(Author's Note: The song featured at the beginning of this chapter is "Beginning of the End" by Spineshank!)

The irritation we're pretending not to show
Has replaced the motivation that I had not long ago

Scooby, Shaggy, Velma, Jessica, and AJ ran into the camp cafeteria, the doors swinging shut behind them. As Jason walked through the doors, a maître d' with shaggy hair stood at a lectern, checking his list. He smiled as he found the reservation for Mister Voorhees. He clapped his hands, summoning a waiter who looked suspiciously like a dog.

I know that
I, I don't ever wanna be the one to make you forget it
I, I don't ever wanna be the one to make you resent it
I, I don't ever wanna be the one to make you repress it
I, I don't ever wanna be, ever wanna be, ever wanna be

The dog waiter took Jason over to his table, and sat him down. Scooby was relieved Jason was going along with this, for now. Jessica came in as a different waiter and pulled out a knife. Quickly, she stabbed Jason's hand with it, securing his hand to the table.

It's the beginning of the end and I don't know where we lost control
It's the beginning of the end and I know that I am all alone

As Jason groaned in pain, Shaggy brought over a comically large metal serving dish. He smiled as he removed the cover, revealing AJ. She took aim and fired a shot at Jason's eye. The killer's head recoiled backward, but then it dropped forward, facing AJ again. She gulped as blood poured from Jason's already damaged eye socket. He yanked his hand off the table and pulled the knife out of his hand, giving Shaggy time to shove the dish cover over his head. AJ used her gun barrel to hit the cover, causing Jason to vibrate uncontrollably.

Interrogation has replaced the trust we had,
Your misguided accusations helping me to turn my back

After Jason threw the dish cover away, Scooby and Jessica threw the table cloth over him to distract him further. Then they all ran for it, Jessica grabbing AJ before she took another shot. Jason let out an angry grunt as he threw the tablecloth away. Then he picked up his machete and gave chase.

I know that
I, I don't ever wanna be the one to make you forget it
I, I don't ever wanna be the one to make you resent it
I, I don't ever wanna be the one to make you repress it
I, I don't ever wanna be, ever wanna be, ever wanna be

The group ran further out into the forest, with Jason hot on their trail. They ran through a clearing full of archery targets, splitting up into two more separate groups to confuse Jason. Velma and AJ ran in one direction, while Shaggy and Scooby ran in another. Jason stopped in the clearing, and the other group of counselors popped out from behind some trees. Fred, Daphne, Chrissie, and Jordan revealed their bows and arrows and Jason was unprepared as they fired arrows at him.

It's the beginning of the end and I don't know where we lost control
It's the beginning of the end and I know that I am all alone

Only some of the arrows ended up in Jason's body- Daphne and Jordan weren't the best shots.

I thought that we would find our way
I thought our life would be okay
I thought that you believed in me
But now it seems so far away

Jason turned around to see some arrows that are now lodged in a tree trunk. He turned back to the counselors with his machete raised. He took a single step before the same tree fell down on top of him, his arms splayed out from underneath. The counselors took the opportunity to run as he pushed the trunk up, spitting out mud and grass from his malformed mouth.

The life we knew before is gone
There is no compromising
The life you save will be your own to find your inner senses

Shaggy and Jessica ran towards the dock, noticing a small boat nearby with an outboard motor. They hopped inside and Shaggy quickly pulled on the chain to try and get it started, looking up worriedly as Jason started heading down the wooden walkway towards them. Before Jason could reach Shaggy and Jessica, someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to see Scooby, who handed him a rope. While Scooby was still holding the other end, he zipped over to the boat as Shaggy started it up. Scooby held onto the rope as the boat sped across the lake, towing Jason into the water.

It's the beginning of the end and I don't know where we lost control
It's the beginning of the end and I know that I am all alone
It's the beginning of the end and I don't know where we lost control
It's the beginning of the end and I know that I am all alone

Shaggy steered the boat left and right, sending Jason flailing in different directions. Attempting to free himself, Jason cut the rope with his machete as the boat made another sharp turn. This sent him skipping across the water, into an abandoned boathouse. A loud crash echoed around the lake as he left a large Jason-shaped hole in the boathouse's wall. Shaggy, Scooby, and Jessica shared a group high-five before steering around and heading back to the dock.

