Tainted: Origins of a Psycho

Creep

Katherine shifted in the passenger seat, using the corner of her eye to watch the man who was giving her a ride home.  She'd only been in the car with him for five minutes, but the awkward silence shared between them made it feel like it had been so much longer.

The fact that she was worried about her best friend did not help matters.  She had never seen him so angry and hurt before, but she did not fault him for it. His mother had taken her own life, and his father didn't seem to care.

Katherine had never met Victor before this evening, and she hoped she would never have to be around him again. Aside from what her friend had told her about him, she sensed something inside of the man that scared her.

He was dangerous. He'd hurt his family many times, and she was sure that he would have no problem hurting strangers as well.

"So, how long have you known my son?" Victor asked suddenly, making her flinch in her seat.

Katherine folded her hands in her lap, staring down at them as she answered. "We met on the Fourth of July."

"How nice." He said, smiling.

The tone of his voice was as sweet as cotton candy, and his passenger could not help but relax, which was exactly what he wanted. He merged into the right lane and turned into a quaint little neighborhood.

Katherine relaxed even more when she realized her house was right around the corner. She was eager to see her mother after the ordeal with Vincent.

Victor looked over at her and the smile on his face widened. "I like you, Kathy. May I call you Kathy?"

"Umm...sure."

"Good girl." Victor praised, "I like you, Kathy, because you are such a good girl. My son needs a sweet young girl to play with."

He returned his attention back to the road and pulled his car into a vacant driveway. There was a sign in the yard that read, 'For Sale.'

Katherine found herself becoming tense again.

"Relax." Victor cooed, "I want to get to know you a little before I drop you off at home."

"But, my mom is expecting me-"

"She can wait five more minutes, Kathy."

He unbuckled his seatbelt so that he could face his body towards hers.  The smile on his lips slightly faded when he noticed her hand was  instinctively reaching towards the door handle. 

He gently placed his hand on her arm. "You don't have to be afraid of me, Kathy. I'm not going to hurt you.  I just want to talk."

Katherine's eyes narrowed. "About what?

"About my son." Victor said, "He's a good kid, Kathy, but he has a lot of problems. The kind of problems that only a good friend can help him with." He paused and moved his hand to her cheek. "I want you to be that friend."

Katherine winced at his touch. Her mother once said that she should never allow a grown man to touch her and, while his touch was not really inappropriate, it was uncomfortable.

She pushed his hand away and looked back down at her lap.  "Vincent is the best friend I've ever had.  I would do anything to help him."

"I know you would, sweetheart."  Victor said, replacing his hand on her cheek.  He looked at her thoughtfully for a while, then slowly began running his large fingers through her hair.