THE BEAST UNLEASHED

A Murdock tradition was having Bran flakes with milk early in the morning. As the mother of the house always said that Breakfast was the most important meal of the day so no one was allowed to miss it if they were to be living under her roof. With their bags all packed and a stern warning. Riley was to accompany his little sister to school then undergo his other daily routines. Having the responsibility of an adult whist being a child is a heavy burden and takes its toll on any with such fate. Dragging her feet the whole way and picking up foreign objects trying to ingest them, Riley had his hands full the whole way. Kindergarten is a fun experience to all except for the person who has to keep watch. She went about kicking pebbles and picking up pretty flowers trying to make them late but he would entertain none of it. Disregarding all she did, he just pulled her and made his way to school. Being in his grade at school was stressful on its own but having to bring her to school did not alleviate his mood. Safely dropping her off in her classroom he went to his and sat at his favourite desk. Like a wolf that marks its territory, everyone knew that his place was his alone and any that defied him would pay the price. Time elapsed with the teacher going on about "The Mutapa state" and the likes but all he could hear was gibberish coming out of her mouth. But at an opportune moment his teacher singled him out of the whole class.

"Riley could you please repeat what I just said to the whole class" everything went silent. He could feel the sting of his own ignorance immediately.

"I did not quite understand your last statement ma'am, I was about to ask you to repeat it and explain further."

"Trying to be sly I see, but that won't help you. I could tell that you were physically here but mentally elsewhere. A punishment is what you deserve so after lessons, come and see me." As she finished, all his classmates with a single voice in chorus shouted "Mad dog, mad dog. Who can put the mad dog down, Is it you? Mad dog, mad dog…" they sang with cheers all around. With utter disdain, he gave most of them a grimace none would ever forget. His nickname "Mad dog" was attained through the sheer animosity he displayed to all around him. Trying to tame him was like trying to tame a rabid dog. Riley resorted to violence as much as he could, just looking at him wrong would get you a black eye. Even a few teachers were scared of him making him attractive to the girls and famous throughout the whole school. Most afternoons' he would spend some quality time with teachers that were not fazed by him in detention. Each fibre of his being had him thinking of introducing his chair legs to the skull of the teacher in charge but he managed to keep it together. Having to be confined and surrounded by delinquents was no slumber party. Being denied the right to speak or even eat just made matters worse. This gave him time to drown in his own thoughts even as he faked reading the Commerce textbook he always had in front of him. Saturated with all the regrets and failures he could muster he would then leave detention and find his little sister waiting for him outside the door. Even she knew that he was a regular in detention, it could even be said that Detention was another subject he took. Going back home he always wished he could go with his handful of friends for he missed out on pranking old people. But he was under strict instructions not to stray from the path set in front of him. If his younger sister were to snitch as she usually did, that he had either, left her alone, made her cry or gone off with his friends it all resulted in him getting a beating worthy of the Guinness World record books.

The spare key was always around his neck to ensure its safekeeping. Each time they got home it would be empty because their mother would be at work and their dad would be out and about. His crown of being "bad a**" would be left at the door the moment he walked in for he knew this was enemy territory and he had to behave. Pre-cooked supper waited to be devoured in the kitchen all he had to do was reheat it. The food was always delicious being pasta with chicken or some type of white meat. Followed by watching his favourite show "Doctor Who" and some incessant questions from his bunk mate were next.

"I miss mommy and daddy, where are they, I want to see them. Why do I have to stay here with you after school."

"They will be here soon you will see. Mommy is buying Doritos and Cola for you and Daddy is…well he is daddy." "But you promised to keep me happy. I am going to tell daddy that you made me cry" she said with tears welling up in her eyes.

"Don't cry I'm sorry. I promise you that Dad is going to pick you up from school tomorrow you will see". She finally simmered down every time he made up a story with dad being the hero. Their mother would be back from work at round 7 in the evening when she would ask them about their day, let them watch TV for a bit then tuck them into bed sending them off to dream world. Their father was spontaneous when it came to the time he came home.

Many are felled before attaining this feat. Miscarriages are common, we hear that a child has been abducted and killed but we do not even blink an eye. Death is no stranger to us, it is all around us. We know it exists and shall one day embrace the lot of us. Local newspapers gloss over such matters making them attractive to the public. Headlines pop up on our phones and even on the streets portraying things like "boy mistaken for pig and shot to death". The rationale is densely off hence we would want to read the article because it seems interesting but looking over the fact that a mother has lost her child and is in grievance and the future would have lost a benefactor. So the mere fact that our Lord and Saviour allows' humans to reach the age of 16 is a marvel on its own. Many are excited about reaching this age, the time when most misguided teenagers set out to lose their purity. The suave that comes with being sixteen is alluring to youngsters, commonly referred to as "Sweet sixteen".

Riley Murdock finally turned sixteen on the 18th of March and was planning to enjoy his day no matter the cost. But above all he wanted to be around people that loved him or tolerated him at least. His father was first when it came to those loved him. Every son wishes to be acknowledged, respected and loved by their father and that is all he hoped for. He wanted it to be simple, to be surrounded by a few friends and family but his mother had other plans. She went behind his back planning a day her beloved son would forever remember.

The Saturday morning presented no irregular pattern, the whole family woke up and went about their day as though it was any other. Riley set out to meet his friend as a plan had already been hatched. They met up and went to the Arcade to settle the score on who was the better player when it came to FIFA and Mortal Kombat. Back at home 'Mother' was unpacking all the decorations she had brought sneakily into the house. After that she called the few friends Riley had, that would come to the party no questions asked. The bond between mother and child may seem severed the moment they reach puberty but it runs deep and there shall always be a strand of it left. Despite his ruffian appearance and unnerving behaviour at times she loved him with all her heart and soul. Even a few willing neighbours were invited and told to lie in wait for when Riley decided to make his first appearance.

All in all, it was an enjoyable event and the time came when everyone had to leave and only Riley, his sleeping sis and mom. Just after 9pm, Riley's father finally stumbled into the house, drunk as a mule. Riley's disappointment came as a wave as he saw his Dad in such a sad state. His father could see the look in his eyes and said "Son what seems to be the problem. You seem pale today."

Hurt, Riley replied in a raised voice "Out of all the people I look up to you continually let me down and you did not come to my birthday party". Sobering up for a mere instant his Father abruptly approached him and stood eye to eye with his son and said "Don't think that just because you are now older, I will let you talk to me like that I am still your Father"

With sarcasm Riley in a low tone said "That you are, Father of the year indeed". As if possessed by a Demon, his Father broke the Chankura beer bottle he had in his hand and pointed it at his son threatening to stab him if he insisted with such an attitude. Not willing to back down, Riley also picked up a kitchen knife just as a precaution and to make his Dad cool down.

Mother was huddled into a corner crying and praying that all the madness would end hopefully, but the situation only escalated. Out of the blue seeing his child holding a knife to him 'Father' decided to teach his child a lesson. 'Father' pounced upon his son and Riley lifted up his hands in self-defense.

The utter silence had him look up to see if his dad had calmed down but to his horror, the knife he was holding was stuck in his father's neck right in the jugular. A fountain of blood was gushing all around him and he looked towards his mother to see her mortified face frozen in place. Riley set his father beside him and said "I did not mean to dad, please don't die we still need you" but this was all for naught for the response was "Don't blame yourself son, I should have been a better Father to you" and his breaths became shallower and more rapid until he breathed his last in his child's hands.

Riley just sat there unfazed but a part of him rejoiced in having blood all over his hands and the feeling he got when his Father's life force was depleting bit by bit. This was the first seed planted in Riley Murdock that ultimately resulted in Lunacy.