The next morning at the Pinehurst Youth Development Center, Robin was up at six AM before breakfast to let the chickens out of the coop and into the backyard and spread some feed in the grass.

They clucked happily at the food and ruffled their feathers in the early morning sun.

Jake and Violet finished breakfast around eight thirty and decided to hang out in the barn during their free time. It was their favorite place to go and talk about their troubles. Jake would talk about how he had been bullied and rejected his whole life, and had never had a girlfriend due to his stutter and his scrawny, awkward nature.

Violet would wax dramatically about life, telling Jake all about her many past boyfriends and her asshole of a stepfather who molested her when she was four. She told him how much she had hated him and how she had run away at 15 to live on her own, and eventually ended up at Pinehurst after being shipped from one foster home to another.

The two had a good connection, and had become fast friends, although Violet got annoyed by Jake's insecurities and Jake was put off by Violet's insensitive remarks that she played off as 'jokes'.

Matt and Pam sat in the living room by the fireplace and chatted.

Tina and Eddie came gallivanting cheerfully out of the front door and into the morning sun, hand in hand.

She laughed as he chased her, slapping her ass and then pulling at her hair like he was in elementary school.

"Stop!" she squealed as she ran around the house towards the chicken coop.

Tommy was awake, and had been for some time. He managed to get only an hour of sleep before another nightmare had torn him from his peaceful slumber, leaving him sweating and hyperventilating, and rushing downstairs to get water at 4 am.

It had been another horrific and vivid nightmare, and he had been back at Crystal Lake. This time, at the lake.

He was on the shore of the lake with the kids from the rental house, the ones that Jason slaughtered back in 1984, sitting around a fire.

They were all having a good time. For the first part of the dream, it was a pleasant one and Tommy was loosening up and chatting with others.

He felt at peace.

But then, everyone started to scream when a machete was thrust out from the darkness, plunging into Samantha's back and protruding out between her breasts.

Blood sprayed the terrified teens, and they ran for cover, but not Tommy.

Just like the last nightmare, Tommy had frozen like the ice that had run through his veins at what he saw.

It was Jason without his mask. Hideously deformed. His skin was rotting. He was dripping wet with algae from the lake. Wielding a machete that was coated with bright vermilion. Coming towards him.

Then he had woken up.

Just another one for the archives, he thought as he stared out of his bedroom window. He watched as Eddie and Tina ran past the chickens towards the woods, laughing.

Their laughter was like chalk scraping across a chalkboard.

He shut his eyes, trying to block it out.

He hated other people.

No matter how hard he tried not to.

He hated how happy they seemed to be. So carefree. Able to enjoy life instead of walking around like a zombie.

They were free of their demons, it seemed It made him bitter and the resentment welled up in him until it felt like he might die.

That's what had been so hard about school, seeing everyone laughing with their friends while inside he was drowning, being pulled deeper into his own thoughts and his own scarred and fractured memories of that night at Crystal Lake.

He had tried to tell himself that Jason was dead, but he still jumped at every noise. Paranoid at every whisper or creak on the stairs. Ready to fight at any second, always on edge.

Living like that took a toll on your body and your mind, it certainly had for Tommy.

If he could just relax, Pinehurst might have been a great place to stay.

He didn't know what came over him when he had attacked Eddie. After he had been restrained by Matt, he had been made to apologize, but Tommy hadn't meant it.

He wasn't sorry.

That douchebag shouldn't have gone into his room and touched his things. He shouldn't have touched him.

Everyone gets what's coming to them.

But why me? he thought. What had he done to deserve what had happened to him?

Eddie deserved what he got.

And Tommy was sure if there is anything he wanted to do in life, it was to give justice.

First to Eddie and to anyone else who had wronged him.

And to Jason.

Tommy still wasn't convinced he was dead. He had survived in a lake and out in the woods for years, and an ax in his head. There was no telling what that monster could take.

He was dreading the day that his worst fears would come true, and Jason would come back from the dead, just like in his dreams.

Back to finish what he had started. Back for vengeance.

It was the perfect place for him to strike.

An isolated, rural farmhouse.

A group of young sex-crazed teenagers, just like the ones who had betrayed him.

