Everyone agreed with Ash's plan and began preparing for the coming night. Since Nick and his friends had rented the largest cabin, it was the only building spacious enough to hold every guest at the campground.
Tina found Amanda and Dr. Crews and spread the old newspapers across the living-room table. She pointed toward the reports about Jason Voorhees before hurriedly explaining what happened beside the lake. She told them about the masked man rising from the water and repeated Ash's warning that everyone would be safer if they remained together.
Amanda frowned and placed one hand against Tina's forehead.
"Have you been under too much stress lately? These newspapers are more than ten years old. The stories could have been exaggerated or based on an urban legend."
She looked toward Dr. Crews and silently asked him to support her judgment.
The psychiatrist adjusted his glasses and studied the faded articles. His expression remained cautious as he considered Tina's account.
"Trauma can sometimes create powerful projections and hallucinations," Dr. Crews said. "However, Tina's situation is unusual. It is possible that what she saw was real."
Tina looked at him in surprise.
"Group activities can also help relieve stress and anxiety," he continued. "If staying with the other guests makes Tina feel safer, there is no harm in moving to the larger cabin tonight."
Dr. Crews believed more of Tina's story than he admitted. His entire reason for bringing her back to Crystal Lake had been to activate and study her telekinetic abilities.
He had never focused entirely on treating Tina's trauma. Instead, he deliberately preserved the guilt and fear surrounding her father's death because powerful emotions made her abilities easier to trigger. Provoking her during their sessions was part of his experiment.
Amanda knew nothing about his true motives. Since she still trusted him as a medical professional, his approval ended most of her doubts.
"All right," she said. "We'll stay with the others tonight."
Tina released a quiet breath of relief. Under normal circumstances, her mother would never have believed a story about an undead murderer rising from the lake. For once, Tina's unusual medical history made her warning easier to accept.
Meanwhile, Nick returned to the cabin on the far right and told his friends everything he had learned. He explained Tina's vision, Jason's history, and Ash's claim that leaving Crystal Lake might not prevent the killer from following them.
The young adults listened for several moments before breaking into laughter.
"Since when did you start believing ghost stories?" asked one of the men near the stereo system.
Another guest shook his head.
"We came here for a vacation, not to make some cheap horror movie."
Melissa sat near the center of the room and listened with growing interest. The blonde woman had been watching Nick since they arrived at Crystal Lake and disliked how much attention he gave Tina.
"If Tina, her mother, and the new neighbors want to come over, let them," Melissa said. "This cabin has plenty of space. A bigger party might be more fun."
Everyone casually agreed with her suggestion. None of them believed an undead murderer was stalking the campground, but they had no objection to adding more guests to the party.
Their laughter caused Nick to question what he had heard. He had never seen Jason himself, and Tina's story sounded impossible when repeated aloud.
Even so, the fear on her face and the old newspaper reports remained in his thoughts.
Nick drove into town that afternoon and visited an outdoor-supply store. He bought two shotguns and several boxes of ammunition before returning toward Crystal Lake.
He was still uncertain whether Jason existed, but he preferred wasting money on weapons over discovering the warning was true while completely defenseless. The reports also claimed Jason had pursued survivors after they left the lake, which made simply driving away feel unreliable.
Nick could return home and spend every night wondering whether the masked killer would eventually find him. Staying with a large group and learning the truth seemed safer than facing that fear alone.
On the road back to the campground, Nick spotted a familiar vehicle abandoned along the shoulder.
It belonged to Michael.
Nick stopped and examined the car. The doors were unlocked, no one was inside, and the fuel gauge rested completely on empty.
Michael had reached the area with his girlfriend before the birthday party. If the car ran out of gas, they should have walked the remaining distance to the campground.
Crystal Lake was not far away.
Michael should have arrived hours ago.
Nick stared toward the surrounding forest as Ash's warning returned to his mind. For the first time, he no longer doubted that his cousin was in serious danger.
He loaded the shotguns into his vehicle and drove back to camp with a complicated expression.
Night gradually settled over Crystal Lake. The guests from all three cabins gathered inside Nick's brightly lit rental house before darkness completely covered the forest.
Ash had already expected most of Nick's friends to dismiss the warning. Their reaction was understandable. Without witnessing Jason rise from the lake, he might have considered the story ridiculous as well.
To avoid creating unnecessary panic, Ash wrapped the Remington and his silver greatsword in thick strips of cloth before entering the cabin. The bundles still looked unusual, but he described them as personal luggage that needed to remain close to him.
The young guests accepted the explanation. A few continued glancing toward the long cloth-covered objects, though none were willing to question Ash directly.
Despite everyone gathering beneath one roof, the cabin quickly divided into separate groups. Music filled the main living room as Nick's friends drank, played games, danced, and continued preparing for Michael's birthday.
Ash, Gwen, Heather, Amanda, Tina, and Dr. Crews had little interest in the noisy celebration. They occupied a quieter room on the first floor, where they could still hear the party without standing in the middle of it.
Amanda and Dr. Crews were too old to enjoy the chaotic gathering. Tina remained nervous after Jason's resurrection, while Ash, Gwen, and Heather understood that a killer could attack at any moment.
Ash rested one hand against the cloth covering the Remington. He kept the weapon close enough to uncover and fire within seconds.
After spending time with his friends, Nick remembered Gwen and found an excuse to leave the party. He walked toward the doorway of the quieter room and gave everyone a friendly smile.
"The party is actually pretty good. Are you sure you don't want to join us?"
Although the invitation included the entire group, his attention remained fixed on Gwen.
Gwen exchanged a brief look with Ash before politely shaking her head.
"Thank you, Nick, but we'd rather stay here."
"We're tired from the drive," Heather added. "Resting for a while sounds better."
Nick's disappointment was obvious, but Ash ignored it.
"Your friends don't believe the warning," Ash said. "Make sure you stay alert even while everyone is having fun."
"Right. I understand."
Nick returned to the crowded living room with far less enthusiasm than before.
Melissa noticed his expression the moment he entered. She leaned against the couch and gave him a teasing smile that failed to hide her jealousy.
"What happened? Did our charming host fail to convince the serious guests to join us?"
She glanced toward the hallway leading to the other room.
"Do they still think some killer named Jason is wandering around outside?"
One of the men playing a board game laughed.
"They turned a weekend at the lake into a military operation."
Several others joined in, and the room filled with amused laughter.