Jason.Endgame. Part III

Back to Normal

Three days after the visit with Helms, Lucy has now decided that "back to normal" means doing what she would be doing if nothing had ever happened. Prior to her father dying and the dominoes falling in her life, Lucy took a morning jog every day, and on work days would go to work. She had a couple of friends she could always count on and Kyle was always there to treat her to movies, dancing, dinner, and other fun things. Her days with Kyle were now over and the double funeral for him and his mother went as well as could be expected. Now it was time to normalize.

Lucy laces up her running shoes for the first time in weeks and hits the road. Her earbuds keep the music playing as she tries not to think about the unpleasantness of the previous month. Occasional thoughts of her mom, dad and Kyle come into her head, but she tries to ignore them and focus on better things like her job. Today would be the first day back since her trip with Kyle. Her friend Danielle was at the funeral and had gotten part of the story, but still was out of the loop on many things. Today she would fill her in on everything she missed.

BAM! A car side-swipes Lucy bumping her into the ditch running parallel to the road. SCREECH! The car comes to a stop. The young man, Eric, and his girlfriend, Stacey, are shocked.

“Shit! Fuck!” Eric shouted.

“Fuck, Eric, what was that? My head.” Stacey said.

“Dammit, Stace, we just hit someone.”

“What?! Shit! Where are they? I don't see anyone.”

Stacey is holding her head which is pounding from hitting her head on the bottom of the steering wheel.

“She went into the ditch. Oh, shit, Stace!”

“Well, we gotta go try and find her. She could be okay.”

“No. No. We will just go. No one is around. Let's just go.”

“What? No, Eric, we can't just leave her.”

“We have to. Shit, you know I can't get in trouble for this. I'll lose my scholarship. My dad will go fucking bananas.”

“It was an accident.”

“Yeah, but I was a bit distracted at the time.”

Stacey looks at Eric disgusted.

“I didn't hear you complaining.”

Eric feels a little bad about the comment, but starts the car anyway.

“We're leaving.”

As Eric puts the car into gear he looks up and him and Stacey both see a huge man standing in front of the car looking off the edge of the road.

“Shit, Eric! Are you gonna just hit everyone on the road today?!”

Eric ignores her. He is concerned that the man might have seen the accident. He puts the car in park and gets out.

“Sir. Did you see what happened here?”

The man turns and looks at Eric, revealing his hockey mask and the massiveness of his body. Eric looks at Stacey.

“What are you waiting for? Get the fuck in here and let's go!” Stacey says.

Eric hops in the car, slams the door and puts the car into gear. As he slams on the gas, Jason's arm pounds through the glass window grabbing Eric by the neck. Jason rips Eric through the window as the car jerks forward. Erics neck is broken from hitting the edge of the window as his body was forced through the small opening. Stacey tries to move over to the driver's seat to get control of the car. Jason helps her by catching up with the car and stopping it himself.

Jason looks at Stacey through the cracked windshield. Stacey starts to cry. Fear causes her entire body to tremble. Jason's eyes are fixated on her as if he has but one desire; to tear her apart. Panicking, Stacey opens the passenger door and runs. Jason lets her run. He focuses his attention on Lucy. He walks down to where she landed. She is unconscious, but alive. Her body doesn't seem to have any broken bones. He carries her away.

Jason's Place

Lucy awakens in a wood cabin that is missing most of the roof and only has three walls intact. There are feathers all over the floor and a wooden table in the middle of the cabin. The bed she is on smells like rat, but the view of the wooded valley below is amazing. She can see the forest through the missing wall which extends as far as she can see. Whatever the condition of the cabin, the view was spectacular.

She tries to stand, but her leg is pretty sore. She grabs a support beam that is holding up what is left of the roof and pulls herself to her feet. She limps toward the opening and steps out onto the forest floor. She looks to the right to see Jason putting logs into a fire pit. He turns and looks at her. His cold eyes are completely gone in this moment. Lucy can't even see an ounce of killer in his eyes.

He walks toward her, slowly. Lucy isn't scared. He could have killed her many times before. She knew this wasn't his intention. He stops within arms reach of Lucy and looks at her with tears in his eyes.

