KILL THIS LOVE | JENLISA

Chapter 132

Jennie

".. And clearly, the perpetrator's post offense behaviour in this case indicates he's likely a sex offender. So not only do we now have the perp's race and age range, but also the possibility of him being in the criminal database."

There was something very deferential about the way Professor Lee conducted herself. It always had been. Whether it was her no-nonsense attitude with students and professors alike, or her hard-headed but sardonic persona; the very air that surrounded the 40 year old woman magnetically commanded everybody's respect and attention.

Today however, was rather different, for the centre of attention in the hall happened to be none other than a certain girl.All eyes lingered on me, the girl who survived a serial killer.

I, although not completely oblivious to the hushed whispers and incredulous stares, was a million miles away from the class. My weary pair of tawny eyes were fixated on one of the windows, peering at the thin layer of milky snow that covered the terrain outside.

This was the first class that I was attending ever since being discharged by the hospital three weeks ago. Three complete weeks of living in perpetual dread, restless, constantly looking over my shoulder. Even with the tightening of security and police protection at the campus, and having me change dorms was nearly not enough a solace as the authorities reassured me it would be.

The first fifteen days proved to be the most grim and difficult. Between the terrible fits of anxiety and nasty paranoia, I had almost lost all sense of normal functioning. I'd wake up at night often, panting, with an overwhelming instinct of scrubbing and wiping at my hands. I saw blood. 

Blood that not all the perfumes of Arabia and Neptune's oceans could fade away. For nineteen days since my return, I didn't dare leave my room. Partly because I wasn't sure if I could handle all the unwarranted attention, yes, and partly because the local press was practically camping outside the university campus to get my statement or exclusive photos. I was, after all, the only victim of the Seoul Ripper to have lived to see another day.

It was finally on the twentieth day that I finally mustered up the courage to get out of my dorm and come to class.Unfortunately, it was nearly not as easy as I'd chalked it up to be. I could barely pay any attention to a single word that left Professor Lee's mouth, let alone handle all the curious looks and whispers with how foggy and overwhelmed my mind was. So I zoned out, vacantly looking at the snow.

Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice.