Chapter 5 I Am Scared

• Christopher stood there, stunned.
• That was when Helena realized that he had shown up.
• Sh*t! I need to come up with something.
• The lighting was dim because they only had the streetlights illuminating the place. Inspiration hit Helena, and her expression changed immediately.
• I am in the dark, whereas he is standing in the light! This is the perfect opportunity to change his impression of me.
• Helena no longer seemed aggressive or powerful. She ran toward Christopher and turned into a timid lady instead.
• “Darling, you're finally here! These hooligans... T-They tried to rape me. I'm so scared,” she sobbed, throwing herself into his arms.
• Christopher had just arrived and hadn't had the chance to inspect the place, so he thought that the woman had actually gotten into trouble.
• He raised his hand, wanting to comfort her. Yet, he didn't hold her as his hand hung in the air when he saw a few burly men lying on the ground.
• Every single one of them was bruised and bleeding. Some of them had been knocked out as well.
• Recalling what he had seen earlier, Christopher couldn't help but smirk.
• You? Scared? These hooligans don't even have what it takes to go after you! I'm not an idiot, you know? I wasn't mistaken. You've already dealt with all of them.
• Christopher had lost count of the number of times he felt exasperated and helpless.
• This wife of mine has incredible combat prowess that likely makes her one of the top fighters in the world.
• Yet, she is sobbing away right now and acting like she is actually a fragile lady...
• Just then, Helena muttered, “Darling, I am so terrified. Please keep me safe.” She gripped his shirt, trembling violently.
• Christopher was at a loss for words.
• “Um... Helena, are you sure these hooligans tried to hurt you? Haven't you already kicked all of their ass*s?”
• “Darling, how could I have possibly beat them up? Are they heading over? Please be careful.”
• Christopher sighed and carefully got Helena to turn her head.
• “Here, look. The hooligans are all writhing on the ground. No one's moving.”
• “Huh?” Helena stared at the hooligans, who were groaning in pain, in feign astonishment. “How is this possible? What happened to them?”
• Intrigued, Christopher asked, “Are you a master of close-quarters combat?”
• Helena turned around and pretended to have an epiphany.
• “Ah, I got it!”
• “What did you get?”
• Looking pale, Helena shared, “I think... it's the only explanation. My PTSD must've been triggered! I was half-drunk earlier, and these hooligans must've triggered me when they touched me. See? I told you that my condition is scary. You don't need to worry, though, Darling. I've sobered up, so I won't hurt you even if you touch me now. Also, I did pick up some self-defense skills in the past.”
• Once again, the familiar sense of speechlessness and exasperation engulfed Christopher.
• Your PTSD... Okay, you win.
• “So, uh, Honey, are you all right?”
• Helena replied feebly, “I should be fine, just a little shaken after the entire ordeal. Darling, let's hurry home. We've already celebrated anyway, and this place is too scary. I don't want to stay here.”
• With that, the two of them left Nocturna in a flash.
• Helena was still trembling a little when they reached home.
• Her performance was so convincing that Christopher almost fell for her words.
• “Honey, maybe you shouldn't go to class for the time being. Maybe you should stay home until the case is closed.”
• Helena tilted her head up and stared at Christopher with fear glowing in her eyes.
• “I don't want to go to class either, but I am an exchange student and I took a long break just some time ago. They will surely expel me if I ask for time off again. I won't be able to graduate then, and I will end up wasting four years.”
• Christopher thought about it and found that reason to be valid.
• “Then I guess it's best that I follow you to your classes.”
• Naturally, Helena didn't want the man to get in the way of her investigation.
• She let out a long sigh as though she had finally calmed down.
• “It's okay. I don't need you to protect me. I know a few self-defense strategies.”
• Christopher played along and said, “Okay, how about this? Tell me what you've learned from Cayden. I want to know more about the case. If it's not that serious, then I won't appoint myself as your personal bodyguard.”
• A slight feeling of secret delight flitted by Helena's heart.
• Hah, I'll just scare him off to discourage him from tagging along. It's perfect that he's asking about these two cases now.
• Coming to that conclusion, Helena, looking docile, started talking about the mysterious murder cases.
• “The first victim showed up two months ago. That was before I came to Tayhaven. The victim was a beautiful woman, Luna Quaite. No one knew why, but she went to the lab alone that night and never left. Her body was discovered the following day, and the person who found her was scared senseless because she was wearing a strange smile at that time. In her chest was a dagger that had no fingerprints on it. The cops checked the surveillance footage after the incident and guess what they learned? The footage showed that Luna was alone inside the lab. In other words, there was no one but her inside! The police also examined the surveillance cameras and the footage, but there were no signs of anything being tampered with.”
• Christopher frowned slightly. “This is indeed strange. Tell me more about it.”
• Helena nodded and continued, “After that incident, the university closed its doors. It reopened a week later and classes went on as usual. Unfortunately, another beautiful girl, Carla Leeland, went to that lab on the second night the university reopened. She suffered the same fate as Luna did and died in there! The thing that stumped everyone was that she was in the same state as Luna. She was smiling creepily as well. And similarly, the surveillance footage showed nothing out of the ordinary.”
• Christopher slowly got up after he heard Helena's story.
• These cases are indeed strange. What's even more suspicious is that the university didn't put a pause in its classes even after these two incidents happened. I guess I'll have to go check things out with Helena.
• “Don't worry, Helena. I will definitely go with you and keep you safe.”
• Helena screamed internally, You're not afraid at all?
• Just then, an idea popped into her mind and she winked mischievously.
• Christopher was slightly taken aback.
• “Many are courting me, Darling. You might get jealous if you tagged along.”
• Christopher laughed aloud and promised, “Don't worry. I won't get jealous. But I do see a problem...”
• “What problem?”
• “Your class is something else.”