The Renfield Syndrome by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 29

As expected, the music was loud, almost too loud for someone who had been sheltered from such cacophony. As Caspian and Ava sat in the fifth row, both felt the pounding vibration from a row of Marshall stacks while the lead guitarist roared out solo after solo. He watched closely, trying to follow his fingers as they danced along the fretboard, but as the stage dimmed, the guitarist vanished and then reappeared while holding a fiery torch. His mouth seemed to be full of something, but moments later he held up the torch, and blowing a clear fluid onto the flame created an explosive fireball that brought the adolescent crowd to its feet. But the theatrics didn’t stop there. The music continued with songs Caspian had little recognition for. He supposed that what mattered was that he was out on a date with someone who was seen as the most attractive girl in school. He was not necessarily proud of his circumstances but was, for once in his life, happy to be in the company of what he considered true beauty.

Two hours later the concert was over, and Ava and Caspian stood at the back of the school, where he was experiencing another first. “I had a good time,” Ava said. “Maybe we can get together again sometime.” Caspian was surprised not only by the fact that she would be seen with him in the first place but also that she might be interested in going out again. It was only moments after her promising words that another first began. Ava reached down and, unzipping his pants, reached down along his skin, bringing him to an immediate arousal. But only a moment later, Ava’s hand was quickly replaced by her knee as she drove it up between his legs. The pain was crippling as Caspian lowered himself to the ground. He was lost for an explanation and looked up at Ava, hoping for something that made sense. “Really?” she asked. “Did you really think I was going to jerk you off? You’re a psycho. Everybody knows that. You’d probably kill your own mother if you had the chance.” Ava didn’t know his mother was dead, and she certainly didn’t know that he had murdered her, but the accusation she made only served as a trigger prompting Caspian to consider several issues. He was enraged enough to kill her but smart enough to stop and plan exactly how he would do it. However, he was so overwhelmed with rage that a plan would not yet surface. This would take time.

As Caspian began to recover, his eyes rose to meet hers, and for a moment his expression frightened her as she saw within him a monster. It came to the surface then slunk back down into his psyche. Some people can glimpse things in the woods that terrify them only for them to vanish moments later. Such was the case as Ava backed away from Caspian, having seen something similar. Getting to his feet, he imagined beating her into unconsciousness, pounding her head against the asphalt until she was dead. This was his gut response, but cooler heads prevailed, and without touching her, he turned and walked away. Revenge would have to wait. For the moment there was only one thing Caspian needed—a quiet place to gather his thoughts.

The darkness of night still hung heavy in the air as Caspian called home for a ride. Twenty minutes later, Reuben pulled up, and as Caspian got into the front seat, it was obvious that something was wrong. Gently pushing on the gas, the car got underway, leaving its interior filled with an energy that would make anyone light-headed. Finally, Reuben spoke up. “So,” he began. “How did things go? I’ll bet the music was pretty loud, huh?”

He went on to reminisce about his days of high school. Concerts, however, had not yet become common, but dances were often held.

“Look,” Caspian said. “I know what you’re trying to do. Thanks anyway, but it’s not working.”

The rest of the trip home was filled with silence as Caspian was still trying to tame his anger. The violent images that had flooded his mind were fading as his trembling hands began to relax.

Reuben had a gift for noticing everything, and seeing the state Caspian was in, he knew that something had happened to bring him to such an emotional response. “Caspian,” he said. “Are you alright? It might be good to talk about it.”

But Caspian didn’t want to talk about it. He didn’t want to talk about anything. He just wanted to go home where he could walk through the woods behind the house. There, he hoped to find the solitude he needed. But for Caspian, solitude was a rare commodity, and when they arrived home, he immediately started out for the backyard. From there it was only a few yards to the woods, and quickly making his way to what was now a place of cold darkness, he sat on a large set off the side of the trail.

He sat for at least thirty minutes with only one thing on his mind—revenge. Killing his mother was relatively easy, given she was caught up in a deep alcohol-induced stupor. Dealing with Ava would be far more difficult. She couldn’t simply disappear so soon after her date at the concert, especially given the impression others had of Caspian. It would be too easy to consider him a suspect. If he were to do this, he would have to come up with a plan that was nothing short of brilliant. And timing was everything. But there was one thing that was critical to success—the method. It had to be quick and simple. The last thing he wanted was for his plan to go awry, resulting in a grotesque act of violence resulting in screams of trauma. But the real concern was that he not be identified. This led Caspian to consider whether Ava should survive his revenge, and if he killed her -- what then? Certainly nothing would be more satisfying, but in the end his goal was not only to silence her cruel sarcasm but also to avoid getting caught. There was a difference between realizing the darkness in oneself and letting loose the monster within. Given what he had done in the past, Caspian didn’t consider himself a killer, much less a murderer. He had simply put an end to what he was not willing to live with. But as human as we all are, things can change, sometimes faster than one expects.