Meanwhile, Velma and AJ continued running through the woods, only stopping to catch their breath. Then, they heard the crash. Velma looked in the direction of the noise, towards the lake. "Do you think they finally… disposed of Jason?"

"We can't be too sure. Let's keep mov-AGH!"

Both AJ and Velma cried out as they fell down a sharp incline, and landed at the bottom near a broken chain-link fence. As they got up, they saw something ahead of them. It appeared to be an old shack.

"Ugh...are you okay, kid?" AJ asked.

Velma lost her glasses as they fell, but she quickly found them nearby herself. She put them back on as she got up. "Yeah… I suppose you wouldn't have been here if you didn't know about that drop."

AJ shook her head. "I never went this far. I always stayed by the camp because I thought Jason never left." Then she reloaded her rifle.

"Hmm..." Velma started piecing things together in her head. "What if he did leave… but he didn't get very far?" She then walked closer to the shack, but made sure AJ was close by. AJ stuck with her, keeping her rifle raised and ready for a surprise attack.

Velma tried to get into the shack the most practical way first: opening the door. It opened with a loud crack and scraped against the ground as Velma opened it, due to its shoddily constructed hinges. The front room was almost barren, coated in a layer of dust and leaves. Many empty cans had been scattered around the floor, as well as the remains of a few woodland animals. There was also a doorway leading into a back room, a flickering light almost beckoning them to come through it.

Velma put a hand over her nose from the smell of death and continued into the back room.

AJ followed her. The two of them gasped at what they found.

A small shrine had been constructed on top of a rock inside the cabin. The rock was stained with blood, and a rotting severed head was placed on top of it. A threadbare sweater had been placed neatly in front of the head, to give the impression that it was still being worn.

"Oh my god," AJ uttered in shock. "Pamela."

Velma stated, "This must be where Jason is living... and you never thought he might leave the premises of the camp? Even to make this creepy shack?"

"He was just a kid at the time. I didn't think he'd know where else to go. I didn't..." AJ trailed off as tears surfaced in her eyes. "I didn't keep him safe. I-It's all my fault."

Velma tilted her head before she realized why AJ was so upset. "Oh… you worked at the camp before it was abandoned."

AJ looked across the cabin to a small photo frame. She walked over to it and took a closer look at the photo inside. She smiled slightly as she examined the image of Pamela Voorhees and her son. Even back then, his face was still deformed, but he looked so happy to have his mother hugging him.

"He was such a sweet kid. He knew that he was different, but he never let it get him down," AJ recalled. "But then I...I screwed up."

Velma also examined the picture as she asked, "How did you screw up...?"

"It was the same day Pamela went crazy. I was looking after Jason by the lake; he really loved to swim. But Kenny, he was another counselor at the camp, me and him decided to… have some fun. We only left Jason alone for a few minutes, but… he must've swam out too far and got scared. When we got back, his mom had already dragged him back to shore. Pamela… sh-she just didn't want to speak to any of us. And when she returned later that night..." AJ trailed off as all of the memories came flooding back to her. She decided to leave out the details of what happened to her friends. "She let me find all of my friends first… a-and then she came after me. I ran to the lake, but she caught up with me. I-I didn't want to kill her but...she would've killed me instead." AJ teared up, covering her mouth in anguish.

"Oh..." was all Velma managed to say. Unsure of what else to do in this situation, she gave AJ a hug to comfort her. AJ accepted the hug, still holding onto the photo. When Velma gave it a closer look, she felt a plan start to form in her head - or at the very least, a distraction for Jason. Pamela looked… sort of like her. And her sweater was right there for the taking.

Once AJ pulled away from the hug, Velma gave her a determined look. "AJ, I have a plan, but we're going to have to find the others first." AJ looked concerned at first, but she listened to Velma's plan.

Meanwhile, the rest of the gang regrouped by the dock.

