Revised Edition

DEAD BY NIGHTFALL

Avril began to violently twitch, her body freezing, tucked securely within a cradle. There was a sick tightness inside her chest as she wheezed for air. Faintly, she could detect a slur of chatter surrounding her. Avril's head dropped lazily to one side, while her arms hung loosely over her incredibly empty stomach. Gravity was beginning to have a strong effect on her body. With every step her rescuer took, his grasp on her seemed to crumple beneath the stress. Her senses were already beginning to come back to life, but she had no control over her limbs. She desperately tried to shake herself awake; but her body wouldn't allow it. Carefully, she was placed on the surface of a soft, welcoming cot. Feeling the need to relax, the burning in Avril's lungs began to wain.

"Avril."

The was an unmistakable yet obscure voice fading in and out of Avril's consciousness; it was almost mystic. Avril was able to shift her head, although it immediately throbbed after her fatigued gesture. She groaned while her forehead ached like the brain inside her skull was loose, bobbing about. As her mind whirled around in circles, trying to regain lost memories of how she got into this state, she tried to regain consciousness.

"Avril."

Again, the voice from reality returned. Avril forced herself to move some part of her body. Painfully, she was able to relocate her wrist from the bed to her stomach. It was the best she could manage in her state. Like a creeping plague, a warm liquid began to swim through her limp veins. It commenced with her frozen toes, then scurried its way up to her face, warming every inch of her skin. With a long sigh, she finally opened her eyes, still burning from the dingy lake water. Though she could see nothing, the atmosphere was dense with the presence of a few lifeforms. Flourishing with darkness, she turned her head from side to side as if she could somehow reveal the beings around her. It was then that she realized Danny was to her right, while Tami sat to her left. Frantically, they exchanged brief comments of relief; 'She's awake! She's awake!' Avril extended her hand in hopes that someone would welcome it. Without surprise, she felt the soft, undeniable hand of Danny as he tightly held her's.

"Um," Dan cleared his throat, "Why the hell were you lying, passed out if I might add, beside the lake?" Avril tried to sit up, feeling an intense throb on the inside of her temples.

"I-I don't really remember," Avril cringed, rubbing her head. As she suspected, a large bruise had formed on the side of her forehead.

"Oh, come on. Don't bullshit us. Give me some dirt? Who did it?" Tami squealed.

"For the love of God, calm down," Avril rose an eyebrow, "I'm pretty sure I was thrown in."

"Who would do that?" Dan said, his voice low with sympathy.

"Take a guess," Avril tried, sighing because it was obvious.

"No! My baby would never do something like that!" Tami increased the pitch in her squeal, pouting her lips.

"Not Larry, Tami," Avril shook her head, "Josh."

"Oh." Tami sat wide eyed. "Well, in that case... BASTARD!"

"You can say that again," Dan muttered in disbelief, "No, really. You can say that again."

"Hey, don't tell anyone," Avril asked, twisting the bed sheets inside her sweaty palms.

"Oh, speaking of Josh," Tami changed the subject. Avril could hear the eerie scrape of Tami's nails against a filer.

"We weren't talking about Josh..." Dan sighed.

"Um, yes we were," Tami smiled, flipping her blonde curls away from her face.

"Not anymore," Dan argued further.

Avril groaned. These two always ended up fighting like a married couple, "Danny, just let her say what she was going to say. If anything, it's just wasted air."

Tami smirked at her comment, until she realized it was directed at her. With a huff, she continued, "Well, I was going to say that no one has seen Josh or the lost boys either today."

"Probably messing around somewhere," Dan chimed.

"Ah, I don't care where they are. As long as they're as far away from me... and the water as possible," Avril said, shuddering as she felt a cool breeze.

"Well then, little miss I-could-have-died-but-I-could-care-less," Tami rolled her eyes, "It might not be important to you, but they're the only macho men we have around here to keep watch at night, and I don't know about you, but I don't want to have some lazy critters sneaking their way into our cabin."

Avril gave her friend a bewildered look, "Critters? What like bears and snakes?"

"No," Tami shrugged, "More like, beetles and roaches."

"Those are bugs..." Dan muttered.

"Whatever!" Tami snapped, "All I'm saying is that someone should go look for them."

"Eh, maybe later," Dan shrugged, standing up from Avril's bedside.

Avril shook her head and laughed. Suddenly feeling a surge of energy beaming through her body, she slung her legs over the side of her cot and stood up. She could hear the wood creak beneath her bare feet, letting her know exactly where Dan was headed. Walking over to Tami, Dan stopped to remove his leather jacket from the row of pegs lining the west wall. Before leaving, he retraced his steps only to put his arm around her.

"Well, Avril, you've been out for a few hours, so I understand if you don't want to go, but-" Dan pulled Tami with him to the doorway, "If you want to come with your best buds down to the camp fire, that'd be alright with me. Besides, we need to tell the adults what happened."

Avril nodded; it was her universal way of saying she'd catch up with them. Suddenly, a quick thought forced her to stop them. "Wait!" Avril reached out to them, their footsteps halting, then backtracking towards her.

"What is it?" Tami asked, her tone hinting an edge of annoyance.

"Yesterday, when we first arrived here, I was walking through the forest an-"

"Alone?" Tami exclaimed, interrupting her friend mid-sentence.

"Yes, alone," Avril let out a frustrated groan, "Anyway, there was a man following me, or at least that's what it felt like..." Avril began to trail off, her voice barely above a whisper, "He must have been the person who pulled me out... he was the only one around at the time..."

If Avril was, indeed, able to see her friend's faces, she would probably feel stupid beneath their dumbfounded expressions.

"Oh, come on, Avril. If there actually had been a man in the woods, someone else would have seen him," Dan frantically stated, "No offense, Av, but you're-" Dan stopped himself when Avril released her hands into the air, admitting defeat. He could tell her feelings had been bruised, but he could also tell that she longed for someone to look past the fact that she was blind.

"Blind," Avril finished his sentence. "I know! You make a very valid argument, but I'm not crazy! There was someone following me, or near me, in the woods!" Avril heard a sigh originate from Danny.

"Okay," Tami cut in, "Seems like it's safe to say that we shouldn't go in the woods... that is until we find Josh and the lost boys."

"Oh, come on! Would you forget about them for one second?" Dan grunted.

"We can't! I don't like bugs!"

"Would you please drop it for like... five seconds, please?" Avril massaged her throbbing temples. "I need to go back into the forest to prove I'm not just makin' this stuff up, but I don't want to go alone this time."

"Fine," Tami surrendered, "Well, if you're too scared, why don't you bring Danny along with you?" Avril could sense a smile spreading across Tami's shiny, pursed lips. After receiving that mental image, Avril opened her mouth to protest against the idea.

"I don't-" She stopped when a firm hand gripped her shoulder.

"Alright!" Dan beamed, "Sounds like a plan. Doubt we'll find anything, but let's just try to put this behind us and have a good time tonight."

Avril sighed and motioned for her friends to help her out of the cabin. Both Tami and Dan led Avril through the narrow hallway to the unstable, rickety stairs. Placing her hand on the railing, she slowly tread each step with Tami behind her and Dan leading. The closer they headed toward the porch, the louder children's playing became. Avril was filled with a warm sensation as she heard the excited squeals of playmates, running around and getting their knee scraped as a child should once in their life. Despite the laughter coming from the children, Avril could also hear, due to the sound of their drunken voices, the adults fiercely babbling away while sipping on their cups of ale.

Once they descended the last step, Avril was caught off guard when her hand was softly slipped through Dan's arm. With the assurance of comfort and safety, Avril allowed it; just this once. Tami, on the other hand, swiftly said her goodbyes while she headed toward the remaining teenagers huddled around a brewing fire. A breeze of warm breath tickled the side of Avril's cheek, immediately alerting her that Danny was looking in her direction; though she wasn't sure if she was his target of interest, or something behind her. Fending off the uncertainty, Avril smiled, raising two eyebrows at him.

"Well, it's now or never," Avril said, breaking the silence.

