The Renfield Syndrome by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 51

The morning sun quietly broke the eastern horizon, flooding Caspian’s tent with an opaque light. Shining on his still sleeping eyes, his brain was switched on, and he rose from his nocturnal slumber. The first thing he noticed was the sensation of hunger, and having quickly dressed, he went through his pack and removed what he needed for breakfast. What Caspian noticed was that he was running low on food. Initially, he didn’t want to buy too much and risk seeing it go bad. Now, he regretted not buying enough. On his way towards the main highway, he made it a point to stop at the small store a mile or two from the campsites’ entrance. However, as he approached the store, Caspian noticed a sheriff’s car in the parking lot. Thus far, he remained unidentifiable, as no one had actually seen his face except the child in the cabin near Pecks Lake. But he couldn’t have remembered. The attack on his mother was too violent, too grisly for a young boy to recall clearly. This must be something unrelated. But it didn’t matter why the authorities were there, and Caspian, choosing to pass by the store, decided to stock up elsewhere.

Arriving at Route 90, he pulled over to study the map again and decided on Chicago as his destination. But seeing the complexity of highways and how far the drive would be, Caspian reconsidered, believing that Toledo was a more realistic choice. With its millions of inhabitants, it was likely that he would simply blend into the human-scape and live as another invisible human. No one would recognize him and likely wouldn’t care.

Route 90 was a straight shot to Route 80 as he passed several large cities. Throughout human history it was common for people to settle along rivers and large bodies of water. To them, water was life. Now, these settlements had grown into places like Erie, Cleveland, and Detroit. These places had also become large port cities, part of the country’s infrastructure and transportation system. He wasn’t sure why he was drawn to Toledo, but it seemed like a reasonable choice given its location. Should he find the need to leave, the Canadian border wasn’t far, and if he were apprehended there, it would take time for the government to exercise his extradition. This could provide him with an opportunity for escape.

It seemed ridiculous to create such a complex plan, but sometimes simplicity fails simply because it doesn’t account for all possible variables—at least the important ones. As he passed the highway sign for the Toledo turnoff, it occurred to him that he would need a place to stay. The city’s skyline quickly came into view, and Caspian was struck by the heavy scattering of businesses—hotels, restaurants, malls, and corporate buildings. It was almost overwhelming that there should be such a sprawling cityscape before reaching the city itself. Not being too picky, Caspian pulled into the parking lot of the first hotel he saw. Checking in, he walked down to his assigned room and was struck by its appearance. It consisted of two rooms. Near the window was a king-sized bed with a desk near the foot. The other room was separated by a partition and housed a couch, an upholstered chair, a small refrigerator, and a kitchenette. The TV was mounted on the wall over the desk. As hotels go, it was the best room he had ever seen, and he began to consider extending his planned one-night stay. He tried not to stay in one place for too long, but this was an exception. At the same time, it also meant the chances of being visible would go up, so Caspian decided that at the first opportunity he would paint his car. This would require a place of isolation. He needed to find a significant area of woods and the time needed to perform the task. With this in mind, he returned to his car, and unpacking only what he needed, Caspian returned to his room. He locked his camping gear in the car as he didn’t want to stand out to the hotel staff. They likely were not accustomed to seeing people carrying such things through the hallways—just another means of not standing out.

He thought about exploring the city, but being somewhat allergic to people, he chose instead to wander the immediate area. But the first thing on his agenda was food and sleep. It had been a long drive as he made the journey with only brief stops for gas and water. Without the voice in his head gnawing away at him, he felt safe to explore the malls, thinking he might happen upon something useful. Yet going out as the night began to fall seemed like a tiring idea, and after ordering room service, Caspian turned in for the night.