A Jeep drove down the quiet back road; the first vehicle that Jessica had spotted since exiting the oversized truck. She wasn't in a major rush to get to Crystal Lake and the temperatures were pushing ninety degrees so she didn't feel the need to overexert herself. Without thinking much of it, she waved a hand at the car and to her surprise, the Jeep pulled to a halt on the side of the road.
No way, she thought.
Jessica adjusted the straps on her oversized backpack and jogged up to the Jeep, pulling the door open with enthusiasm. She hopped up into the passenger seat.
"Hey, thanks," she greeted, "I'm going to Camp Crystal Lake."
The car began to drive before Jessica was able to shut the door behind her.
"In a rush?" she laughed and smiled at the driver, toying with her hair. "It's not far."
The driver didn't reply, not look at her.
Jessica sighed to herself and glanced out the passenger window. A sign for Camp Crystal Lake with an arrow referring to a side road whipped by them.
"Hey," she said, pressing her eyebrows together, "Wasn't that the road for Camp Crystal Lake back there?"
The driver sped up, pressing the pedal even harder.
Jessica felt her throat tighten as the trees on her right whizzed by her with more ferocity.
"I think we better stop," she suggested with no luck. After a short bout of silence she added, "Please?"
The Jeep cruised faster over the concrete.
"Stop," Jessica said more frantically, "Please, stop." Her heart began to thud out of her chest as she glanced back and forth between the driver and the door handle. The trees were like a blur. She didn't know what to do. "Please..." she said the word one last time, recognizing no trace of sympathy on the driver's face. With that, she flung open the door and took a moment before leaping out of the speeding car toward scattered leaves by the edge of the woods.
The next fifteen seconds were a blur.
What just happened? she thought.
Jessica took in a heavy deep breath and recognized the pain brewing in both of her legs. She stood, fear registering in her chest when she re-recognized the immediate danger she was in.
"Ow!" she said aloud, when her ankle nearly gave out beneath her outweighing the stinging sensation that rippled up and down both of her road-rashed arms.
A screeching sound made her head snap up, and the Jeep began to barrel toward where she stood in reverse.
Jessica's eyes widened and she began to limp into the woods, moving as swiftly as she could away from her potential attacker.
This isn't happening, she thought, that man was right. Something is wrong with Camp Crystal Lake!
She struggled, but pushed on, using trees as leverage to push herself forward. Jessica looked around the woods ahead of her and then over her shoulder. Blood trickled down her arms, but she didn't notice it. The pain that lingered in her legs and ankle was far worse.
No one around.
She hobbled on, looking over her shoulder as she went before tripping over a stray root that hovered above the ground at the base of a tall oak tree. Her hands landed in the dirt, just inches away from a pair of black boots and she gulped, looking upward before staggering to her feet.
"No," she said quietly, recognizing the driver, "No, please... no, no-"
A knife swiped through the air, connecting with the flesh on the front of her throat.
Jessica felt her back hit against a tree. Her hands clasped over her neck and she collapsed to the forest floor.
...
Back at camp...
"So, it's cool to bunk here?" Jacob glanced around an empty room with bunk beds and tossed his bags onto the lower bunk.
"You might be taking the top one," Bella told him, "If the three of us are sharing this room for the next two weeks until the campers get here."
Carlisle, Esme, Emmett and Rosalie all filtered into the room upon hearing the conversation and showing the three of them around.
"The choices are getting slim unfortunately," Emmett told them, "Unless you want to take one of the camper cabins for yourself." He eyed Rosalie, "Actually... that wouldn't be a terrible idea."
She smiled and rolled her eyes, "I think it's a good idea for all of us to get to know each other a little bit. Besides, we have a room of our own."
"The master suite I presume?" Jacob joked. He plopped down on the bottom mattress. "Where are the sheets?"
"Oh, I um actually took it upon myself to do some laundry," Esme explained, "I tossed in all the linens in the hall closet. Who knows how long they've been sitting there." She made a face.
Jacob nodded, "Well, thanks."
"Yeah," Bella added with a nod of her own.
"Thanks," Edward echoed. He smiled at Esme, "I guess we owe ya one huh?"
Esme shook her head and grinned, "It's fine. I think we all needed it." She leaned into Carlisle.