"Yes it is," Avril's companion sighed, "Let's go find the boogeyman."

Avril was guided through the door and off the porch. She was temporarily released from Danny's grip as soon as they came in contact with the forest floor. Avril could plainly hear his blatant footsteps as he trudged around the cabin. Groping the wooden railing of the porch for assistance, Avril followed him even though she knew he intended to return. Her light patter of footsteps began to sync with his as he came back to get her; though unexpectedly meeting her halfway.

Through the woods, the two friends followed a path that had been lightly carved into the mud. Avril allowed her shoes to sink just below the surface of the mushy soil so her feet could become her eyes; it was better to have something to rely on because she knew Dan wasn't always going to be there for her. Avril took a sudden enjoyment as the night came alive with a symphony of sounds. Often times, Dan would explain the different objects in which the sound originated; he was the only one who ever took the time to explain such frivolous things. Before she knew it, Dan had led her to the dock. Avril could hear the searchlight hum as the overhead light streamed upon the lake. She imagined that it shimmered almost as beautifully at night as it did in the daytime. Meager frogs relaxed on the surface of the lake, croaking with the crickets' strings.

"The lake," Avril breathed, feeling her arm fall to her side while Dan inclined to seized a few pebbles inside his palm. He said nothing at first.

"So, you were actually on the deck?" Dan asked, skipping a stone on the lake; it bounced with a light patter before it sank to the bottom with a splash.

"Yes," Avril smirked, "I was so close to it too. That is, until they showed up."

"Well, not sure if there's any prove we can find to show the grown ups, but I'm sure Josh'll fess up as soon as we expose him," Dan said, throwing another pebble across the lake. Sighing, he added, "You- uh, you want to y'know... take a drive?"

"Take a drive..." Avril sarcastically repeated. As if she could see his new-found spur of excitement, he proudly nodded.

"In what," Avril raised an eyebrow, "In the bus?"

"Even though my license is suspended and you're-" Dan stopped when Avril's light frown returned and quickly moved on, "Well, you know..."

"Hey, not my fault," Avril gestured with her hands as if she could wave away her blindness, "I was genetically doomed with this problem."

Dan stood in silence for a moment, reconciling the many times he had mistakenly brought up her impairment as a problem. Still, beneath the void, he was forcibly aware of her unparalleled senses of sound and touch. He admired the way she would recoil and react appropriately to her surroundings. By the dense ruffle in his clothing, as he shifted his weight from one side to the other, Avril anticipated how uncomfortably he had become; not to mention his lack of response to her previous comment. Suddenly, Dan began to move again, his lead directed toward her, rapidly increasing the distance between him and the lake.

"I'm sorry, Avril. I'm sorry I can't keep my mouth shut when I need to," Dan began to trail off. Avril listened, smiling as he carefully chose his words out of her respect, "I mean, I can't imagine being blind... Ever! Everyday I'm amazed at how independent you are compared to us, so I know-"

Smiling, Avril gently interrupted, "May I?"

When he stopped all movements completely, Avril knew that he was undoubtedly confused. Pressing her dainty fingertips together, she held up her hands in an innocent notion. Relenting, he sighed and leaned closer. With dark honesty, Avril couldn't help herself. She had known him for the entirety of her life and, never once, did it dawn on her that she was unaware of his appearance; his features; his body.

Gently placing her extended fingertips along the edge of his cheek bone, Avril began to explore. The blind girl traced her fingers along the shape of his face. The skin she felt tickled her own as she drew a line from his forehead and around to his chin. With a strong bone structure, Avril smirked at him irresistibly. His jaw was cached with a stubble of facial hair. Her grin smirk curling up into a smile, Avril smoothed her fingers across his closed eyes, calmly lacing her nails along his fine-tipped eyelashes.

More hesitantly, she advanced towards his hair, but quickly stopped herself, mentally drawing the line of personal space. With that, her hands lazily fell into her lap. For a moment, no one protested. As quickly as she had stopped, a hand, far larger and more stout than her own, seized her fingers and returned them to the thick locks of hair she had inadvertently planned to skip. Avril gazed at the man in front of her with a questioning look, hoping that he would say something; something that would give her the 'go-ahead' angle - as if returning her hand to his head wasn't enough. With clammy hands, she clawed through his hair while it streamed past her hand in one effortless motion.