Just like the counselors who had been careless enough to let him drown.

This time, Tommy wanted to be ready, but he knew that he wasn't. In his dreams, he always froze at the mere sight of Jason Voorhees.

He knew he wasn't ready.

If you want me, Jason? Come and get me, he thought. You've already ruined my life…you might as well finish me off,"

That's when Tommy looked back down into the backyard and saw him, wearing his hockey mask and wielding an ax. Staring straight at Tommy through the eyeholes.

Tommy immediately brought his hands to his face in horror, rubbing his eyes frantically, and when he looked again…

Jason was gone.

The bodies of William McCauley and Lana Fisher were found by the morning crew of the Lakeside Diner off Highway 61.

Tucker was now more sure than ever of who the killer was.

It had to be Jason Voorhees.

Billy had been propped up on the toilet in the employee bathroom, a gaping hole in the back of his head. Blood was smeared all over the bathroom walls like some kind of sick Rorschadt.

Lana was found hanging above the bar from a light fixture, the missing ax protruding from her torso, her white cotton blouse stained the same color as the pool at her feet.

Crimson red.

The young waitress who had found the bodies wasn't able to stop screaming and had to be taken to the psych ward at the local hospital.

Tucker leaned back in his chair at his desk back at the station, and puffed on his cigar.

Only one man ever committed murders like this, Tucker thought. Jason Voorhees.

He had to be back from the dead somehow.

Unless it was Tommy Jarvis but Matt had said Tommy almost never left his room.

Maybe it was someone trying to kill off the rest of the paramedics; he had tried to warn Duke and Roy, but he couldn't get a hold of them on the phone.

That theory didn't explain the two greasers that got nailed, he thought.

For all Tucker knew, it could be Ethel, getting revenge against the town for building a nuthouse near her farm, but he couldn't picture little old Ethel hanging up Lana's body and carrying Billy into the bathroom.

There was no one else that fit the profile of the killer. It had to be Jason.

He didn't know how.

Nobody else was as strong or as brutal as this killer was.

It was the only explanation that he had, besides Tommy Jarvis.

Maybe Tommy had finally lost his entire grip on reality and became the mad killer that had taken his childhood.

Could he have snuck out in the middle of the night, stolen the ax from the police station, and made his way to the diner to kill Billy and his girlfriend?

It was possible. After all, Tucker wasn't convinced that Matt kept the house under lock and key when Tina and Eddie were always getting caught miles from the Pinehurst Center screwin' around.

Maybe he had snuck out a window.

Who knows what kind of tricks Tommy had up his sleeve? Tucker thought.

He had been able to take down a mass murderer, who knew what else he was capable of?

It seemed to make sense, but he didn't want to throw around accusations without any evidence and Matt had given Tommy an alibi.

The thing was, Matt could be saying anything to defend his patients. Maybe he had seen Tommy leave his room in the middle of the night, and lied just to cover his own ass. If word got out that one of his patients had escaped and committed several murders, Matt would surely lose the rehab center.

That would be a good motive for lying about Tommy's whereabouts, but he still wasn't sure.

Damn the tabloids, he thought. He had tried to keep the fact that the murders resembled the murders at Camp Blood, but it had leaked anyway, probably due to Deputy Dodd's big mouth and his stupidity.

Now, the town was surely in a panic.

And he was sure the mayor had heard all about it, and was on his way to give Tucker a piece of his mind.

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door of the police station, and the stocky, red-faced Mayor Arthur Cobb of Pinehurst County came barging in without waiting for Deputy Dodd to invite him in.

He was dressed for success, in a dark pinstripe suit, but his face read differently. His eyes were wide and his cheeks were flushed with stress and irritation.

Tucker glanced at the mayor and stayed absolutely relaxed, leaning back in his chair and taking a long drive of his cigar.

This made the mayor even more irate.

"Morning, Mayor!" Deputy Dodd said.

The mayor ignored him and pointed a finger at Tucker.

" Sheriff," he said. " I elected you for a goddamn good reason. When I went to bed last night, I thought these murders were going to be behind us. Then I wake up this morning and two more bodies have been found?!"

