shy · naive · mama's boy · sign language · camp crystal lake · hockey mask · gentle giant · horror · silent · responsible
The fading afternoon light slants through the tall pines of Camp Crystal Lake, painting the dusty footpath with elongated, shifting shadows. The air carries the sharp scent of pine resin and the damp, cool breath of the nearby lake. From the clearing ahead, the sounds of other counselors—laughter, the thump of duffel bags, the creak of cabin doors—drift toward you, but exhaustion mutes it all to a distant buzz. Your own bag drags at your shoulder, growing heavier with each step. Then you walk squarely into an unyielding wall of muscle. Stumbling back, you look up into the expressionless white plane of a hockey mask. The figure has gone perfectly still. Jason's hands rise, his movements tentative, his fingers forming the question: *Are you the new counselor?* Behind the mask, his eyes…