Disclaimer: This is fiction based off of Capgras Syndrome, which is rare but real. Not all individuals with Capgras syndrome alone will act out violently towards others. This story is not meant to glorify or encourage violence, and it is purely meant for entertainment.

The house was dimly lit the night Aubrey’s parents had left her to babysit her younger brother, Mason.  

9:30 P.M. 

Aubrey had shifted her focus to her homework while Mason had fallen asleep on his play mat. She was a freshman in high school, and she spent most of her time playing baseball and making money through babysitting.  

Though as she was writing algebraic equations in her notebook, her eyes shifted to Mason.  

Something about him unsettled her as of late, but she could never quite figure out why.  He acted like a normal two-year-old would. Mason would run around, play with his toys, and blabber on and on. However, Aubrey didn’t try to linger on the thought as she shifted her attention back to the homework that awaited her.  

9:40 P.M. 

Although time had passed, Aubrey hadn’t made much progress in her notebook. There was a pounding feeling in her head that seemed focused behind her eyes. She placed her notebook aside and shut her eyes to shield them from the blinding light in her brother’s room.  

It was another migraine. 

She’d been suffering through frequent migraines for the past week or so. It started when she had been batting while practicing for a big baseball game with some of her teammates. The teens had all decided to meet at the park, and Aubrey had forgotten her helmet at home. This hadn’t fazed her though, so she had proceeded with practice anyway.  

This proved to be a mistake as the ball charged directly towards her head, knocking her out for a few seconds.  

After this incident, she began to struggle in school. Everything would feel too loud and too bright, it was impossible to focus, and she’d constantly get migraines and headaches throughout the day.
Not to mention how easy it was to irritate her.  

9:48 P.M. 

Knowing she wouldn’t be able to focus on her homework, Aubrey stood up and switched the lights off. This caused Mason to stir on the mat.  

Something just isn’t right about him. 

Aubrey thought to herself as she watched her baby brother with caution. With great unease, she moved stealthily to the door and left Mason’s room to get a drink.  

9:53 P.M. 

Aubrey chugged her glass of water, yet nothing could alleviate the nausea brewing in her. The pressure behind her eyes was relentless as her mind raced. As she thought of Mason, she tried to recall his face.  

He doesn’t look quite the same. 

She thought to herself.  

Mason changed. Something’s wrong. Very wrong.  

Then, she was startled as she heard the cries of her baby brother echo through the halls. Normally, she would’ve rushed to check on him. Yet, something held her back. Fear. Maybe anger. Or perhaps it was a mixture of both as she worriedly thought of the worst that could happen. 
 

Aubrey froze for a moment, and as minutes passed, she could hear Mason cry louder and louder.  

I can’t trust him.  

She thought again. Then, in a panic, she rushed to her room and hastily searched for her baseball bat.  

That is not my brother. 

9:58 P.M. 

As Mason cried louder for his sister, Aubrey creeped towards his door. Her grip was tight around the handle of the bat as she inched closer and closer to the door.  

I need to get rid of him. What did he do to my brother? 

She thought with a surge of urgency as she angrily swung the door open.  

10:00 P.M. 

Mason’s cries got increasingly louder as Aubrey raised her bat.  

“What did you do to my brother?! Who are you!?” 

Aubrey cried out, inching closer to him.  

Mason couldn’t figure out how to give her a response. Though he understood her, his mind was too frantic to try and speak at all. And, with the bat in her hands, Aubrey rushed to finish the deed.  

10:03 P.M.  

Mason’s cries began to get quieter. He collapsed on the play mat with his skin all bruised. Though Aubrey could not stop. She knew what had to be done. This wasn’t her brother, and nothing could convince her otherwise.  

10:06 P.M. 

The sounds of bones breaking could not be undone. 

Mason had stopped crying.  

Though Aubrey wasn’t done. 

10:10 P.M.

Aubrey’s arms began to tire, and her attack lost its fervor.  

She was panting and trying to catch her breath, staring down at the bloodied and bruised mess before her.  

Her eyes widened, and the horrid sight made her sick. 

But she knew it was what had to be done.   

So, she dropped her bat on the floor and dialed 911.  

Capgras Syndrome: Symptoms 

This syndrome is a delusional misidentification syndrome. It is a syndrome characterized by a false belief (a delusion) that something has replaced someone significant to the patient.

Though it doesn’t normally lead to aggression, other conditions may make it likely to occur.