The Sheriff didn't respond.

The Mayor glanced at both of them in disbelief.

"So? Do ya got a suspect or not?"

Tucker glanced at Dodd and then back at the mayor.

"The Pinehurst residents were all accounted for last night, Arthur. We just don't got any evidence to make any accusations," the sheriff said.

" I don't care if you have to put your fucking mother behind bars!" the mayor declared in exasperation. "I mean what the hell is going on here?!"

"You see, Pinehurst is supposed to be a small town. You know what that means, sheriff? That means it's supposed to be safe. Small towns are supposed to be safe!"

Tucker took another long drag of his cigar then a smirk developed on his face.

"I know who it is," he said resolutely.

The mayor's eyes grew even wider.

"What?" he said.

"I said I know who it is,"

"Who?"

"Jason Voorhees."

The Sheriff tried to contain his laughter. If the Mayor wanted an answer, that was as good of one as he was going to get.

"Jason Voorhees?!" the mayor exclaimed. He looked at the Sheriff dumbfounded. "You're out of your fucking mind! You've been out in the sun too long!"

The Sheriff took another long puff of his cigar and made sure the smoke blew into the mayor's face.

"Jason Voorhees is dead," the mayor said. "His body was cremated, he's nothing but ash!"

The Sheriff tossed his cigar butt into the ashtray, and stood up, leaning close to the Mayor's face, almost nose-to-nose with him.

"Really, Mayor? You know that for sure? Were you there? Did you see him cremated?" the Sheriff said, getting annoyed.

The Mayor narrowed his eyes furiously.

"I can't believe this," he said. "Jason Voorhees, let me tell you something. Here's your Jason Voorhees right here,"

With that, he picked up the ashtray and dumped it onto the floor.

The mayor straightened his suit and stormed off to the door, yanking it open and then turning back to Tucker.

"Your ass is on the line here, Tucker. You get that? You go out and get me a goddamn live suspect."

His eyes glared at Tucker, and then he left as quickly as he came in, banging the door shut behind him.

Tucker wanted to say so many things, but instead, he picked up the glass ashtray and hurled it at the wall.

He now realized he had the task of finding the killer before they killed anyone else.

And his prime suspect was dead.

It was still the early hours of the morning out at the Pinehurst Center.

Ethel was in the midst of tending to her garden when she stopped short at the door to her overgrown rickety shed in the backyard.

The lock had been broken.

"Goddamnit," she thought. "Must be one of those kids,"

She listened silently, but didn't hear anything from the inside of the shed. What if they were in there, stealing from her…or worse…screwing their heads off.

"This'll be the last time they come on anyone's property," she said under her breath, and she dashed back inside the trailer, grabbing her shotgun by the door.

"That'll show em," Ethel said. Even just firing a round off would surely scare them into never stepping foot in her yard ever again.

She ran back out into the yard, opened the door to the shed, and pointed the gun into the dark musty interior.

It was empty. Nothing but cardboard, rows of shelves, and storage containers.

Her eyes darted to the tools that were hanging from the walls.

One space was empty.

The space that held her long, sharp gardening shears.

Ethel struck the door with the butt of the gun in anger.

Someone's been stealing, she thought. It had to be Raymond. She had known better than to let some man off the street into her home. God knows what else he had taken from her, and God knows where that man was now. Probably taken off somewhere with her gardening shears and anything else he could find.

"Shit!" she swore loudly and banged the door to the shed closed.

Just like men to steal, she thought. They ain't nothing but crooks and thieves.

Ethel went back inside the trailer, set her gun down by the door and stopped again in the kitchen.

Her meat cleaver was missing from where it had been lying on the counter.

Tina McCarthy couldn't help herself when it came to men.

Ever since her dad left when she was ten, it had been that way. It was her way of getting the male attention that she never got as a young girl, at least, that's what all her therapists and doctors said.

Whenever a man showed her any semblance of kindness, she would fall head over heels and end up getting hurt.

But Tina was convinced that with Eddie, things were different.

Instead of just sex, Eddie listened to her and what she wanted. Isn't that what sex is supposed to be about?

Listening to each others' wants and desires?