“Why do you look so sad,” Lucy asks.

Jason's eyes only well up more. Lucy wants to know more about him. She is curious about this mad man who seems to be all mush around her. She reaches toward his mask. Jason jerks back a little.

“Please. I want to see the man, not the monster.”

Jason looks down for a moment, thinking about her request. He lifts the mask from his face revealing the scars, tumors, ratty hair, nose bent out of shape from years of assault. Lucy isn't disgusted by him. She reaches up to touch his face. She caresses his cheek. It is the first time anyone has done that to him since he was a young child and his mother tried to comfort him.

“You aren't a monster.”

Jason's tears start to pour more as he puts his mask back on.

“You brought me here. You saved me. Why?”

Jason starts walking toward the ramshackle cabin. He goes by the bed where a little nightstand sits. He opens the drawer and takes out a picture frame and hands it to Lucy. She can't believe the picture. It is Jason as a young child sitting in his mother's lap. Looking at Jason's mother, Lucy can't believe the resemblance. She looks almost identical to his mother.

“Jason. Oh my God.”

Lucy begins to tear up. Does Jason think she is his mother? Or maybe he just protects her because she looks so much like her. Either way, this goliath has shown her that he is no monster.

An hour later, after spending time sitting with one another, Lucy feels she needs to go home. Jason points to her leg ensuring it is okay to walk. He grabs a wooden walking stick from the cabin. He made the walking stick years ago, but had no need for it. He gives it to Lucy.

The Walking Stick

Days and nights get lonely in the woods of Crystal Lake. Most nights, Jason loves the silence. He has often played a game where he pretends he is a spaceman. The stars sometimes are so clear that they reflect off the water in an endless pattern of twinkling lights. Jason has a left over camp canoe that he paddles out into the center of the lake on nights like that. In the middle of the lake he floats, but it feels like he is floating in space. He wonders if he could ever really do that. He will one day.

On the way home to his cabin on one of his spaceman nights Jason stumbled over a stick. Stumbling is not something that is typical of Jason, but on those nights, his head feels so light that the rest of his body sometimes takes time to adjust making him clumsy. Jason felt inspired to take the stick and make something out of it. When he got to his cabin he immediately began to trim it down, clear the bark off of it and sand it down. He didn’t have any stain, but he did have some paint nearby that he found in the counselor storage area. The paint was old, but still useable. He gave the stick a good coat of black. When it was dry, he added dots to make it look like the stars.

Out of the Woods

The two walk through the woods. Jason knows every inch of the area. Within ten minutes they have arrived at Camp Crystal Lake. An old tool shed is still left standing. Jason leads Lucy there. He opens the shed revealing rakes, shovels, hammers and other tools which Jason has kept in almost perfect condition over the years. There are also two machetes with perfectly sharp blades hanging on the wall right behind a motorcycle which Jason has also kept running.

Jason pulls the motorcycle from the shed and motions for her to ride.

“I'm sorry, no. I don't ride. I mean, I used to ride, but I don't anymore.”

Jason hands her the keys to the bike. Lucy takes a few seconds to think about it. She looks at Jason.

“Well, I gotta get home somehow, huh?”

Jason points to the road which is obscured by trees. She looks at Jason and succumbs to her urge to hug him although she doesn't understand why. Jason tears up again as they embrace. Lucy hops on the bike and heads toward the road. Jason watches, then looks at the machetes hanging in the shed.

The motorcycle ride through the scenic views surrounding Crystal Lake was amazing. Arriving home makes is bittersweet for Lucy. She actually enjoyed her time in the woods with Jason. Still, reality sets in as she has to figure out what is next. She calls into work to let them know what happened and that she can still work, but she would be a little late because of the car accident. Then she feels the need to call Helms.

Helms is at his desk looking at the security cam footage of Jason. He is amazed at Jason's strength. His phone rings and Lucy is on the other end of the line. She explains to him what happened with Jason and how she looks exactly like his mother. Nothing in Jason's history says anything about having such an affinity for his mother, but it makes sense to him. After disconnecting with Lucy, Helms immediately goes and talks with Doug.