"Like, I think we've lost him for now," Shaggy said once he had climbed out of the boat.

Scooby looked back to the bathhouse, worried, but Daphne petted him reassuringly. "Hey, I'm sure he can't get up from that. Wait, has anybody seen AJ or Velma?"

"We lost them near the archery range. Did any of you see where they went?" Fred asked.

"Like, no! We were running for our lives!" Shaggy pointed out.

"What if they're in danger?" Jessica asked. "We should go out and search for them."

Scooby shook his head. "Ruh-uh. I'm staying here."

Just after Scooby said this, the floor of the dock exploded behind him. A wet and watery Jason leapt up from beneath the water, prompting the gang to run away. However, Scooby's tail got caught before he could get away, and Jason kept a tight grip on it.

"RAGGY!" Scooby called out for his owner to rescue him. The dog desperately grabbed at the sand around the dock before successfully grabbing a board on the dock to stop Jason from dragging him further.

"ZOINKS!" Shaggy exclaimed. Then he noticed a small harpoon gun propped up against one of the dock supports. "Let go of my pal, double-ugly!" He picked up the harpoon gun and pulled the trigger.

The harpoon hit Jason in the neck, and he released his grip on Scooby. Jason pulled the harpoon out of his neck. Scooby ran over to Shaggy's side, and then the duo ran together. Jason chased the two of them, gripping his machete tightly.

"Guys!" Fred called after them out of worry, but Jason chose to focus on the two of them. Shaggy and Scooby continued running until they tripped on a small white fence, landing face first in wet sand. Once they shake it off, they notice a canoe up ahead.

"Like, get in, Scoob'!" Shaggy insisted. Scooby got in and the two of them paddled for their lives. However, once they got far enough into the lake, they felt a bump beneath the canoe. "Like...w-was that the wind, Scoob'?" Shaggy asked, hoping he had misheard.

Scooby put his oar in the water, wondering, but also fearful, that something would grab at it.

They felt another bump… A fish surfaced from beneath the boat before dipping and diving away.

"Phew! Like for a second, I thought-"

Jason leapt from the water again and slashed at Shaggy, barely grazing his back. Instinctively, Scooby leapt in front of Shaggy and managed to bite Jason's hand. Jason roared and started rocking the boat, prompting Scooby to jump into Shaggy's arms. Shaggy somehow managed to maintain his balance as the boat tilted back and forth.

"Like, I wish I had a Scooby Snack!" Shaggy exclaimed.

"Me too!" Scooby whimpered, but then he looked down. "Wait..." The dog opened his collar tag like a locket and pulled out a single Scooby Snack. "Here, for emergencies."

Shaggy ate the Scooby Snack, chomping it down. Then he smiled widely and his pupils changed into the word CHARGE! before he kicked the boat back into Jason's face. Shaggy ran across the water at high speeds until he reached the sand. However, he left a crater in the sand where he and Scooby stopped, and they both groggily got up.

"Well, that seemed to work," Shaggy said, only to see Jason walking up out of the water. "Oh, come on! Can you teleport or something?!" Shaggy got in front of Scooby protectively and picked up a fallen branch as a weapon. Scooby tried to pull Shaggy away. But before Jason could strike, the mountain of a man-child heard a voice that got his attention.

"Jason...it's me, your mother." The three guys turned to see Velma in Pamela's sweater, without her glasses. She was hoping that with Jason's weird face, his vision would be even worse than hers; that, or he was crazy enough to believe any woman in the sweater was his mom. As Jason looked at her, his angry expression faded away. He slowly walked towards Velma, loosening his grip on his machete.

"Velma, what are you doing?!" Shaggy hissed worriedly.

Velma gave him a look to shut him up before she continued to try and calm Jason down. "That's my boy. Just...kneel down." Jason did so once he got close enough. His machete slipped from his hand and landed on the sand with a wet thud. Velma smiled, half because she still had to act like Pamela, and half in genuine relief. "That's a good boy..."