Jacob looked around the room as everything registered in his mind, "Great..." he said, "Three couples and me."
"Supposedly there's a few single chicks coming," Emmett told him.
"How do you know?"
"There's a list of employees on the counter in the kitchen. If you look, it shows Rose and I paired off, these two paired off," he motioned to Carlisle and Esme, "And the three of you in a group."
Everyone focused their attention on him as he continued.
"So there's a chick Jess who's coming to cook, which is killer because we won't have to." He laughed to himself, "And then there's a guy Mike, and it is 2015 Jacob so no judgment if you try to pursuit that."
Edward and Bella chuckled and Jacob rolled his eyes.
Emmett snickered, "And then there's another girl named..." He eyed the ceiling as he struggled to think of her name.
Rosalie snapped her fingers the name registered in her mind, "Leah." She winked at Emmett.
"Leah," he repeated, "That's right. Jake, maybe you can swoon one of the two missing ladies. They were all placed individually on the list."
Jacob shrugged, seeming to be flirting with the idea, "We shall see." He laid back flat onto the bed and toyed with the strap of one of his bags.
"In the mean time," Bella told him, "Hit the top bunk. That bottom one is bigger and made for two."
"No hanky panky while I'm in here please."
"At least until he goes to sleep," Emmett added with a laugh, making Rosalie giggle. He nudged Carlisle, "Least all of us have our own rooms, am I right?" He held up a hand and Carlisle chuckled lightly, tentatively giving him a high-five.
He glanced at Esme and raised his eyebrows, but gave another laugh when he saw her wide smile.
Esme glanced at Edward, "I think the two of you are with us for some afternoon set-up jobs."
"I saw that." Edward grinned and slung an arm around Bella. "Are we painting some lifeguard stations down by the lake?"
"On the north side," Carlisle told him. "I hear there are stories about that side of the lake..." His voice trailed off.
"Wait, what?" Bella asked, "Really? Like all that Camp Blood stuff?"
Carlisle snickered, prompting Emmett to laugh louder as he caught on that Carlisle was joking.
Esme hit him lightly in the chest and shook her head, and then looked at Bella. "Ignore him."
Bella let her serious expression fade and then laughed and collapsed into Edward.
"I'm sorry," Carlisle told her, "I'm not much of a joker. I apologize."
Bella laughed again, "No, it's fine. I think all of these scary stories are a kind of fun."
"Until it gets dark," Jacob mocked, still laying flat on his back staring up at the top bunk.
Edward snickered, but nodded, "He has a point."
"Well then I guess you don't like when I cower and cuddle up next to you at night," she shot back.
"Ooooh." Emmett put a hand over his mouth and chuckled loudly. "Alright kids. I'm going to try to blow out as much of this work as I can before sundown. I some beer vacationing in a cooler in my car."
"What about Steve?" Edward asked.
"What about him? We're 21... well, some of us are."
"We won't tell if you won't," Rosalie added, "Besides, this is just training. Have to get it out of our systems before the kids show in a few weeks."
Jacob rose to his feet and grinned. "I'm in." He glanced at Edward and Bella, "Five hours of sweat deserves a brew or two."
Emmett held out a hand and Jacob gave him a man-hug, high-five in one, using his other hand to smack his back as he did so.
"Let's check out this list." Jacob smiled and headed into the kitchen with Rosalie and Emmett.
Carlisle looked at Bella, "Sorry about the joke," he said with a snicker.
"No worries," she assured him, smiling back.
"Ready to paint?" Esme asked the new couple.
Edward nodded and ran a hand up and down Bella's back. "Yup."
"It's very nice to meet you both," she added, "We're new here too, but if there's anything you need let us know."
Carlisle nodded in agreement.
"Thanks," Edward and Bella said at the same time.
The two of them stood in silence for a moment before Carlisle made the first move to exit the room.
"Should be a good couple of weeks," Bella commented to no one in particular.
Esme nodded, "Yeah. I think it'll be a lot of fun."
"If we survive," Edward teased, "This place has to be called Camp Blood for a reason."
Bella smiled up at him an Carlisle chuckled again.
Esme linked her hand with his, and the four of them exited the cabin, making their way toward a wooded path that lead to the north side beach where their painting tasks awaited.