The Silence it Carries

Chapter 2 - The skillful Abduction

After Robin Miller's successful revenge on Mrs. Park, his next step was to ensure he didn't get caught. He watched from the shadows, meticulously noting everything the school's council did regarding the incident. The initial craze gradually settled, and after a cursory investigation, the school concluded that it was "all Mrs. Park's fault—a human error." They claimed she had accidentally left the bottles of ammonia open, despite her insistence to the contrary once she recovered and was discharged from the hospital. Ignoring her protests, the school board decided to suspend her for a week, effectively closing the case. Robin's inner self was more than satisfied; he relished every moment, having enjoyed his "sweet revenge."

Robin was in the clear, moving on with his life without a second thought about his actions. To him, it was just a normal occurrence, something that could have been even harsher had he decided so. He continued his daily routine, his mind already drifting to new challenges and interests, leaving behind the incident as just another episode in his unsettling journey.

  In every class, there is always a classmate who thinks of herself as nobility—the queen bee. Robin Miller had a special kind of dislike for such girls; he couldn't stand their arrogance and sense of entitlement. However, he never acted on his feelings, as it would mean getting his hands dirty for a meager reason. But on this day, for some reason, she decided to give Robin Miller some trouble. During recess, Robin checked his bag to find his tiffin box missing. He then heard a voice behind him—Sara Lee, the queen bee of the class, holding his tiffin.

"Hey! Come here, faggot! Take this if you can, or if you can without getting charged for assault," she taunted.

Robin's whole body froze as he gazed at her with a deadly stare, feeling disgusted. Sara Lee, however, was relentless.

"What are you staring at, creep?" she snapped before throwing the box at him, ruining his uniform on impact.

Robin was bubbling with rage but stayed quiet, composing himself.

Watching the scene from afar, Daniel intervened. "Hey Sara, that's not cool. You shouldn't pick on Robin. He's the one who keeps our class's GPA high. Without him, this class would be going down the drain."

"Yeah, whatever, twerp," replied Sara, leaving with her entourage in tow.

"Are you okay, bud?" Daniel asked, concerned.

"I'm okay, Dan. No problem. Let her be; she doesn't know any better," Robin replied, trying to sound composed.

"I don't know how you stay so calm. I would have beaten that bitch to a pulp," Daniel said, frustrated.

"You're right, but let's just be calm," Robin responded in a calm tone, though he was seething with rage inside.

Robin was completely fixated on her, watching her every move in silence. Within a few days, he discovered Sara's home address, the path she took to get home, who she associated with, her connections, her parents' names, and other relatives. Every detail of her home life and social network was now in Robin's hands. All he needed was the perfect day to strike.

 One day, Robin came home, still plotting his plan, and saw his mother working in the kitchen, chopping some onions. She gave Robin a warm look, but then accidentally grazed her finger. Robin rushed to her side.

"Mom, you alright?" he asked.

"I'm okay, dear. It's just a small cut," she replied.

She bandaged her finger with a nurse's proficiency and then pulled out a bottle of hydrogen peroxide to remove the blood stains on the cutting board. Robin found that interesting and filed it away in his mind.

Sara Lee usually took a rather secluded path home, but she was always surrounded by her four or five boyfriends and some sidekicks. However, from a particular distance, they would all go their separate ways, leaving her to walk home alone through a dark alleyway. It couldn't get any more perfect, so Robin decided this was his opportunity. He practiced mimicking her way of texting to sound convincing as if he were Sara.

On a Saturday, Robin called in sick to school and prepared for his mission after his parents left for their respective duties.

Robin first prepared his attire: a full black turtleneck, black track pants, a black scarf to cover his face, dark eyeglasses, a cap, and disposable socks, along with gloves. He made sure his pants had pockets to carry his supplies. Next, he took a small bottle of chloroform and another bottle of hydrogen peroxide, both small enough to easily fit in his pockets. Finally, he faced a crucial decision: whether to take the revolver with him in case something went horribly wrong. After a moment of contemplation, he decided to take it anyway.

Robin peeked outside his window to make sure the streets were empty. He then went into the garage and pulled out his father's car, which stayed at home since his father and mother didn't need it for their duties. The car had some ropes and tape in it for repairs, so he took them and drove to the spot where Sara Lee would walk alone after school. As time passed, Robin grew sweaty and increasingly anxious. Then he saw her—Sara Lee, walking his way, completely oblivious to the danger lurking nearby.

Robin acted quickly. He jumped her from behind and clasped a cloth soaked in chloroform over her nose before she could scream. After a minute or two of struggling, she lost consciousness. Robin took out her phone and texted her mom, mimicking Sara's style, to say she would crash at a friend's house for the weekend. He then tied her up, threw her in his car's trunk, and drove to his family's farmhouse, which was two miles away on the outskirts of town.

Robin was anxious, his face going pale, but he felt a pang of satisfaction. After an hour-long drive, he arrived at the farmhouse. The clock in the car read 6:30, and he knew his parents would be back by 9:00 PM. He wasted no time, taking her senseless body out and tying her to a chair inside the farmhouse. Generously, he left her a packet of chips and a water bottle he found in the farmhouse, but her hands were tied, which he found hilarious. He taped her mouth shut, though it wouldn't matter much since the place was quite off the grid. Satisfied with his work, he left for the night.

He drove back to his house for the day, music blaring in his car as if he had accomplished a significant endeavor, which, in a twisted sense, he had. Laughing and singing along to the song, he felt a surge of exhilaration. Once he reached home and parked the car, he dressed normally in his pajamas and laid in bed, waiting for his parents to come back, like any other sick kid.

Robin's parents got home and inquired about his health, to which he replied that he was feeling well. Later, when his father, Joseph Miller, went to the garage to grab the toolbox for some repairs around the house, he noticed something strange. The car, which should have been sitting idle, was emitting heat. The hood was hot to the touch, and while the trunk was clean, it had a sweet, minty smell. Joseph dismissed the heat as a result of the summer weather, thinking it was possible for the car to have gotten hot in the garage. However, the peculiar smell didn't make any sense to him.

Though perplexed, Joseph decided to ignore it, attributing the unusual heat and smell to his own stress. He grabbed the toolbox and continued with his repairs, dismissing the oddities as inconsequential.

Robin sat down at the dinner table, oddly joyful. His mother asked, "You seem rather too happy. Did anything happen?"

Robin replied, "Nothing, Mom. Everything was as usual."

However, Joseph asked him, "Robin, did you by any chance take the car out or perhaps run it if you were feeling bored or something?"

Robin swallowed hard but replied nonchalantly, "Yes, Dad, I was feeling bored, so I ran it and gave it a good rev or two, but that was it. Speaking of which, tomorrow is Sunday, but both of you have duties. May I take the car and go down to our farmhouse? I'll be back before you two arrive."

Robin's parents looked at each other but agreed to his request. "Then drive safe tomorrow, dear," his mom told him.

"Sure, Mom. I will be extra careful tomorrow," he replied.

Robin went to bed after dinner, excited for tomorrow. He knew it was going to be an extremely fun day, though his idea of fun was something most would find nightmarish.