“Wow! He is protecting her because she looks like his mom? That's crazy. Is this the first time he has ever met someone that looks like Pamela,” Doug asks.

“I guess. At least it is the first documented time.”

“This is a breakthrough. We've never known where he is going to be so apprehending him has never been a real possibility, but now…now we know he will be watching her. We could tail her. See where she goes and see if we can find him,” Doug says.

“Very true. I wonder if she would cooperate. She seemed reluctant to tell me things this time. I think she is starting to sympathize a little with Jason.”

“Hmm. Well, see if you can get her cooperation. I think we could set something up easier if she is on our side. But, otherwise, we still need to follower her.”

Helms agrees.

Lucy goes to work at the diner where she is greeted with a hug by Julie, her co-worker.

“Oh my God! I'm so glad you're okay.”

There is only one table with customers so the two have a moment to talk. Lucy fills Julie in on her time with Jason. Lucy’s passion about Jason confuses Julie. Lucy talks about him like he is a normal person instead of a psycho killer.

“Luce…I get that he saved your life and stuff, but he is a serial killer. He's killed over a hundred people,” Julie says.

“Yeah, I know. I'm not saying he is a great guy or anything, just that he may have been a little misunderstood over the years.”

“Misunderstood? Well, maybe, but I'm still not gonna invite him over for coffee.”

They both chuckle at the obvious joke and Julie goes to see if her customer needs anything. Lucy sits at the counter for a minute waiting for customers. The bell rings signifying someone has entered the restaurant. Lucy gets up and looks at the door. Helms enters. He looks at Lucy, smiles and then walks to the counter and sits at a stool. Lucy walks around the counter and greets him.

“Here to eat, or is this official business,” Lucy inquires.

“A little of both. What's good here?”

“The special is salisbury steak today. I think you'd like it. You’re a detective so maybe you can tell me what’s in it.”

Helms chuckles and goes ahead and orders one hoping Lucy was actually joking.

“So, what's your official business,” Lucy asks after putting in his order.

“We want to set up a sting with you and Jason. Since he is wanting to protect you, we want to put you in a situation where it will look like you are in danger. It will draw Jason out and we will apprehend him.”

Lucy feels a sense of dread at the thought of it.

“You want water or something else to drink?”

Helms can tell that Lucy isn't sure about the plan.

“Water is fine. Lucy, I know it seems like you are betraying him, but remember, he is going to kill people. Regardless of how much he may be protecting you…he is a killer.”

“He killed my boyfriend and his mother. I know he's a killer.”

Lucy goes to get his water. She brings it back and sits it on the counter in front of Helms.

“Someone will get hurt you know. Anyone you have to try and hurt me and he'll kill them. You won't be able to stop him.”

“Let us worry about that. We can handle it.”

“No you can't, Detective. Look, I know you want to catch him, but Jason isn't going to be caught…not alive anyway. I'm not going to help you. I don’t want those police officer’s deaths on my shoulders. You'll have to find another way. Sorry.”

Helms is disappointed, but he really enjoys the salisbury steak.

“Really good, huh,” Lucy says.

“The best salisbury steak I’ve every had,” Helms says. He wipes his mouth and then jokes.

“Your mystery meat must be ferret, huh?”

Lucy gives Helms a strange look, understanding his reference the crossword puzzle at the convenient store, but not seeing how it was funny. Helms was never great at humor. After leaving, Helms calls Doug and tells him they will have to do things the hard way.

Ambush

Lucy drives her motorcycle in the alleyway behind her apartment. Pulling up to the garage she sees Jason standing there. She parks her bike and gets off. His eyes look sad again.

“Jason, what's wrong?”

Jason looks down and sighs. He reached behind his back and grabs the handle of his machete and slowly lifts it from its leather case. As he draws it above his head and starts to lower it in front of him, an officer hidden behind a nearby dumpster fires a shot which hits Jason in the ribs. Other officers come from around various corners surrounding Jason and Lucy.

Doug runs and grabs Lucy for protection and pulls her into an open garage bay.

“No! Jason,” Lucy shouts.

