Pulled from Chapter 3 of ‘The Beast Within’…
I’m glad we’ve decided to stop and grab some food. Funeral aside, just haven’t been right lately, and I’m not ready to go home yet. Window’s down and the cool breeze feels good across my face, even at one hundred miles an hour.
Mel turns, her face scrunched. “Can you turn down the radio, baby?”
Shinedown’s “Sound of Madness” is playing. Love this stuff.
“Hey! Baby, you okay? You listening to me?”
The book on pain, if he wrote it, I’ve memorized it. I’m a headbanger from way back. Can’t make a mistake once and be done with it, hell no, not me. Gotta keep banging my head on the wall … over and over and over! There must be others who can relate. Bang your head once, it doesn’t take long for the pain to fade. You forget a bit about how much it hurt. You think, “Maybe it’ll be okay now—didn’t leave a mark last time.” That voice in your head tells you, “Try it again, you’ll be fine, listen to me.” So, BANG! You do it again. This time it leaves a mark, maybe even a scar. With enough time that voice comes back, “I’m stiiill heeere, try it again, you’ll be okay, trust me.” So, SLAM! This time it leaves nothing … it starts taking. First it takes a piece of your mind, then a piece of your soul … that’s the sound of madness.
Feeling strange lately, like I’m not alone in my own body. And the voices, yes, the voices! They started by entering my dreams, familiar yet terrifying. My waking hours are no better now. I’m hearing something on occasion. Garbled noise? Words barely within reach? Can’t help but feel I brought this all on myself. Must be my Catholic upbringing, default to guilt. Not even sure what—
“Babe!” Wow, snapped back to reality, and Bully is cranking.
I have a real problem with people that prey on the weak. Tearing other humans down just to make themselves feel powerful. Dominating them mentally and physically. I get enraged when I focus on that…
From the author’s bag of wisdom…
Fatefully, I’m a hard headed SOB, beyond stubborn to the end. The moniker “headbanger” seems an appropriate fit for me. This was the inspiration in naming the series “The Headbanger Chronicles”, found only here at Wayward Redemption.
DANIEL THOMAS, JR 