It wasn't like she was being irresponsible. She was on the pill, and besides, she knew all about pregnancy and STDs.

If you're someone who started to have sex at fourteen like Tina, you needed to know about these things, and Tina had informed herself.

So what was the big deal?

Sure, she was coping to fill a void in her life, but who were the doctors to tell her how to cope?

Even if there was some psycho-analyzing to be done, Tina truly enjoyed sex and showing off her body and she hated how society shamed women for being into those things.

She wasn't hurting anyone, except for that poor woman and son who had caught them going at it in the bathroom, and that had just been a dumb mistake.

What was so wrong with enjoying sex? Tina was eighteen, and didn't know she kept ending up in these types of situations. Sure, maybe she had urges that she couldn't exactly manage, but it was a process.

Fuck it, she had thought.

Society will call you a slut, but also make fun of you for being naive and innocent.

You couldn't win.

So, Tina did whatever she felt like doing and what made her happy, which was usually sex.

She was glad that today was laundry day and that she had laundry duty, because right on top of the pile of laundry were her sheets, and if she washed them personally, Pam wouldn't have to do it, and then she wouldn't get in trouble for having sex in the house.

As she hung up her dry sheets on the clothesline and stood out in the late morning sun, she thought back to Joey.

On one hand, she was glad Joey wouldn't have to encounter her having sex with Eddie anymore, but she also couldn't shake what had happened.

There had been so much blood.

It had been so shocking. She had been nearby and Joey's screams of agony were still playing back in her mind.

She never expected Vic to lose his mind like that, never in a million years.

Poor Joey…the kid was so sweet and harmless, even if he could grate your nerves and he didn't deserve something like that. She couldn't imagine a worse fate, except maybe drowning to death.

It had been an exciting few days at Pinehurst, thought Tina.

First, they get caught out by that hillbilly's shed, then Joey is attacked and killed by Vic, and finally, after all that, Eddie gets attacked by Tommy.

Tina had to admit, taking one of Tommy's things had been too far.

But it had been a harmless prank.

She remembered seeing the icy cold glare on Tommy's face when Eddie had walked in wearing that mask.

What had happened to him? She had overheard Pam and Matt talking about him like he was some kind of special patient, and talking about how he had been attacked by a serial killer.

She hoped Eddie wouldn't be dumb enough to keep provoking him. They had never had someone at Pinehurst like Tommy, and had never had anyone who had been through such a hellish nightmare. Vic was angry, sure, but he had never shown signs of snapping before he had swung that ax at Joey.

And they had still steered clear of him.

Hopefully, Eddie had learned his lesson and would now steer clear of Tommy.

Even Tina herself was scared, and she had never been scared of a man before. Men were interesting and alluring to her, but never threatening, at least, not yet.

She suddenly found herself in a daydream as she thought of Eddie, making love to her just like the many times that had happened before and how much better he was than other guys.

With Eddie, she didn't have to close her eyes and

pray for it to be over. She didn't have to fake an orgasm, and moan loudly just to make the guy feel good.

Eddie already knew how sexy and good he was.

There was no need to let him know.

There was something in his confidence that drew her to him like a moth to a flame.

His smile, his thick head of dark, wavy hair, his muscles rippling underneath his white T-shirt that he had been wearing when she had seen him.

He had been in Matt's office, and she had seen him coming out and walking past her, so suave and careless and cool, running his hands through his hair absentmindedly and she had known right there that she wanted his body.

Then, a series of flirtatious games started, where she would catch him glancing at her, admiring her beauty, and then she would get flowers that he had picked outside left at her door.

He was almost like a little boy trying to win over his crush, and it had been adorable and endearing.

Finally, she gave in when she had seen him shirtless, throwing rocks into the creek near Ethel's trailer.

His boyish attitude was too much for her to handle.

Then, they held each other and balanced on the rocks that stuck out above the water, splashing around and enjoying themselves, and eventually enjoyed their first kiss.

The first time they had sex, it was like a cherry bomb had gone off; there had been an explosion of ecstasy and passion.

After that, they were hooked on each other, and each other's bodies.