With her fingers engrossed in his silky hair, Avril hadn't noticed that his hand had remained intertwined with her fingers throughout the exploration. He held her hand in place on the the side of his head. She could feel the tip of his frigid ear as Dan ceased his movements. Avril was stunned. Without eyes to see the picture and contribute accordingly, she was at his complete mercy. As if they had been sitting there for an eternity, Dan finally lifted his other arm and placed his hand against the side of Avril's face. She trembled beneath his touch, flashing questioning glances from the touch of his bleak fingers to the direction of his face.

Calmly, Dan slid his hand across her jaw then gently gripped the edge of her chin with two fingers. Slowly, he lifted her face closer to his. Startled and unprepared for what was to come, Avril gripped his arm, the one that pulled her nearer to him, and protested against any further movement; But Dan ignored her, merely responding with his index finger, rubbing the smooth and tender skin below her bottom lip. Avril shivered when his hot, shaky breath fanned her chilled lips. It was then, as close as he was, that Dan pressed his equally numb lips against hers. It was neither passionate nor lustful, but a smooth, romantic peck that left Avril overwhelmed. As he pulled away, the lively warmth returned to her lips like a wave of radiation.

"What's wrong?" Dan whispered, "Didn't like what you felt?" Avril imagined a mischievous smirk riding along Danny's generous lips. Avril's expression faded with a soft side-smile as she shook her head.

"What," Avril swallowed, "What color are your eyes?" Truly, Avril had no way of knowing, whatever his answer should be, what his eyes sincerely looked like, but it was an answer she longed to know; Just to know.

Dan laughed, "Brown." With a blank expression, Avril smiled at his attempt and pondered over how long it would take him to realize she had no absolute clue as to what 'brown' was.

"Oh! Um... here!" Dan quickly connived a way to elaborate his answer; also saving his dignity.

Tightening his grip on her hands, he pulled her along, in step, with him. They were away from the docks now, near the dense edge of the forest where the mud was thick and dry. With her hands enveloped within his, he stretched them toward the ground, planting her palms against the rugged surface. Once he had released her hands, he stood to watch her hover over the dirt. He watched as she dug her fingertips into the dirt, carefully breaking the topsoil. He flashed a grin as she lathered her palms with the red clay, smoothing the thin, grainy soil into a sheet of brown with her thumb. For a moment, Avril genuinely believed she could comprehend what 'brown' looked like.

"Sorry," Dan chuckled, placing a finger on his throbbing temple, "You must think that's pretty stupid. I didn't know what else to do."

Avril smiled, feeling the bleak air pierce her teeth, and beheld his savory presence. "You know, for the first time in my life, I have a pretty good idea about the color brown." Avril stood to walk towards him, but her elbows were caught with a pair of hands to steer her in the right direction. As he held her close to him, she whispered, "It's crude, yet tender; calloused, yet delicate."

"You make dirt sound like a good thing," Dan imitated her benign tone.

"That's because it is." Avril's voice was barely audible, her lips practically grazing against his again. Dan leaned closer to ease into another desired kiss, but his eyes were diverted to something else behind her. An object glistened beneath the constant hum of the overhead lamp. It seemed to be, moving? As if rudely awakened from a sweet dream, Dan's instincts went maniacal. With brutal force, he shoved Avril's body away from his and quickly heaved his own in the opposite direction as a slick blade lodged its mouth into the bark of the tree they were previously reclining on.

"Shit! What the hell?" Dan wailed. On his hands and knees, he grabbed Avril by the wrists and began to ran. "Come on! We gotta get outta here!"

"Danny, wait!" Avril shrieked as he tugged her along with greater pace. "What's going on? What was that!"

