The Genesis Chamber

by Beighton Devlin

  “Associates? What are you talking about? And, as for your brother.” Grabbing the weapon and standing up in one fluid movement, he walked over to a darkened corner, almost disappearing into the blackness. “I don’t think Andy is going to be a major concern of mine.” He laughed.

  Chris was suddenly blinded by the bright light that illuminated the corner. He rubbed his eyes to let them adjust, then focused on the area. What was that? Is that a body? He squinted in an attempt to make out what the bundle was. Then, as his mind registered what he was looking at, his whole world collapsed.

  Slumped on a chair was the lifeless body of his brother. “Andy!” he shouted, and launched himself out of the seat to get to his sibling, but was halted by the firearm being brought up to point directly at his head.

  “Stop!”

  “You fucking animal.” He stood still, looking at the body. The two gunshot wounds on the chest and expanded blood stains on the shirt left him in no doubt that there was no chance the victim could be alive. His mind whirled at what seemed like a million miles per hour. He felt dizzy, and reached out for the chair he had been sitting on to steady himself.

  “Sit down before you fall down, Chris,” Genesis advised. “Besides, he’s long gone. There’s nothing you can do for him.”

  He staggered around the chair, lowered himself into it, and rested his arms on the table, taking deep breaths to try and clear his head. A thought suddenly flashed through his mind. He looked up and was surprised to see his captor had sat back at the other end of the table with his firearm facing him.

  “Did you kill my dad?” he asked through gritted teeth.

  “Yes,” he confirmed, with no sign of remorse. “That interfering old fool should have kept his nose out of my business.”

  “Why? Why kill a defenseless old man?” he snarled.

  “He wasn’t exactly defenseless,” he nonchalantly said, as he put the gun down on the table and sat back in the chair. “He had to go; he was getting closer.”

  Chris spied the weapon. Could I get to that before he can react? He ran the scenario through his mind. Don’t let him know what you’re thinking. Distract him. Keep him talking. “He was just a cop doing his job.”

  Genesis seemed to momentarily lose his cool. He lurched forward and snarled at his victim. “No! He was a nosey old fucker, sticking his beak in where it didn’t belong.”

  Startled by the sudden change in manner, Chris sat back in his chair. “No, you’re wrong.” He glanced at the gun. Keep talking. “Maria told me about the case she was working on with my dad. They were tracking a pedophile.” He sat forward and pointed at the aggressor. “They were tracking you.” He paused. “You killed him in cold blood to save your pathetic, cowardly ass.” His confidence began to rise; insulting the killer was really making him feel invincible. “They love pedophiles in prison. You are going to be very, very popular with guards and inmates alike,” he taunted.

  “It makes no difference what you think of me!” he snapped and stood up, sending his chair scraping across the floor. “But I’m no pedophile.”

  “Yes, you are. You lured kids to meet you. Then you raped them and killed them.” He continued, “Your family must be so proud of you.”

  That final comment got the reaction he was looking for.

  “Family?” he screamed, and banged his fist on the table, making the weapon bounce a little further away from him. “Family? Don’t preach to me about family. You have no idea what happened to me.”

  “You’re right, I don’t. And you know what else? I don’t care.” He wasn’t sure what was happening, but he felt somehow he was beginning to get the upper hand in this situation. If he could keep agitating his assailant, maybe he would get a chance to make a grab for the gun.

  “I wonder how you would have turned out if you were raped at twelve years old and strangled to within an inch of your life.” His breathing became heavy beneath the wolf mask. “Then left for dead. By a family member. Someone who should protect you, not hurt you.” He banged the table again with both fists. “Then, when you tell your father what happened, he takes his belt to you. Tells you it’s your fault for being in an area he told you not to go to.” He took a deep breath and straightened up, moving a little further from the weapon.

  “So that gives you the right to rape and murder other kids?” He shook his head. “You are just a pervert trying to validate your actions.”

  The killer leaned forward, placing his hands on the table again. “I didn’t rape those kids.” He shook his head. “I was present, but I didn’t rape them.” He pushed himself upright again, looking up at the ceiling as if recalling a memory. “I did rape a boy once.” He spoke hesitantly. “I was nineteen years old. When I had finished, I strangled him.” He looked back to Chris. “The rape did nothing for me. If I’m honest, I felt disgusted with myself.” He sighed. “But, taking someone’s life. Well… Ooooh!” He shuddered as if a shiver had gone down his spine. “That really is something else.”

  Chris looked at him, slightly horrified at the way he recited his story. “You really are fucking deranged.” He leaned forward in his chair. “You need help. Give up, hand yourself in. Go and get the treatment you need,” he pleaded.

  Genesis slammed his hand down on the table. “No!” he shouted. “I don’t need treatment. I need a fucking medal. I put those kids out of their misery.”

  “That’s your reasoning? You killed all those kids as an act of mercy?” he snapped back.

  “Yes, exactly! They don’t have to live with what I’ve had to live with!” he shouted again. The accent was becoming less and less apparent the angrier he got.

