm feeling, that blossomed in his chest was. He had fallen head over heels in love with her.
She stirred beneath his hand and opened her eyes with a soft moan. Jason bent down, kissing her full lips softly. As a response, she snuggled closer to his chest, lightly caressing his flank. It sent a shiver down his spine. Making him want more. She still had her eyes closed as she let her hand wander further down. Let it run lightly over his powerful thigh and to his manhood. As she cubbed him, he already was aroused. A gentle squeeze made him groan softly. She smiled into his chest before rolling over on her back. She, too, found herself wanting again, could already feel the throbbing of her sex and the accompanying wetness between her leg. She let him settle between her legs, while her hands roamed his body. He kissed her, on his mouth, her neck her breast, pressing his hard member inquiringly against her. She lifted her hips and let him slip in.

This is going to be a great day

She thought, just before her thoughts were drowned out by pleasure.

Later that noon she found him on the porch in an old rocking chair, deeply lost in his thoughts. With surprise, she noticed, that he still wasn't wearing his mask, but was fiddling with. With a happy smile, she came over and eased herself on his lap, leaning against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, almost cradling her like a child, while he kept rocking back and forth. For a while, both were silent, lost in their own thoughts. Unknowingly they both thought about the other.

"I liked waking up next to you."

Mairi broke their contemplative silence, absent-mindedly stroking his arm.

"I liked what we did this as well."

She continued, her hand slowly wandered from his arm to his broad chest.

"Do you mind sharing the bed with me more often?"

She felt his light chuckle vibrate through his chest.

Do you really need to ask?

Mairi smiled to herself. Of course, she knew the answer already, yet she just had felt the need to ask him. Needed him to affirm, that he enjoyed it as much as she did. Afraid, that she might be dreaming all along. Afraid, that she might have jumped from the bridge after all and was now in a deep coma and this happy world was little more than just a figment of her dying mind. And yet, it had all felt too real to be just mere imagination. She let out a deep content sigh.

Maybe life isn't such a lemon after all.

She thought, remembering how she had felt a couple of months ago.

Maybe everything happens for a reason. My decision to kill me, the lightning and my new found gift. Maybe this was meant to happen.

Curious if her lover felt the same way, she inquired.

"Jason? Out of all your victims... why did you spare me?"

She felt his chest heave with a deep breath, while he thought about an answer.

I don't know.

He finally answered.

Somehow I couldn't bring myself to do it, even though you really annoyed me at first.

He stopped and she could feel him cock his head.

I've often thought about it. I've even started to think, that my mother sent you to me. To make me happy.

Mairi squeezed his arm gently.

Mairi?

She heard his voice in her mind after a while.

I'm scared.

She straightened up and turned towards to face him.

"Of what?"

She asked her voice soft. His gaze, that had lingered on the lake's sparkling surface, slowly turned towards her.

Of losing you.

She leaned towards him and planted a soft kiss on his lips.

"Jason, I love you, I won't leave you."

He smiled briefly.

That's not what I meant...

Another deep breath.

Sometimes people come here to hurt me, to hunt me. Some come here armed. I'm afraid of what would happen if they wander into your cabin. Mairi, you are my greatest weakness now. If anything would happen to you...

She put her fingers to his lips, even though he had not spoken.

"Don't think about this kind of things. We'll enjoy our given time together, you understand? Besides, you are here to keep me safe."

He nodded. Mairi leant in and closed her eyes, touching her lips to his in a loving kiss. When they finally broke for air, she settled back against his chest, watching the lake and the sky while listening to the sound of her lover's heart.

It was early evening when the stolen car finally sputtered and died on a road in the middle of nowhere. He let it roll out on the dirt strip along the road. The man abandoned it, just like he had the other one. How long had he been on the road? 13 hours? More? A day perhaps?
He couldn't tell, he had lost count of the time. He stumbled through thickening undergrowth and vanished amongst the shadows of the high trees of the deep forest he was in. By now, he felt miserable. Briefly, he wondered how he had managed to come so far. He was dizzy and barely able to see. His body hurt and some of the wounds that were inflicted on him still oozed blood. Besides, he had difficulty breathing, knowing that his lung had been hurt as well. He tried to clear his mind. Where was he? He didn't know, hadn't paid any attention at all. He just had fled. With a stolen car he just drove away from his hometown, down the interstate until his car ran out of fuel, just like the last one. But he knew that he needed shelter. Soon. His body craved for rest and he knew by experience, that his body would claim the rest, he didn't want to give willingly, sooner or later. And though he had always healed fast, he had been gravely wounded. In the back of his mind, he feared he might die after all, so highly unlikely. Still, he felt so tired and drained.
And then his foot caught in a root, causing him to fall face first into the dirt. He tried to get up. Tried to will his body to rise but this time his body betrayed him. He turned his head to the side and looked around. He was surrounded by trees. High trees that seemed to close in on him, as if to ridicule his weakened state. Just like his voices ridiculed him for his failure and urged him on. His vision blurred again, then it darkened till he was taken down into a black void. The last thing he smelled was the mouldy smell of rotting leaves. The last thing he heard was heavy steppes of booted feet. Or maybe it was his own heartbeat booming in his ears?