Avril's words seemed to drift past Dan as he continued to run blindly through the forest. He had one goal: get both of them back to the camp. Fear crawling up his spine, paranoia took its toll and he could no longer hold back the crave to glance behind him. His eyes widened when the sight of lofty man quickened his stride in the same direction of their retreat. His bulky, shadowy figure clutched onto an unsheathed machete, his identity harbored with a hockey mask. Regretting his decision to turn back, Dan jerked Avril forward, telling her without words to keep running. Without question, she complied.

Briefly relieved to see the camp fire growing larger by the second, Dan sprinted faster. He refused to stop even though his lungs boiled with heat and his limbs trembled with fear-stricken fatigue. For a split second, Dan unconsciously glanced over his shoulder again, merely hoping that they had outran the hostile stalker; But it was too late.

"Avril!" Dan shrieked.

In one quick motion, Dan had risen his arms to fling Avril off to the side. By sheer luck, he had been quick enough to save her. For a moment, Dan felt nothing, but, like a barraged flood, blood began to spew from the arrow wound in his shoulder and the pain became all too real. He cried out in pain, stumbling over to caress his side. Tears spilling from his eyes, Dan gawked at the towering killer before choking at the sight of his machete in hand.

~O~

Children played wildly within the fire's radiance. They carelessly flaunted about with one another until one child stopped, intimidated by the sight before him. Like dominoes, the panic spread as each child mimicked the actions of the first to see. Alarmed, the children flashed confused glances at one another before they broke to find an adult. As soon as the laughter had ceased, however, the authorities took notice and approached the children.

The grip on their alcoholic drinks tightened, while some were startled enough to drop their cigarette. One elderly man's face flushed out all color as he looked to his right. His companion wore the same expression he had. With an eerie silence, the inhabitants of the camp stood in unison, drenched in fear. Not a single word was uttered. Deep down, beneath all previous conversation, each one of them, far and low, inwardly recalled the moment they had heard the pain-stricken cry, not too far away, in the back of their minds.

"It couldn't be..."

Beneath the clear moonlight, Jason's machete glistened. Teenagers began to approach the crowd of children and adults and this- this set everything into play. The first teenager to catch sight of Jason screamed, horror colliding beyond measure through the clusters of people. Like a siren, shrieks of pain and terror sang throughout the camp like a hell-spawned symphony. While adults attempted to grab their children, the teenagers dispersed in every direction.

Jason's lust for blood made him quiver with pleasure. The scent of despair burning his nostrils. With his first victim still clutched within his grasp, Dan had neither the energy nor gall to react as he was dragged through the mud and muck. Jason slung the weakening boy over his shoulder, thus beginning the merciless rampage to slaughter the remaining intruders.

~O~

Avril caressed her aching head while it throbbed with an abrading ring. She had awakened against a tree, lying awkwardly on one side. The previous events began to deluge her mind as panic aroused. Dan had thrown her. The draining thoughts of her tumble mixed with his untimely and frightening cry was enough to make her shuffle with nausea. While regaining her step, her hand groping the nearest tree, she tried to pry the bits of twig out of her hair; the dirt she left untouched, caked against her clothes and face. When the ringing in her ears had subsided, Avril whimpered when she heard distant screams. Avril reluctantly released the tree, dragging herself across the brandished soil with her hands extended out in front of her to find a clear path through the forest.

Pain-inflicted sobs and howling yells furnished the night. Avril shook with fear for the others. They were face to face with a brute who was unchecked and unchallenged; killing innocence at will. Gathering what dignity remained, Avril quickly stood to her feet, walking as far as she could before bumping into the churlish bark of an oak. As her mind whirled in a storm of scenarios, Dan lingered at the back of her conscious mind. For the moment being, she fought body and soul through the forest to know for sure whether he was still breathing, or dead.

The screams that were once distant were presently closer as she approached with caution. Shrieking in discomfort, Avril tripped over a thick bundle. Panicking as it latched onto her foot, she grabbed at the restraint and realized she was holding a bleeding hand. Feeling her stomach jolt inside her throat, she clamped her hand over her mouth to ease the thought of tripping over an oozing body. Already, the stalker's blade had consumed a life. As one scream faded, another pitched to compensate for it. Avril stood up to flee from his decaying body, but stumbled over another fallen victim. She attempted to stand, but yet another mangled set of limbs hindered her desperate pursuit to escape the horrific scene.