  Chris laughed. “You can’t justify any of this, you sick fuck. You were there. You could have stopped those kids from being raped, but you didn’t.” He pointed his finger at him and snarled. “You stood by and watched. Then you took the lives of those innocent kids.” He slapped his palm on the table and stood up. “You’re nothing more than a child killer. A pathetic excuse for a human being.”

  “I was absolving them of their sins. I gave them absolution.” His voice was calmer and the accent was back.

  “Absolution? From what? From the sins you and your pervert friends inflicted on them?” Chris paused, his mind racing again. A thought suddenly entered his head. “Wait… does this mean you’re going to kill Jen, too?” he asked, as he glanced at the gun still positioned at the far end of the table.

  “No, I would never hurt Jennifer. She is family to me.” He laughed.

  “Family? Are you fucking serious?” The hostage shook his head in disgust.

  “I haven’t done anything to Jennifer,” he replied.

  “You made me rape her, you sick bastard.” He slammed his hands down on the table, using the distraction of the noise he made to nudge his chair a little closer towards the end of the table.

  Genesis clenched his fists, then raised one hand and pointed at Chris. “You wanted to do that. I’ve seen you two together.”

  “Are you seriously that broken?” He was exasperated. “Jen is my fucking niece; I have done nothing but show her the appropriate love and affection that a doting uncle should.” He paused. “Until now, you sick, twisted fuck.”

  The wolf mask shook. “You wanted her for yourself.”

  “What?” Chris asked. He was more confused than ever. He was also sure that this guy could snap at any time, and he had to get himself closer to the gun without making it obvious.

  “You heard me. You wanted her for yourself. You wished she was your daughter to make up for your slut of a wife being barren,” he sneered.

  “What the fuck are you talking about? I love my wife.” He edged his arm along the table. Could I reach the gun if I stretched my arm out fully? He wasn’t sure. He needed to get himself at a better angle to make a lunge for it. He knew he would have to be careful and not draw any attention to his plan because it seemed his aggressor was becoming more unstable.

  The wolf sighed again. This time he ov
eremphasized it by dropping his shoulders in an over-exaggerated way. “Oh, dear, you just don’t get it, do you, Christopher?” He paused as if giving himself time to find the words he wanted. “Let me try to explain it to you.” He straightened up. “Do you ever read the Bible?”

  “Never felt the need since I was forced to read it at school.” Chris shifted in his chair, moving it half an inch closer. He suddenly noticed the eyes looking at him from behind the mask. Those eyes… They look familiar. Concentrate. Had he noticed the movement? If he had noticed he wasn’t saying anything about it.

  “That’s a shame, because it holds great significance to our present situation,” Genesis broke the momentary silence and sat down at the table.

  “Really? My religious studies teacher, Mr. Turner, must have bypassed the chapter about psychopathic pedophile child killers.” He raised an eyebrow.

  “I’m not a pedophile!” he shouted, springing to his feet and slamming his fists on the table again. Then, he took a deep breath and outstretched his arms. “All this is staring you in the face. The answer is in the Bible,” he said in a much calmer tone.

  “Really? Tell you what.” He moved in the seat, shifting it again. “Why don’t I give Mr. Turner a call? I can’t help but feel that he is responsible for all this. If he had made more of an effort teaching me about this . . .” he waved his arms around, “religious stuff, then maybe we wouldn’t be here.” He put his elbow on the table and rubbed his forehead.

  The eyes glared down at him from behind the mask. “Very droll, Christopher. Let me enlighten you. Genesis, chapter four, verse two. Does that ring any bells?”

  He shook his head and looked at his captor. “No, no it doesn’t.” He sighed. “Look, I’ve had enough of this. If you’re going to kill me, then just get on with it. But, please, let my niece go.”

  Genesis stood upright. “Now Abel kept flocks and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord and Abel also brought offering, fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock—”

  “Is this going to take long?” Chris asked, faking a yawn.

  He ignored the interruption and continued. “The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering.” As he recited from the Bible, he slowly moved over to the limp body on the chair and stood over it. “But on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor, so Cain was very angry and his face was downcast.” He lowered his hand and grabbed under the chin. With one fluid motion he pulled up hard, pulling a mask off, revealing the true identity of the dead person.

  Chris tried to speak, but nothing came out. His whole body was paralyzed with shock. The recital continued. “Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door, it desires to have you, but you must rule over it. Now Cain said to his brother Abel, let’s go out to the field.’ While they were in the field Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.” As he moved closer he lifted the deflated mask up, making it look like it was eerily floating towards the captive, eventually stopping inches away.

  Shocked behind his pig mask, Chris was entranced by what he was looking at. This can’t be right, he thought. I’m looking in a mirror. His head raced, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Snap out of it. This isn’t real. He blinked and looked up to once again see those eyes burning through the wolf mask, bearing down on him.

  The Genesis Chamber

  Chapter 43

  Chris’s wild-eyed gaze was transfixed on the mask as Genesis casually dropped it on the table in front of him. He couldn’t take his eyes off it for a few moments, then he slowly lifted his head to regain eye contact with the menacing figure standing before him. His mind struggled to grasp the situation. None of it made sense.

  His aggressor silently returned his gaze, then slowly reached for his own mask, slipping his thumb under the latex façade, and began to take it off.

