The hot water felt soothing against Stephanie Johnson's skin. Even though it was now fixed, Stephanie still had a lot of preparation to do. The tourist season officially began next week, and she was still awaiting some shipments. She worried about Jacob and the boys in Philadelphia. She knew the trip would be especially hard on Jacob, as his mother Alice was buried in Philadelphia. They were staying with an old friend, Dr. Neil Gordon. She was hoping that her sons would not be too rambunctious. But mainly, she worried about the guests she was entertaining tonight—the very reason why she sent her husband and children away in the first place.

As she waited for her hair to dry, Stephanie nervously dragged a cigarette. Her mother Jessica was probably rolling over in her grave. She did not get lung cancer from breathing the fresh Crystal Lake air after all. But then, there were worse ways of dying. Take Stephanie's father Steven Freeman for instance. His head was crushed to a bloody pulp by Jason Voorhees right before her eyes. Thankfully, her mother was not there to witness it. There was a downfall to being a Freeman or a Kimble. It did not distill the tainted Voorhees bloodline. Through a Voorhees was he born, and through a Voorhees may he be reborn. And only by the hands of a Voorhees will he die. Stephanie still had a scar on her chin from the last time she had battled Jason Voorhees.

That was twelve years ago—when Stephanie was barely eighteen. Tommy Jarvis and Tina Shepard were the others left standing after the battle. They had lost Rennie Wickham, who was murdered by Freddy Krueger's daughter Kathryn. Out of the blue, Stephanie received a call from Tina. Well, it was not completely unexpected. Stephanie felt the tremors in the spirit world, for she was psychically connected to Jason Voorhees. Even Jacob felt something. That was the benefit of being married to the Dream Master. Jason Voorhees's body had disappeared, and there was no question that he would resurface again someday. Stephanie felt something stirring in her soul, and it frightened her.

The conservation began civilly. At first, both women talked about their children. Stephanie found it hard to envision Tina as Mrs. Williams. Who would have known that Ash Williams would have settled down? But then, Tina was not a normal woman—not with her telekinetic abilities.

"You're the key Stephanie," said Tina, "You're a Voorhees. If we all gather our energies together, we might be able to find his whereabouts and stop him for good."

"Like what she had proposed," responded Stephanie. Stephanie could not say her name. She initially identified herself as Maggie Burroughs, and later unveiled herself as Kathryn Krueger. Stephanie held Kathryn responsible for Alice's death as well.

"She had a point, despite being a psychotic bitch," said Tina.

"It's been years, Tina," said Stephanie, as she shook her head, "I don't know if I want to do this again."

"We might have a better chance this time," said Tina, "When…she…was gathering the survivors together, there were some that actually said no. This time, they're saying yes."

Later on, Stephanie would learn their names: Patricia Sampson (formerly Trish Jarvis), Christine Reynolds (formerly Chris Higgins), Virginia Turner (formerly Ginny Fields), Pam Roberts, and Reginald Baker.

"What about Tommy…will he be coming too?" asked Stephanie.

"Tommy is different now, Stephanie," said Tina. "He's settled down…with another survivor no less. Her name is Megan. Ash is coming too, so you don't have to worry about Tommy."

Stephanie recalled her last encounter with Tommy. She's one of them, Ash. You can't trust her. She's every bit of a killer than him.

A sudden crash awoke Stephanie from her trance. She rushed to her living room, and discovered that a picture fell from the mantel. As she gathered the broken frame together, Stephanie cut herself on the glass. Wincing from the pain, she scrambled to find something to stop the bleeding. In her panic, Stephanie did not notice the drop of blood that fell on Jacob's face.

As she applied pressure to her finger, Stephanie heard the knock on the door. Tying the handkerchief, she peeked hesitantly through the side window.

Stephanie opened the door.

"Hello, Tommy."

"Hello, Stephanie."