Feeling her filtered tears empty along the side of her filthy cheek, Avril crawled through the massive heap of anatomy. Relieved to find a clearing, Avril froze when she sensed a presence far more malevolent than her own.

Jason inwardly giggled with delight as his lust was tainted with satisfaction. The conquering sight of fleeing juveniles screeching with pure horror made him tremble with heinous pleasure. Already he had obtained a greater quantity of blood than he had first conspired. His fingers coiled around the grip of his machete, rubbing his calloused fingertips raw. With so much chaos contaminating the population, the humans had abandoned all sense of balance and direction as they unconsciously stumbled into his throwing radius.

The undying predator rose his arm to tomahawk his sword, but the forgotten array on his shoulder stopped him. Dan was only half conscious, eyes revolving and mouth oozing with a string of drool. Boiling with frustration, Jason cocked his head to the right, seeing an untouched mush of limbs mutilated by one of his bear traps. With a sinister grin, Jason tossed the boy toward the rearmed trap. An incoherent scream left Dan's lips as he cried in agony, scraping at his impaled thigh as crimson trickled from the gash.

Avril ran through the clearing as one flustered person after another impinged in their reckless strife to avoid being killed. She could faintly hear an abysmal voice whimpering. He chocked with a gurgle before repeating his heedless cries. His hoarse wailing was the only lead she had to follow through the blatant screams. It was him. She knew it was him. It had to be.

With two more steps, Avril could hear him wheeze with weakening lungs as they gasped for air; battling unconsciousness. Heart emphatically pounding inside her chest, she grabbed at the air to find him. As soon as her hand slapped a patted shoulder, she fell to her knees and caressed his diminished face.

"Daniel!" Avril exclaimed, tracing her fingers along his chest, "Where are you hurt?" Suddenly, a hand, heated with fresh blood, snatched her wondering one, causing Avril to jerk her head towards his faint plea.

"You gotta get out of here, Av," Dan gasped; his lungs shot from exhaustion.

"Tell me where you're hurt!" Avril proceeded, yanking her hand from his grasp to feel the lower end of his body.

"Dammit, Avril, listen to me!" Dan demanded. Avril was caught off guard as she brushed over metal talons pierced into bleeding flesh.

"Just go..." Dan moaned as another wave of pain staggered through his numb leg.

Avril refused, frantically shaking her head in protest while chocking back her pathetic cries. Reaching for the metal clamp, Avril's lips quivered when Dan fell completely silent. She knew his attention was no longer set on her, but diverted to something more ghastly. The blind girl didn't require eyes to know why Dan was trembling with new despair. Jason was standing only a few meters away; the void between them scattered with bodies and drenched with entrails.

Dan ripped her sleeve, pulling her away from the feral savage. "Run you stubborn bitch!"

Jason was momentarily entertained by their performance. Dan wanted the blind girl to leave him behind so that she might have a chance to live. He found this rather appealing. Jason was flattered that he would even consider that the blind girl had another chance to survive his sinful blade. The serial killer shared glances between the woman and the wounded man. Sighing with foul regret, Jason approached the wounded, deciding it was impotent to consider the blind girl sport at all.

Avril could hear Dan sniff away his sobs while the thud of boots synchronized with her heartbeat. As soon as she heard the iron ambush snap, Avril knew that Jason had tore the claws from of Dan's leg. Dan's tormented screams flourished as Jason slung his limp body over his shoulder. Having seized her friend, Avril flung herself in the direction of his wailing. With Jason's back turned, Avril was about to grab one of Daniel's swinging arms.

"No! Let him go!"

"Don't..." Dan was unable to finish. He began to choke in his own blood as it dripped from the crease in his mouth to clash with the rest of the red-tarnished soil.

"No, don't take him!" Avril screamed. "I'll do anything!"

I'll do anything! Jason reeled her voice inside his head. Halting, Jason stood idly by while her weeps conciliated a different kind of hunger he had not yet attained. I'll do anything...

"Take me instead!"