Scooby and Shaggy then hear something rustling in the bushes. AJ peeked her head out and looked at Shaggy and Scooby while making a shushing motion. The two of them nodded, remaining in place as Velma's plan played out.

Jason reached out to his mother… and Velma tried not to flinch from Jason's touch. His hands were cold and smelled like his shed, but the scent of death was fresher. Velma was not sure how long she could keep up the act, and she was really not sure how long it would be before Jason realized she wasn't his mother. AJ needed to confront Jason soon.

Jason's vision became blurry, and reality began to settle in. As a confused expression appeared on his face, a loud gunshot was heard throughout the woods. The bullet hit Jason in the head, and Jason fell to the side, landing next to Velma.

Velma took a breath of relief as Jason landed next to her. She took off Pamela's sweater, revealing her own sweater just underneath. "Thanks, AJ. I was starting to get scared."

"Like… i-is he dead?" Shaggy asked timidly.

AJ approached the body, cocking her rifle, and she took aim at his head again. "He is now."

Then Jason leapt up.

He grabbed the rifle and moved the barrel aside before AJ could shoot him again. He yanked the gun away from her and shoved the stock into her face, knocking her to the ground. Jason stood over the woman who had killed his mother. He raised the rifle and rammed the gun into her face over and over.

"AJ!" Scooby exclaimed, grabbing onto Jason and trying to pull him off.

Shaggy helped Scooby pull Jason away from AJ, or at least try to. Their combined strength only pushed Jason back slightly. Velma was shocked by Jason springing up only for a moment, before she noticed his machete was still on the ground.

She grabbed the handle with a tight grip and yelled, "GUYS, DUCK!"

Shaggy and Scooby let go of Jason and ducked quickly. Velma slashed through Jason's neck from behind, cutting his head clean off. As Jason's head fell to the ground, his hands reached up as if they were trying to find his head. Shaggy and Scooby screamed in fright as the body lumbered forward… only for its legs to crumple beneath it. Jason's head and body went motionless, not even twitching as Velma stood triumphantly over the killer. She dropped the machete as soon as Jason's body dropped to the ground and came over to AJ.

Velma helped her up and asked, "Are you okay?"

AJ groaned, her face bruised and her nose bleeding. "I'm...okay..." she panted before looking down at Jason's body. Shaggy and Scooby carefully approached the two of them.

Velma pulled one of AJ's arms around her shoulder to support her. Then, Velma looked around the lake. "I guess the others made it back to camp. Hopefully, Jackson's still alive, because we need to get to a hospital now."

AJ nodded. The group began to make their way back towards the camp. It took a little while, but the group was able to alert the authorities and bring them to the campgrounds. The bodies of their dead companions were removed from the scene while the survivors were being questioned by the police. Some of the police felt strange about questioning a dog, but Scooby was willing to answer all their questions, despite his speech impediment making him a little harder to understand. Jackson didn't make it, but the survivors brought AJ to a hospital to spend the night.

Once the police were finished investigating, the Scooby gang slept in the Mystery Machine for safety. Jordan and Chrissie slept in her car until morning.

When they woke up, the two groups sat by the lake and looked out at the shimmering water. It was hard to believe that somewhere this peaceful was a complete nightmare less than a day ago. "So… where do you guys plan on heading?" Jordan asked.

"We'll probably be heading home to Coolsville." Daphne shrugged. "There's not really much to do here. What about you?"

"Well, with Jackson gone, the town needs to band together to sort things out," Jordan said.

"Are...are you guys heading through Hoboken on your way back?" Chrissie asked the gang.

"It's kind of out of the way from here," Daphne replied, "but since your car's tires are out, we can help you get home safe."

"We could just replace the tires," Velma pointed out, but Daphne elbows her for being slightly insensitive.

"Thank you. I...I don't want to be alone right now," Chrissie admitted.

"Like, don't worry about it," Shaggy assured her.

"Hope you have a safe journey," Jordan bid.

"You too," Scooby said as the others got ready to leave. Once the Mystery Machine was packed up, Fred attached Chrissie's car to the hitch. The Scooby gang drove off towards the rising sun.