The movement Ash heard came from outside the cabin. Instead of opening the door and exposing himself, he moved silently toward the nearest window and looked across the campground.
Warm yellow light still glowed through the windows of Amanda Shepard's cabin. Tina had somehow slipped outside and was standing near the edge of Crystal Lake. She appeared to be shouting at the water, though the distance prevented Ash from hearing her words or clearly seeing her expression.
Her body language revealed enough. Tina looked furious, frightened, and overwhelmed by grief.
The lake had been completely calm until bubbles suddenly rose near the shore. The water began churning in front of Tina as though something enormous were moving beneath the surface.
A massive hand burst from the lake.
Mud covered the rotting skin, while a damaged hockey glove remained wrapped around it. The hand struck the shoreline before the rest of the figure forced itself out of the water.
Jason Voorhees rose from Crystal Lake.
Water poured from his mountain-like body and soaked the torn clothing hanging from his frame. An old hockey mask covered his face, its surface marked by scratches, cracks, and years of dirt.
The moon briefly emerged from behind the clouds and illuminated him.
Tina stumbled backward in terror. Her legs gave out beneath her, and she collapsed near the shore before becoming completely still.
Jason did not attack her.
He stepped out of the lake without even looking at the unconscious girl. His heavy boots struck the wet ground as he moved toward the surrounding forest.
Before disappearing among the trees, Jason stopped.
His masked face slowly turned toward Ash's cabin.
The empty eyeholes seemed to settle directly on Ash despite the darkness and distance between them. Jason stared for several seconds as though he could sense the person watching him.
Then he entered the forest and vanished.
Ash remained beside the window with countless questions moving through his mind. Jason had not simply awakened on his own. Something Tina did near the lake had pulled him from the water.
What kind of power could resurrect a corpse like Jason Voorhees?
Amanda and Dr. Crews rushed from their cabin several minutes later, probably after realizing Tina had disappeared. Their timing was fortunate. Had they arrived earlier, they would have walked directly into Jason's path.
They found Tina unconscious near the shoreline and hurried toward her. Amanda knelt beside her daughter while Dr. Crews checked her breathing and pulse.
Tina slowly regained consciousness after Amanda shook her shoulder. She immediately looked around in panic and asked whether they had seen the man who came out of the lake.
Neither adult understood her.
Amanda assumed Tina was thinking about her dead father again. Dr. Crews appeared to reach the same conclusion, and together they helped her back toward the cabin.
Ash remained at the window and continued watching.
Not long afterward, Nick left the cabin on the far right and crossed the campground. He walked straight to Tina's porch and knocked on the door.
Someone allowed him inside, and several minutes later he emerged with Tina beside him. Nick led her toward the cabin where his friends were still holding their party.
Ash shook his head.
"Young people really do have endless energy."
He was only eighteen himself, but the past several weeks made him feel much older.
Music and laughter grew louder after Tina joined the party. The lively atmosphere continued until she suddenly rushed outside and ran back toward her own cabin.
Ash did not know what frightened her. He only watched until she safely entered the middle house.
The campground gradually became quiet after that. The party continued late into the night, but even Nick's friends eventually stopped playing music and went to sleep.
Ash remained awake until morning.
His enhanced body showed no signs of fatigue, and he refused to lower his guard after personally witnessing Jason's resurrection. The undead killer was somewhere inside the surrounding forest, which meant every person at the campground was already in danger.
Ash relaxed slightly when dawn arrived. Based on what he remembered from the movies, Jason preferred hunting after dark. Daylight did not make the campground completely safe, but most victims encountered him at night or after wandering into an isolated place.
After a simple breakfast, Ash told Gwen and Heather everything he had witnessed.
Heather immediately looked thoughtful.
"I knew there was something unusual about Tina."
"You were right," Ash admitted. "I'm going to ask her what she did beside the lake."
He turned toward Gwen.
"You're coming with us."
Jason was unlikely to attack in broad daylight, but Ash had no intention of leaving his sister alone. Separating was still one of the quickest ways to die at Crystal Lake.
Gwen agreed without complaint. The three left their cabin together and crossed the campground toward Amanda's house.
Nick was already standing outside when they arrived. He seemed to be waiting for Tina and turned toward the approaching group.
His attention immediately settled on Gwen.
"Who's this?"
Gwen offered him a polite smile.
"I'm Gwen, Ash's sister. I was sleeping when everyone met yesterday."
Nick's eyes briefly widened. Heather was just as beautiful, but she was clearly close to Ash. Gwen's gentle appearance and calm personality also seemed more suited to Nick's preferences than Heather's bold Gothic style.
"It's nice to meet you," Nick said. "The party was pretty good last night. Too bad you missed it."
He smiled and gestured toward the lake.
"We're planning to go fishing today. You should come with us."
Nick possessed an outgoing personality and seemed willing to act immediately whenever someone caught his interest. He had repeatedly invited Tina to join his group because he liked her, and Gwen's arrival clearly attracted his attention as well.
Ash silently raised an eyebrow.
Before he could respond, the front door opened with a quiet creak.
Tina leaned partially outside.
Her eyes were red and swollen, while exhaustion covered her pale face. She had clearly slept very little after returning from the party.
Tina first gave Nick a weak smile. Her gaze then moved toward Ash and Heather before stopping on Gwen with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.
Nick immediately turned toward her.
"Tina, we're heading down to the lake. The weather's perfect, so why don't you come with us?"
Tina hesitated.
She appeared tempted by the invitation. After the previous night, she clearly needed someone willing to listen, and Nick had already shown genuine concern for her.
Before she could accept, Ash spoke.
"Tina, we need to talk about what happened beside the lake last night."
Her expression changed instantly.
"You saw it?"
"If you mean the man who climbed out of the water, then yes."
Tina tightened both hands around the doorframe. The exhaustion in her eyes gave way to urgent hope.
She turned toward Nick.
"I'm sorry. I need to talk to Ash and the others first."
Tina opened the door wider and motioned for Ash, Gwen, and Heather to enter.
Nick's smile weakened. Tina was clearly more interested in Ash's statement than his invitation, and he did not want to be dismissed without understanding what was happening.
He glanced briefly at Gwen before stepping closer.
"Are you all right? I was worried when you ran out of the party last night. If something happened, maybe I can help."
Tina looked at him with genuine gratitude.
"You can come inside too."
Amanda and Dr. Crews were not in the cabin. Tina led the four visitors upstairs and brought them into her bedroom.
The room was not large, and five people made it feel crowded. Ash and Heather sat near the bed, while Gwen took a chair beside them. Nick remained close to Tina and watched her with concern.
Once everyone settled, silence filled the room.
Ash decided not to waste time.
"What exactly did you do beside the lake last night?"
Tina wrapped both arms around herself.
Ash leaned forward slightly.
"I watched the water start moving after you shouted at it. Then Jason Voorhees rose from the lake."
Tina's face became even paler.
Nick looked between them in complete confusion. He had not witnessed what happened by the shore and clearly did not understand why they were discussing a man emerging from beneath Crystal Lake.
Tina tightened her fingers around her arms as though trying to stop herself from trembling.
For the first time since Jason's resurrection, someone believed what she had seen.