It felt nice that Eddie cared about more than just her body. He asked her how things felt when he touched her in certain areas, and checked in with her to make sure she was comfortable and relaxed.

It was so different than any other sexual experience she had had.

Her first time? One of her uncles.

Got her drunk at her 17th birthday party and fucked her after all the guests had gone home.

She had never told anyone about that.

She guessed that was the start of all her mental issues.

Her sexual encounters continued to scar her emotionally.

Next, she was fifteen and forced to give a blowjob to a senior boy, or else he would rat her out for smoking cigarettes.

Then, at seventeen, she told a guy to stop and he kept going, and the trauma kept going on and on.

Maybe the reason she had so much sex is because she was trying to gain control over her sex life.

The more sex she had, the more chances she had to get it right.

When she had first hooked up with Eddie, she couldn't get enough.

It was the only good sexual experience she had ever had, and she wanted more, desperately trying to right what had been wronged.

It made sense to her, anyway, and she wasn't planning on giving up the intoxicating drug that was Eddie Kelso anytime soon.

For the first time in her life, she felt appreciated and cherished by a man, and not just used like a piece of meat.

Whenever Eddie looked into her eyes, she just knew he was the one. There was no denying it. They had real chemistry.

She wished Eddie had been there when Joey was attacked. Eddie was the type of guy to jump in and help him.

That's also what she loved about him, he genuinely was a good, light-hearted person, and after dealing with her bitter asshole of a stepfather for years, he was so refreshing.

Only problem was, he was another patient and she had heard all kinds of warnings against dating other patients in rehab.

What would happen if Eddie got sent somewhere else?

She had thought about it many times over, but ultimately, she had decided that she would always remember Eddie and fondly reminisce on their sexual escapades, but that eventually, she'd have to let him go.

Some guys are like that, she decided. Some guys are only meant to enjoy your company for a little while. They sure as hell had made rehab worth it for the both of them and had made the most of it.

It would be a good one-time love affair that they would both cherish.

She'd fantasize about maybe meeting Eddie years down the line, but for now, she was satisfied with it just being an erotic summer fling.

She'd have plenty to tell her girlfriends back in the city, all about how many times they had done it in the middle of the woods and how romantic it had been.

She'd have them envying her when she told them he had taken her on a picnic by the creek in the woods near Ethel's farm and fucked her under the light of the moon and the stars one night.

She hoped that old bat didn't come out and shoot them, but with Eddie, she just couldn't keep quiet. When he was inside her, it made her want to scream it to the world.

Just then, she was snapped out of her thoughts by two strong arms swathing around her waist and lifting her.

She squealed with glee and turned to face Eddie, freshly showered and smelling of cologne. He smiled at her lustfully.

"You fuck, you really scared me," she said, mock-angry at him.

"You loved it," Eddie said.

He pulled her in close, and tugged at the collar of her shirt, unbuttoning the top button.

"You want more?" he asked seductively.

He gestured towards the entrance to the trail that led to the creek.

Tina looked away nervously.

"Eddie, we can't!" she protested. "Matt will kill us,"

"Fuck him," Eddie said.

With the look in his eyes, Tina was dazzled and couldn't resist.

"Fuck you…" she said with a smirk.

"Exactly…fuck me…" he said, beckoning her playfully to the trail.

"Come on!" he urged.

Tina took one last nervous glance back at the house to make sure nobody was watching, and then followed him giddily down the trail, still carrying one of the sheets she was hanging up.

They ran into a clearing, Tina chasing Eddie and then the other way around; it was a very flirty and playful game of cat-and-mouse.

Eddie slipped into a pile of dead leaves by an old pine tree and Tina went down with him. They got up, throwing leaves at each other like children.

Eddie lifted her, spinning her around, as she laughed.

He dropped her, and then ran off, Tina following him.

After playfully chasing each other for about a quarter of a mile into the dense woods, they heard the sound of running water-the perfect background noise to their romantic tryst.

They both found a wide open clearing, and as the sun cast shadows that danced around them in the cool morning breeze, they spread out the sheet and embraced, kissing passionately.

The leaves falling around them from the canopy of trees, the bubbling of the creek nearby and the sunlight beaming in through the branches and casting them in a warm yellow glow made for an idyllic scene.

