Who is Richard Kinnell?

Richard Kinnell is the main character in “The Road Virus Heads North.” Kinnell is at first not afraid of the painting he finds at a yard sale. He becomes afraid of it when it begins to change and becomes more threatening. Kinnell tries to leave the painting behind at a rest stop and then burns it in his fireplace. When it appears in his bedroom, showing the car parked in his driveway, Kinnell believes he is about to die.