Chapter 25: School: David

At that moment, “Maria!”

A little girl with golden hair, looking very confident, ran out from behind and watched Louis with caution.

“Madison, I’m fine.”

The little girl named Madison ignored Maria’s words and looked at Louis. “Who are you?”

Quite cautious, but I’m this young—you look a year or two older than me. What are you afraid of?

“I’m Louis. I’m just traveling here. I accidentally hit her.”

Madison nodded, adopting a miniature adult demeanor. “Maria, did he apologize to you?”

Maria nodded timidly.

Madison’s expression softened.

“Sorry. Maria gets bullied easily. I thought you…”

Through conversation, Louis learned that the girl named Maria was six years old, had a father who was a plastic surgeon, and a mother who was a homemaker; they were here on a family trip.

Originally, their destination wasn’t here but another campsite to the north of this one, but for some reason, her parents had heard something and changed locations at the last minute.

Madison was their neighbor, and the two families had come here together for the trip.

Louis nodded in understanding.

In America, doctors have always been one of the representative middle-class professions, especially plastic surgeons—the cosmetic medicine industry is wildly profitable.

This meant her family was well-off.

But Louis also noticed the girl was timid in personality and fearful of her father, suggesting possible issues in her upbringing; Madison’s behavior and remarks further confirmed this. Of course, it had nothing to do with Louis—he merely collected information out of habit.

As for her mention of the northern campsite and the last-minute relocation, Louis didn’t take it seriously; after all, she was just an ordinary little girl, unlike Emma and other geniuses.

It’s well known that children’s statements are often misled by misinformation and tend to be inaccurate.

Louis casually handed her a few candies. The girl politely thanked him, but Madison beside her received no such treatment and could only stare longingly.

The two chatted for a while longer.

Then—

“Aaaah!!!”

A sharp, terrified scream drew everyone’s attention. Since it was nearby, Louis and the others walked toward the source.

When they arrived, they found a crowd with terrified expressions. In the center, a woman with large breasts was skewered straight through by a steel pole meant for tent setup; blood had already soaked the ground.

She wasn’t dead yet—her body trembled uncontrollably, especially her eyes, which rolled wildly, as if looking at everyone, or desperately pleading for help.

Everyone who saw it felt a chilling dread spread through their entire body.

Maria shook violently. Louis covered her eyes with his hand, frowned at the gruesome sight, and rapidly thought.

Serial killer? Supernatural event? Or just a regular murder?

In a world where all kinds of horror films had already appeared, Louis immediately ruled out the possibility of a regular murder.

More likely, it was a serial killer or a supernatural event.

Soon, someone called the police. Because the campsite was nearby, the town sheriff personally arrived with his team.

Upon arrival, they immediately cordoned off the area, but the sheriff’s face was grim, tinged with tension and fear. “Only one victim?”

???

Louis, who was being dispersed, overheard this and was startled—the sheriff’s words were off.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t hear what came after.

Because of the incident, though many still didn’t care and continued camping, some people no longer wanted to stay and wished to return to town.

The sheriff refused, citing the need for cooperation in the investigation.

But in America, the word “freedom” carried weight, especially since the sheriff’s reason was insufficient. Reluctantly, he compromised and relocated these people to a girls’ church school some distance from the campsite.

Louis and the others were among those relocated—but it wasn’t Louis’s idea; it was David. He looked grave and forcibly dragged all three of them to leave, though he gave no reason why.

Intuition told Louis the sheriff was hiding something—and David was hiding something too!

…

Girls’ Church School

America is, in fact, a religious country, however absurd that may sound—it’s true.

Thus, many churches had been converted into schools, especially girls’ schools, evolving from the old aristocratic custom of sending daughters to churches to be trained as nuns.

Afternoon.

School dormitory building, stairwell alcove.

“Angela, that person—is the one I went on a date with yesterday…”

David looked grave as he spoke to Angela beside him, who looked unimpressed.

“Bro, that girl has nothing to do with you. You only slept with her once. So what if she’s dead? Why are you scared?”

“I don’t know why, but I feel heavy inside. Something feels off, like someone’s watching me. Maybe I didn’t sleep well.”

“I think you just didn’t get enough release last night. By the way, how’s your search going? Meet anyone you liked?”

David shook his head, beginning to wonder if he’d been holding back too long.

“Forget it. You handle it yourself. I’ve only introduced you to these people.”

David sighed and walked toward his room.

Above the stairs, a small head peeked out, strands of black hair falling.

Esther’s lips curled slightly as she stared at a streak of crimson under her fingernail, her eyes cold. Then she fixed her gaze on David.

She followed silently, like an assassin with maxed-out stealth.

At that moment—

David, just arriving at his room door, spotted someone he knew and froze.

Opposite him, Yulencar, who was bringing her mother to do something, also froze, seemingly surprised to see David here. “Hi, Uncle. We meet again.”

Seeing this beautiful woman who made his heart race again, David felt a stir.

Perhaps he could try pursuing her?

“Young lady, I forgot to ask you last time—what’s your name? I’m David…”

“Uncle David, I’m Yulencar. This is my mother, Jenny.”

“Jenny. Oh, what a beautiful name—like a princess…”

The woman began engaging too. The two grew increasingly animated, especially Jenny, who seemed skilled at it—she had already leaned close.

Dressed in a white dress, her pale arm lightly brushed his arm. Her eyes, clear and innocent, stared directly at him, adding an unusual allure.

Yulencar giggled and ran off, leaving them ample space.

But…

At the stairwell entrance, a pair of eyes stared fixedly.

(End of chapter)