The Renfield Syndrome by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 7

Caspian chose to skip lunch one day, thinking that the teachers break room would be packed as they choked down their lunch, trying to stay ahead of the bell for the next class. He would have to act quickly if he was to obtain what he needed. Walking the maze of hallways, he approached the chemistry room. While the light was off, he found it odd that the door had been left unlocked. Quietly turning the knob, he entered the room, making his way past the counter where experiments were demonstrated and approaching the door to the storeroom, also finding it unlocked. Having worked in the storeroom, he knew exactly where the toxin was located. As a precaution, he brought a pair of latex gloves so as not to leave his fingerprints behind. The last thing Caspian needed was to find himself being questioned by the principal as well as the police. They would certainly suspect he was up to no good, and if he was caught stealing school property, it could very well result in an arrest.

Walking into the storeroom, Caspian thought it best to leave the lights off, and grabbing a chair, quietly carried it over to the back corner beneath where the brown jar of toxin was. Setting it on the floor, he stood on it and reached up for the bottle, and once he obtained it, he brought it down and gently set it on the floor. He wouldn’t take the entire jar, as this would raise suspicions, so reaching into his pocket, he brought a zip-lock bag, and opening it, poured some of the white powder into it and zipped it shut. Being certain to leave none of it on the linoleum floor, Caspian screwed the top back onto the jar and returned it to its place with the label facing out, just as he had found it. The amount he took was a little more than a gram, much more than he needed. Better safe than sorry. Now he had to find a way of leaving that would not draw attention, and walking out of the storeroom quietly, he closed the door behind him. His heart pounded in his chest as he approached the classroom door, and putting an ear to it, he heard nothing. Caspian slowly turned the knob, and cracking the door open, peered down the hallway, seeing no one. With the zip bag tucked deeply in his pocket, he slowly opened the door—its hinges moved as quietly as a soul leaving its vessel.

The hallway was indeed empty, leaving Caspian to make his escape, and turning left, he walked down the stairs to the floor below. Halfway down the hall he was nearly scared out of his skin when the bell rang. He considered putting the stolen substance in his locker, but like all the school’s lockers, it was theirs, and the staff had the right to search it. However, they did not have the right to search him— not without violating his rights. So, keeping the bag tucked in his pocket, Caspian went on about his day, going from one class to the next. He most enjoyed history, reading about all the terrible things people had done to each other over time. Math, however, was boring. He was not able to understand how all the numbers, letters, and symbols came together to provide any meaning. It was literally a language he would never understand.