  The captive’s stomach churned and knotted as he watched, riveted to the seat. Finally the mask was off and placed on the table next to the one resembling his face. For the second time that night, his world imploded. He gawked, open-mouthed, into the eyes of a familiar face. A face he knew as well as his own. The face of his own twin brother.

  “Andy?” he gasped, and removed the pig mask he had been ordered to wear. “What have you done?” His head reeled, trying to make sense of what was happening. “Please tell me you’re not behind all of this. For God’s sake, you’re a cop! You’re supposed to uphold the law.”

  “And that is exactly why I will get away with it.” He pounced forward, banging the firearm on the table. “Do you think we have arrived at this juncture by accident?” Shaking his head, he stood up, seemingly towering over his sibling. Chris sank back further into the seat, unable to speak. “Oh no, brother, this is no accident. This is a well thought out and executed plan that has been years in the making.”

  “What? You planned this whole thing?” He looked at the floor as if searching for some answers. Then, like a lightning bolt, it hit him. “You made me rape your daughter, you sick fuck.”

  “A sick fuck?” he huffed. “A sick fuck who is about to inherit everything you own. As for Jen, that was a necessary evil.” He shrugged. “She’ll get over it.” His face was stern.

  Chris thought he saw a glimmer of remorse, but he couldn’t be certain. He wasn’t even sure he knew who the man in front of him was at all. “She’ll get over it? You made me rape her! How the fuck is she going to get over that?” he raged. “If this is about the money, why didn’t you just ask? I would have given you anything!”

  “This isn’t about the money.” Andy smiled. “Although that sure is going to be a nice little bonus.”

  Chris sighed. “You’re not getting a dime of my money. I’ve set up a trust fund for Jennifer, including a percentage of the company, and the rest goes to Amber.” He returned his brother’s smile. “So you see, you get nothing.”

  Andy picked up the mask of his face. “You know how being a twin has always been a bit of a hindrance to us? Even our own father not being able to tell us apart?” Chris was unsure where his evil brother was going with this, but he nodded his head in acknowledgement. “Well, I used that to my advantage for once. I went to visit your attorney about eighteen months ago. I posed as you, and told him I was going through some marital difficulties and that I wanted to change my will, leaving everything to my loving, caring brother.” He smiled again, and sat back on his seat.

  “You bastard! You won’t get away with it,” he said.

  “I think I will.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “You see, I had our devoted father come along with me to witness the new will. Stupid old fool never had a clue.” He sat back in his seat with a smug smile and ran his hand through his hair. “Super cop and devoted father couldn’t even tell us apart.”

  “Did you really hate him that much?” Chris asked.

  Andy bolted out of his seat, sending it flying backwards. “The day he took his belt to me as punishment,” he nodded, confirming what he was saying was correct, “when I told him I had been raped by that sick redneck, was the day he stopped being my father,” he sneered.

  Chris struggled to keep his cool. Should he just make a leap for the gun? He considered it for a brief moment, but quickly realized it would be futile. “So, because Daddy didn’t love you enough, it gives you an excuse to punish the rest of our family that have always been there for you?”

  “I’m not making excuses!” he bawled back. “Everything I ever did wasn’t good enough for him.” He held his arms out, emphasizing what he was saying. “Even when I became a cop it didn’t please him.” He paused and pointed at his brother. “Yet you, on the other hand, got praised no matter what you did?”

  “You could have had everything I have.” Chris rose from his chair, putting his hands on the table. “You were always
far more competent on a computer than I was. In fact, I remember begging you to become a partner with me when I first set up AppTech, but no, you had to become a cop to prove to Dad that you could.” He looked around the room. “And where has that gotten you?” he mocked.

  “It’s gotten me exactly where I want to be,” he huffed again. “All the IT knowledge enabled me to hack into the police database and manipulate the files, erasing criminal records and CCTV footage.”

  “Is that what you did at my house with Maria’s gun?” His anger rose.

  “Oh no, no, no, brother.” He laughed. “Something far more simple. You see, the weapon deposited in your safe was mine. I switched them before we got to your office. This was all a setup for you to give me an alibi.” He paused, letting his brother take it all in. “You just don’t see the big picture. I’m going to walk out of here with my daughter wanting to be my daughter, all of your money, and, to top it all, I’ll be hailed a hero cop for bringing in Genesis.” He paused and rubbed his chin. “Don’t worry; I’ll make sure Amber is provided for. You never know; she may even show me her appreciation.” He winked. “If you know what I mean.”

  That was one comment too much for Chris. He slammed his hands down hard on the table and pushed it into the groin of his brother, sending him backwards. Unable to gain his balance, Andy had to go with the momentum of the table pushing him into the wall with great force, the impact making him lose his grip on the weapon, which bounced across the tabletop and into the hands of his brother. He slumped to the floor, winded, and gasping for breath. When he regained his faculties he looked up to see the weapon pointed straight at him.

  “Stay right where you are,” he snarled, with the gun trained on his brother’s head. Andy slowly got to his feet and rested his back against the wall. “So, you going to shoot me now?”