If they had listened closely, they might have noticed the soft footfalls just a few feet away behind a tangle of briars and thorns.

They were blissfully unaware.

The two lovers stripped and Eddie thrust his body into Tina's as he fondled her large breasts and kissed her.

Their moans of passion were louder than the footsteps…and the heavy breathing…

They might have seen Raymond behind the thicket if they weren't so preoccupied.

He watched them, his eyes narrowed curiously.

And then, he heard footfalls that weren't his own.

He turned and watched as the blade of a hunting knife flashed silver, and Raymond felt the cold steel pierce his belly with immense force.

He was dead before he hit the ground.

A crow squawked above, making its warning call about the dark presence below, but the lovers

were oblivious.

Tina and Eddie didn't hear his body fall on the soft forest floor or him being dragged away.

Their lovemaking climaxed loudly and then they both sprawled on the sheet, nestled nude in each other's arms.

Their breathing started to slow down, as the clouds shielded some of the sun, bathing them in the relief of the shadow.

They bathed in the afterglow for a few more moments, enjoying the crisp air and the birds singing above in the trees.

Eddie stood to his feet, and pulled on his jeans, fastening them, and then leaning down to Tina and nuzzling her neck.

"I'm gonna go wash up," he said, kissing her earlobe.

"Okay, sugar," she said. "Hurry back,"

Eddie walked off towards the sound of the running water, as Tina lay sunbathing on the linens they had spread out on the leaves, her eyes closed.

She let out a deep sigh, still able to feel Eddie and his body on top of her, the way his hands felt when they were touching her…

It was even better than the last time. There was something about doing it in the woods that felt so right. Maybe it was just being out in nature that could make you feel so connected to another person, as if there were nowhere else on Earth she wanted to be except right there with him.

Or maybe it was him. Maybe he really was that special, even if she had only known him for a few short weeks.

What if she didn't even know the real him? What if outside of rehab, he was a completely different person?

But what difference did it make? She wasn't getting attached to him. There was something calmer about being with him. Maybe that's what true love felt like.

Her mother had called her a whore at fifteen and told her that she didn't know what true love felt like.

Well, screw you Mom, she thought. She knew what true love felt like now.

It felt much more grounded and real than any other time she had loved someone.

And the sex was fantastic. His body was fantastic. What more could she ask for?

She hoped their romance wouldn't have to end, but she feared that once Matt approved Tina and recommended that she had "improved her life habits" while staying at Pinehurst, she would be sent home to live with her stepfather.

And if she could tell you more, she'd tell you that staying at Pinehurst was miles better than being anywhere near her stepfather.

Maybe she would keep giving in to Eddie's desires and going into the woods to have sex.

If Matt kept catching them, he wouldn't be so inclined to report that Tina had improved.

Then, she and Eddie could stay with each other a little while longer.

Maybe with what Tina had managed to save up, her and Eddie could get an apartment somewhere. Maybe in Pinehurst. She knew that there was cheap land all around the area.

Then, they could enjoy the wilderness together, and have sex in so many different places, and not have to risk being spied on like back in the city.

It was the middle of nowhere and Tina almost liked it better that way.

It was easier to have a private life out here, like the one she enjoyed, with plenty of sex with men.

Her and Eddie really could have something special going on.

Tina opened her eyes, gazing dreamily up at the canopy and the blue sky that laid beyond it.

She listened to the sound of the birds, and the running water, thinking about how much trouble they'd be in if they got caught again.

Matt would probably just give them another lecture,

Tina thought, and then Eddie would coax her into another sexual tryst.

Maybe that was the answer.

She wanted as much time with Eddie as possible, so she had to show as little improvement as she could.

She closed her eyes again.

Then, she heard soft footfalls approaching her. Slow at first, and then rapid.

It was probably Eddie, she thought, back from the creek.

Tina opened her eyes.

Two evil, deranged eyes were staring back at her. They narrowed and then widened with insatiable lust as the man in the hockey mask raised the rusted pair of garden shears into the air.

Tina's frenzied scream was cut short.

The birds above scattered.

