The Campus Killings {#LGBTQ #HORROR #FRIGHT}

Chapter Three

Murder.

Murder.

Murder.

Two syllables, and yet it made Jake's heart jump into his throat — the thought of that poor girl, so young, so innocent, probably terrified as her head was bashed in and she was strangled just filled him with a deep sadness, the sadness that weighed down in one's soul, making every breath and movement heavy and sickening.

Accompanying that sadness for a girl he didn't even know was fear, an icy, sharp terror, a feeling that somewhere, somehow on this very campus, someone had been inhuman enough to take someone else's life. Someone who could still be there, living amongst the students, amongst himself, Willa and Raleigh.

He had scribbled the murdered girl's name down in his notepad, not terribly sure why he had done so — as a warning, perhaps.

For the next few days, Jake drifted — it was a state he sometimes found himself in, deep in his thoughts and shutting out the outside world.   According to his father, it was a trait he had inherited from his mother, the dreaminess and easy distraction.

But this wasn't the kind, happy kind of dream, the ones that he had where he was in his mother's arms again — instead, it was a terror, anxiety prodding at him in the dead of night.

What if it happens again? What if it's my fault that I didn't warn anyone?

After the third night of fitful sleep, he knew he was starting to annoy Willa, from the way she grumbled about him as she cooked breakfast to the awkwardness that remained between them. 

They hadn't discussed the incident of him walking in on her yet and Jake partially hoped they never would — he was already terribly awkward and embarrassed, and such a conversation might just have killed him.

Three days into his stay at the campus and he had finally begun to take in the air of tension that permeated the place — everyone hung out in their cliques, sure, but it didn't feel like typical college behaviour.

People were confused, scared.

Laura Lee's death had spread unease amongst everyone, and they didn't even know the truth.  It was if they were scared to utter her name, lest she come back to haunt them.

At lunchtime, Jake elected to remain on his own, despite Raleigh's attempts to connect with him — in these states, he preferred to be alone, the anxiety and untrustworthiness bringing about old feelings and memories.

He wanted to trust Raleigh's kindness, to reach out to talk with Willa, but every time, something held him back. 

Ironically, the one person he felt safe around was Professor Petrović, though even he had grown a little tired of his lack of focus, as he let him know at their catching up tutoring session in his office.

Jake sat staring at the computer in front of him blankly, his gaze unfocused as the overheard conversation ran through his mind for the hundredth, thousandth time that week.

Petrović's office was a small, chaste room, adorned with vanilla walls, a medium size wooden desk with a small side table, two computers and some filing cabinets.   In the corner of the room was a large lamp and Venetian blinds covered the large bay window, whilst a small Serb flag sat in the organiser on the desk, next to a phone and some papers, as well as a metal name plaque, itself obfuscated by a large electric pencil sharpener.

Compared to the lavishness of the Dean's office, it looked practically whimsical with its simplicity and yet, Jake's mind wasn't on the decor as he stared at the coding in front of him.