Friday the 13th: Black Ice Friday
Two
Dawn lit up the road for Jim Creighton, who found solitude among this empty mountain road. Beside him slept his fiancée Rachel, who had made a pillow out of the glass window. Her soft red hair tucked under her chin as layers of it draped around her shoulders. For a lady as young as she was, Jim had never seen someone with such maturity behind the eyes than hers. He was seven years her senior and there were times where he could easily mistake the age. But they were different, that's why they were happy together. As his truck drifted along the slick icy road, a muffled growl rumbled from the backseat.
A spry golden retriever popped up, yawning and stretching his pink tongue. Leaning in between the front seat and back, the dog stuck his muzzle down into Jim's mug, lapping his round of coffee up. Pushing him away, Jim said in a hushed tone, "Damn Luke it's too early for coffee! Go back to sleep."
The dog moaned and licked his owner's hand. Jim obliged the dog with a quick rub under his neck, jingling his collar in the process. When Luke stepped back into the middle seat, Rachel's two lovely green eyes slowly opened. Staring easily at Jim she said in exasperation, "Are we there already?"
"No, just past a sign saying we were ten miles off to the exit." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. There was nothing more rewarding to Rachel than to see Jim beside her when she woke up. She wanted the rest of her life to be exactly as such.
"You want me to drive for a while? We left the state line a few hours ago."
"It's ok, we're almost there." He gingerly grinned, "You think we should call your folks though?"
Quirking a slim eyebrow Rachel asked, "Why? I'm twenty years old Jimmy, I can make my own decisions. They know why were up here."
"Yeah but not the whole reason."
She sighed, brushing away her red hair to reveal her face, "You know as well as I do that if Dad found out we were getting married then he'd pull out all the stops. I don't want to be ruled by him anymore. Once he knows that we're already wed then there won't be anything he can do."
Rachel Jordan had a stern father. It had taken many months into accepting Jim, particularly because he was much older than she was. Much like a dog on a chain, Rachel had limits that were manipulated by her old man. He would have much rather seen her obtain a doctrine degree and marry the chief of medicine when she was 35. Instead she chose to skip the next 15 years of being miserable and to take Jim's name instead.
"Rachel Creighton sounds so much more modern don't you think?" She asked whimsically the night of their engagement. Jim couldn't agree more. His family owned a bed and breakfast in a town called Wood Haven; there was a small church that performed communal acts such as marriage. It was where they planned to vacation for some time.
In the backseat, Luke barked happily, Rachel turned and began to rub his face, "I know furface, you've been a good boy. Jim we should stop in the next town just for a break."
"I guess it wouldn't hurt. Next exit we'll pull off."
Shortly after the Chevy truck drove by an aging sign that had been dusted off with fresh snow, Rachel pulled on Jim's shoulder reading the name aloud.
"Forest Green, exit coming up shortly. Ever been there?"
Jim pressed his foot on the gas, "Yeah, not sure if anything's there though. It's sort of a ghost town."
"A ghost town? Jimmy all towns have at least a gas pump. And Luke has to go potty, don't you boy?" The dog whimpered on cue to her pouty face. Jim gave her a quirky stare with his light blue eyes, "Rachel, I think we should just wait until the next one. No one's been there for years."
"How do you know?"
He bit his lip, "Just stories I've heard from my grandparents."
"Then they're just stories. Jim come on, the exit is right there, we'll go: get something to eat, fill up, and let the dog take a piss. Then we'll be out ok? It won't take but a half hour at the most!" She gave him the same stern eye that her father always gave her. Letting out a sigh, Jim turned on his blinker and swayed the car into the right hand lane. Luke barked happily in the back. Smiling, Rachel said, "You made someone happy."
"He's lucky, that's for sure."
Rachel simply laughed as the truck drifted on a downward slope into a knotting of trees and road. A few minutes later, the truck is mirrored in sounds, Jim looked into his rear-view mirror. Eyeing the fast pacing van, he asked, "How long has that van been behind us?"
Rachel turned in her seat, "Not sure. Looks like they're in a hurry though."
"Wonder what's so important that they have to speed down."
"Probably just a couple of tourists."
"Yeah, some real stupid tourists…"
"Fucking hicks…" Louis McAlister growled in his throat. With his hands gripped tightly on the wheel, he swerved, pedaling down the road to pass the truck. His intentions were quick and fast, he didn't have time to wait. This was the break he had been waiting on months for. Sitting beside him was his producer, Alison Cherwell. She, like him had been dying for this opportunity. Still she preferred to drive carefully.
"Nothing's gonna change if we're 30 seconds behind Lou. Calm down."
"Ali babe, you don't understand. This is the break I've been waiting for in a long time! Been working the desk at the Inquirer, filming the most pointless shit and crap. Honestly, a story about the entire town of Hickory and their record braking moose monument? That's the best you could give me? Jesus I shoulda quit right then and there."
Ali's throaty tone coldly asked, "Why didn't you then?"
"It was all I had. But now, this is for sure gonna send us to the top. Sundance, Screen Actors Guild, the whole damn nine yards Ali! This is what people go to the cinema for."
She would have liked to argue with the most conceited person in the entire world, but she couldn't. She knew how right he was. The story they were feeding off was ground breaking, a feat never yet accomplished. She took a sip of java to her perfected lips and turned in the seat, one slinky boot hanging over the other. She stared back at her team, the technician Alan, Joey and Vick the cameramen, and the equipment. All the essentials to make the most groundbreaking feature ever to be seen. She smiled graciously, "I have a good feeling about this Lou."
"Join the club." He watched the truck that he had past descend slowly behind them. They were so unaware, he realized. The discovery made his bones jump. He cruised easily into the doomed little town known as Forest Green. Disappearing down a road, by the time Jim's truck reached the town limits, they were nowhere to be seen.
Jim's Chevy pulled into the nearest gas station. One other truck with a snowplow attached was parked beside the building. Driving up to the closest pump, his truck eased into a brake, letting Rachel and the dog hop out. Buttoning up her blazer, she took Luke by the leash and led him over to a shrubbery area to let him do his business. Once Jim finished locking the gas pump into his truck, he headed towards the shady looking convenient store. From the windows, he could see Rachel and the golden easily. From stepping inside the gas station from the bitter weather, Jim realized that the inside wasn't any warmer. Dull lights suspended overhead while aisles of food were stocked, leading no desire to eat.
He approached the counter, looking around for service. Tapping the bell, he said, "Hello? Anyone here?"
He was answered by a loud creaking sound, as a tall man stepped out from the back of the store. He was gawky, standing nearly six feet, yet his withering age caused him to hunch over. His thick boots guided him towards the stand, where he stood behind it in a towering fashion, looking down upon Jim.
"What d'ya want?" He greeted.
"Full tank, need to pay." Jim said as he pulled out his wallet to relieve some cold cash. When he met the clerk's face again, he saw two sagging blood-shot eyes meeting his.
"That your girl out there?" He nodded towards the window where Rachel and Luke were walking. Jim nodded, "Yes. She's my-my wife." This man caused him to hesitate , but he paid the full amount.
"You two heading out I hope."
"We're going up to Wood Haven. Just stopped in for gas and a bite to eat."
"That's wise of ya. This place is ridden with danger."
"Danger?"
"People come here, ain't never come back. Not s'much the town, Forest Green. Not a bad place. It's just got a reputation." He spoke without emotion, as though the haunting feeling within the town had possessed him too. Jim dared to ask, "What sort of reputation? All I've heard is that it's just a ghost town."
The clerk grimaced, Jim assumed he was trying to laugh, "Is that what they say? Boy you outta get out while you can. Forest Green ain't no sanctum. We got ourselves a boogeyman."
"Really." Jim replied, now sure of his decision to leave. When the man handed his change back, he added, "Best get out before night. That's when Jason likes to hunt."
"Jason?"
"Voorhees. Once you know that name, ain't never gonna forget it."
Jim only nodded this time, he knew that this conversation was over. He took his money without another word, departing from the store as quickly as possible. While heading back to the truck, he saw that Rachel, still aloof, had not returned to the vehicle. She and Luke had wandered farther down into the bushes. He could see her firey-red hair bobbing back and forth.
"Rachel, let's go!" He called, but she didn't respond.
Luke had pulled her through the bushes into the snow mounds, where his nose began to sniff heavily in the frost. She stared back up the hill and saw Jim wave to her, she called, "Just a minute!"
Luke began to tug on his leash, "Come on boy we're heading out."
He growled lowly. Rachel stared at him, "Luke what's the matter with you?"
The dog looked up at her wearily with heavy brown eyes as she stroked his neck, "Is there something out there boy?"
Luke let out another pervious growl. His head cocked away from her, staring out into the wilderness that led beyond the gas station. Rachel looked ahead also, wondering what sense he had caught. The winter had caused an unnatural silence, the trees remained still while shadows peaked within the brush. In a quieter tone she asked, "Who do you see?"
There could have been anything –or anyone- lurking beyond where they stood. However Rachel failed to see anything. She took a breath realizing that Luke had probably just sensed a rabbit or deer run by.
She began to turn on her heel, pulling his leash "Luke let's go already-"
When someone grabbed her from behind.
"Jeez it's just me Rach." Jim said. Taking a breath, Rachel said, "I didn't even hear you. Luke got spooked by something, I guess I just let it get me too."
Jim didn't mention his similar feeling.
"Let's get moving, I saw a diner a mile down the road. We can eat and then head on up the mountain."
Rachel nodded and gave a small smile, "Sounds like a plan."
The trio began climbing the bank, Jim leading Rachel by the hand. As they began walking up towards the truck, Luke made more of the same growling fits. Jim and Rachel tried to ignore it at their best, however the feeling that something had been watching them kept sinking into their skin. As Jim loaded the golden into the backseat of the truck, Rachel stood beside him, staring back down to the patch of snow where Luke had led her. The tree had formed a larger shadow, or at least she thought.
Jim turned to her and smiled, "You ready?"
Rachel's eyes met his, "Absolutely."
He headed around the side, opening his door while she got in on her side. A final glance at the patch showed that the shadow had moved again. Maybe there had been something there. She looked away briefly, settling herself in the truck as Jim started the engine. Watching her side-mirror, Rachel froze instantaneously.
Someone walked out from behind the tree.
He was watching them.