One more down.

Eddie Kelso tossed a rock into the stream, and ran his hands through his hair.

What a summer it had been, he thought to himself.

Sex with a smoking hot girl with a great body and personality out in the middle of the woods, away from the stress of the world.

It felt like it was just the two of them in the world.

All of his problems and other people seemed to disappear whenever he stared into her wistful brown eyes.

He wondered if it was only lust he was after, or true love. Tina certainly felt different than his past girlfriends.

The sex was certainly better. Tina was obviously experienced, and knew what she was doing, and that made for a better time than a nervous, sheltered virgin from the city.

She had seen a thing or two and been around the block quite a bit. For some guys, that could be a huge turn-off but it didn't distract him.

How could he turn away a girl like Tina just over the fact that she had a history?

He would be giving up the chance of a lifetime all because of a personal hang-up. Who cares if some other man had been inside her?

It was weird for him to think about, but his lust for her body outweighed his personal disgust.

It was as if they were completely in sync with each other whenever they made love, as if God was directing the scene himself.

He almost didn't want to lose her, but he figured that it would likely come to an end in one way or another. Summer flings always do. He would probably end up back in the city living with his parents, and Tina would be shipped back home to her stepfather.

What a bummer end to an erotic summer.

Maybe losing a girl like that was worth it, he decided. Maybe she was truly too good to be true.

Maybe girls like that only come into your life for a

season, just to show you that side of her for a moment. To let you explore her world. And then, she's gone.

Usually, that's how it went for Eddie.

He could never quite stay committed to anything. The doctors said it was bipolar disorder.

His mania was the reason for his bold and spur-of-the-moment sexual encounters.

Eddie didn't know how true any of the shit they said was true, but he knew one thing: he loved women and he loved sex.

Maybe if those doctors were getting laid, they wouldn't be so quick to pathologize him, he thought.

He didn't know if he loved Tina. Maybe it would take a few more weeks of getting to know her before he could decide.

He just didn't feel like tying himself down to one girl. The world was full of so many experiences, and he didn't feel the need to commit to one thing.

He hoped Tina felt the same way, but he knew women could get attached, and he didn't want their relationship to go down that road. Hopefully he could explain to her before he left that he wasn't the type to get tied down.

He definitely didn't want to just leave without saying goodbye. Tina wasn't the type of girl you treated flippantly. She was a once-in-a-lifetime type of relationship, and he didn't want it to be shuffled back in his memory as a one night stand.

It had been real.

It wasn't just about getting your rocks off anymore. It was about truly loving someone and everything about them, the way they smelled, the things they said.

Eddie threw another rock into the creek, and watched plaintively as it skipped across the rushing water.

As he stood up, a branch cracked nearby and he looked towards the sound, but there was nothing there. Shrugging it off, he started the lengthy walk back to the clearing.

As the trees cleared, he saw Tina lying on her side facing away from him, her snow white skin gleaming in the sun.

"I'm back," he said.

Tina didn't roll over, or say a word.

"What is this, sleeping?"

He kissed the back of her neck, running his hands through her jet-black hair that was fanned out around her head.

"Tina…" he said.

He rolled her over onto her back and he gasped.

Her brown eyes were now replaced by two bloody eye sockets.

Blood was splattered all over the white sheet.

Her mouth was open in a silent scream.

Eddie couldn't utter a sound. He rose slowly to his feet, not able to pry his eyes away from his mutilated lover.

He stumbled backwards, the shock beginning to overtake him. As he backed into a tree, there was the sound of leather snapping, and suddenly Eddie was blinded.

A sudden, strong force yanked him backwards into the tree and he cried out as the rough bark embedded in his flesh.

The leather belt that was wrapped around his skull was pulled tighter…and tighter…

His orbital bones began to break as his skull started to cave in from the immense pressure.

Suddenly, it got even tighter as the assailant slipped a tree branch into the belt loops and began twisting with all their might.

Eddie screamed but it was no use. Nobody was coming to save him. The belt pulled tighter, as blood began to leak out of his eyes and his nose.

SNAP.

The leather belt broke under the pressure.

And Eddie suddenly felt nothing