The other officers open fire on Jason. Bullets hit him all over his body. Jason falls to the ground. Helms jumps up and yells to the officers to stop firing. After the gunfire ceases, Helms sends an officer out to check the body. The officer creeps out slowly looking for signs of life. Jason doesn't appear to be breathing and definitely not moving. His gun is steady pointed at Jason's head as he nears. He bends down to remove the mask. As he bends down, Jason grabs the baton situated on the officers belt and rips it off slinging the officer against the side of a wall.

Officers start firing once again. Jason throws the baton at one of the officers breaking his arm and causing him to drop his weapon. With only three officers still firing, Jason runs and grabs the officer he just injured and uses him as a shield while he rushes toward another officer. He collides with him forcing him into the air while still firing. His bullets continue as he turns in midair and some rounds hit the other officer knocking him to the ground. Jason is tired, but with one officer still firing he reaches for Lucy's walking stick which was still on her bike. He heaves it in the officer's direction penetrating through the middle of his neck instantly killing him.

Helms is looking at the massacre wondering what to do as he sees Doug pull out his revolver and put it to Lucy's head.

“Doug! What the hell are you doing,” Helms yells to Doug.

“Stay on the ground! You get up and I'll kill her.”

Doug knows that he can use Lucy as a hostage. Jason wouldn’t dare risk her life. He tries moving toward Helms..

“Stay down,” Doug yells.

He continues moving as Lucy sees Jason start to take off his mask.

“Stay on the ground. Don't do anything stupid.” Doug yells again.

Jason looks at Lucy with his mask off. Lucy sees Jason's eyes and immediately knows what she needs to do. She steps back and flips Doug over her back giving Jason the opportunity to throw his mask which flies at Doug's tumbling body. While Doug's back is exposed to Jason's mask, the mask penetrates his backbone, severing the spinal cord. Doug lands on his back forcing the mask even deeper. His lungs collapse and life leaves his body with his last breath.

Helms is stunned and feels like he can't move. Jason stands and his wounds are almost completely healed. He walks over to Lucy to make sure she is okay. She gives Jason a hug. Helms is speechless as he sees the serial killer embrace her.

After a moment Jason brings Lucy over to the machete which is waiting patiently on the ground where Jason dropped it. He picks it up and hands it to Lucy.

“What? Are you giving this to me,” Lucy asks.

Jason kneels on both knees in front of Lucy. His eyes are filled with tears as the pain from all the souls he has taken starts to pour out. He bows his head.

“No. Jason. No.”

Helms is confused. He continues to stand there watching the scene unfold as if he is watching a movie. Jason looks back at Lucy. The sadness in his eyes shows her that she must do it. She must end him. Lucy bends down with tears in her eyes and strokes his cheek and whispers to him.

“If this must be done, may it be done in love and not in hate.”

After a brief moment she jumps in the air, raises the weapon and slices through Jason’s neck. His muddy blood splatters and his head falls to the ground as she lands beside his body. As Jason's body goes limp to the ground, Lucy closes her eyes as a mixture of tears and blood fill her eyes.

Aftermath

After Jason's death, Lucy is questioned by Helms, but the murder of Jason is not going to be charged against her. The other officers deaths are attributed to Jason. A week later, Lucy is ready to restart her life. With her motorcycle and walking stick, she drive to Blue Acres to retrieve her mother. After everything she has been through, Lucy wants to start fresh. Unfortunately, her mother is still not responsive to any stimulation and seems to be checked out of life. Lucy decides to take her out of the facility and take her home.

Lucy is much stronger than she was. Everything that happened made her strong both emotionally and physically. She noticed that her strength increased shortly after Jason's death. Her ability to heal also increased. The blood that seeped into her eyes from Jason must have mixed and bonded with hers. She feels good, healthy, happy. Having her mother at home feels right. Lucy feeds her mother some tomato soup for dinner. It was always one of her favorites.

Lucy picks up the bowl to go put away. She leans over and gives her mother a hug and whispers to her.

“Thank you, mother. This must be done, but know that it is done with love.”

Lucy pulls her mother's head up by her hair and slices her head off with a machete.