Heavy footsteps on the porch announced the arrival of Jason. He had been prowling the camp-grounds, just as the sun was about setting. Every day he would venture out by dusk, more out of habit than out of the need to kill something. By now, early November the camp lay abandoned. The lake was icy and the days were cold. Teens would start to pour in again next year when summer returned.
Mairi was in her kitchen washing dishes, as she heard the front door open and close and turned with a smile. A smile that faded, as she saw his rigid body. Instantly she began to worry that something had happened to him.

"Jason? What is it?"

Come. I want to show you something.

He said instead of an answer, asking himself why he was showing her what he had found in the woods.

Jason led her through the forest. In the darkness, Mairi was bearly able to see where she was going, but he took her by the hand and navigated her through the foliage with determination. He knew the woods insight and out and was sure-footed and Mairi trusted him enough fully, even though she did bring a flashlight with her.
Finally, they stopped in front a body and Jason signalled for her to turn the flashlight on. The beam of the torch hit the body of a man in a dirty blue mechanics coverall. As soon her mind registered that she was staring at a body, she turned her head to the side, eyes closed. Mairi had worked in hospitals long enough to recognize the dark stains as what they were. Drying blood.

"Oh, Jason, what..."

She started but he pointed at the man.

He is not dead. Not yet. And for once I didn't even touch him.

Mairi looked down again. He lay on his stomach, the collar of his coverall turned upwards to his messy brown hairline and a pale almost white face was turned to the side. And indeed she could hear raspy faint breaths, that were far too shallow and short to be healthy. She looked up in confusion.

"Why did you bring me here?"

She asked, her voice a little too shaky for her liking. The big killer shrugged almost casually.

He just would not die. I was watching him for a while before I got you and despite his bloodloss, he just would not stop breathing.

Slowly Mairi nodded, surprised how one could cling to life so much that he just did not allow his broken body to die. Mairi took a deep breath in.

"Can you turn him around please?"

She asked her friend. Jason nodded sharply and turned the body around with the tip of his toe. The sight made Mairi gasp. The man's chest, abdomen, thighs and arms were literally riddled with bullet holes. Blood had soaked the coverall and gave it a shiny blackish colour in the torchlight. She looked up at Jason, who watched her every move carefully. He tilted his head to the side.

What do you think of this?

Mairi shrugged.

"Whoever tried to kill the poor guy made a miserable job."

She paused, shining the light on the man's face and took a surprised step back, reaching out for Jason's arm for support.

"I know that guy."

Is he a friend of yours?

Mairi shook her head.

"No, he was a patient."

She looked up at him.

"You know when I worked at the mental asylum? He was an inmate there, killed his sister as a child...killed a lot of people actually. And in his time in the asylum, he barely uttered a word."

Jason frowned.

I don't need any competition in these woods.

He paused and looked down at the bleeding man, considering if he should just stomp on his neck and end his misery. But then he remembered not to kill in front of Mairi.

Let's go home.

He said mentally and turned. Surely the guy would die in a matter of time. But Mairi didn't follow. He turned and took her hand in his, trying to lead her away with mild force. But the little nurse slipped out of his grip. As he turned to look at her, she already knelt beside the man and unzipped the coverall to look at his wounds. Jason flinched inwardly, beginning to think that he made a big mistake bringing her.

"We can't just leave him here, Jason. I worked on his ward a long time and I somehow still feel responsible."

Jason grew frustrated. He knew it.

I don't want a nutcase running around here!

Mairi looked up, sensing Jason's frustration. She sighed, stepping over to him and circled her arms around his waist, pressing herself against his powerful body as she pleaded.

"I don't think that he will stay long. He doesn't belong here. Please, Jason. I just can't leave him to die alone. And who knows? Perhaps you'll get along just fine."

Jason looked down into her big pleading eyes.

I doubt it...

He took a deep breath in.

Fine. But if he touches you, or annoys me, he is dead.

Mairi smiled.

"Deal!"