The Leviathan Trial

by Oliver Madison

  At that, Kitty shook herself awake.

  Kitty awoke in the game room of Lancaster Manor. She was knocked out for some time. It felt like she had a hangover. A bad one. Her hazy vision slowly cleared as she sat up, resting her back against the drywall behind her.

  At first, everything about being locked in Lancaster Manor and the family killing each other in a bloody battle royale felt like just a bad dream—a distant blur. But the more she thought about it, the more it came back to her. Her back was sore, and she cringed as her aching head tapped against the wall. Her hands were bound behind her, unable to sooth the pain. She tried tugging them apart but was unable to do so. The last thing she remembered was being hit awfully hard in the head by Pearl. However, it was not Pearl who looked down on her. Her captor was lean with pretentiously perfect posture. He wore the standard black suit with the Leviathan crest on his chest pocket, along with an emerald green dress shirt and tie. His pointed chin was emphasized by a goatee. Gelled spiky hair that resembled black blades of grass sprouted from his head.

  It was Blake.

  Even his knees were pointy as he crouched to meet Kitty at eye level. “It’s about time you woke, little kitten,” he taunted sternly. Again, Kitty tried breaking her restraints, but had no luck.

  “What do you want from me?” she asked, pouty and irritable. “I appreciate the effort, but I’m not into the whole bondage thing.”

  Blake sneered at the remark and dished it right back to her. “I wouldn’t waste my time on a lowly bottom dweller like yourself, you social parasite. When you’re worth at least a hundred million, then maybe we’ll talk.” He was arrogant, but quick to get to his point. Kitty was meant to be used as leverage when Blake and Levi would inevitably confront one another. “Levi is resourceful,” breathed Blake. He paced the room back and forth as he unknowingly counted his steps. “I wouldn’t put it past him to cave under the influence of this trial and start trying to kill the others soon. When that time comes, your life may be of use to me. I’ll take any advantage I can get.”

  “Levi would never do that,” Kitty defied, rejecting the idea of him ever resorting to killing. “He’s gentle! He never once thought of himself during this stupid test your dad is putting you through! He’s been trying to find peaceful ways to end this. He just wants to get Helena out safely because she doesn’t stand a chance against you all.”

  Blake tried pushing the notion that eventually everyone has a breaking point. Ethos and pathos would become meaningless when an individual was pushed near the edge. But Blake assured her, everyone has a limit. “It’s just a matter of time before he becomes a threat to me.” He stared out the window. The rain had ceased for now, but it was still unbearably foggy. There was no sign of life, or even the trees in the bordering woods. It was as if Lancaster Manor was in a dimension all of its own. He gave it an hour or two before the storm would pick up again.

  At one point, Kitty asked if Blake was the masked man that she, Helena, and Levi fought in the underground bunker—if he was the one that killed Zara. After all, Blake was injured in the same spot where Levi pierced the masked Leviathan. Blake revealed his caramel shoulder beneath his unbuttoned shirt. It was certainly injured, but not by a mild stab wound. It looked like he had a handful of chicken pox scattered about, except each crimson dot was a hole that probably went about half an inch deep—some swollen, with blue and purple bruises. Blake was in no shape to fight Levi, let alone Pearl, who was armed to the teeth. Then there was Hiroshi, known for his wrestling and physical prowess. Those were the two biggest threats still roaming somewhere around the mansion.

  When Kitty was convinced Blake could not be the identity of the Great Leviathan, she put her theory to rest. In the end, it did not matter who it was. Everyone, other than Levi and Helena, was a threat.

  Blake did not intend to rush out from his safe space, the room his key unlocked, with guns blazing, so to speak. “Sometimes a defensive tactic is the most effective,” he stated. “You can keep me company for now. I’ll let the others have at it for a while longer,” he suggested, grazing his bony fingers across his buckshot wounds.

  “The others!?” Kitty scoffed. “That’s your family you’re talking about, you creep!”

  Blake grew tired of her guilt trip. He detached himself from the sentiments of family early on after Zara was murdered. He knew this to be Father Benedict’s true test. This was why he believed himself best suited for his inheritance. It was his chance to prove without a doubt that out of every other member in his family, he was the best.

  He was analytical.

  He had his lifelong experience in chess to thank for that. He could predict the rest of his siblings’ moves down to a T. All except Levi’s. Levi had a habit of making up his own set of rules as he went along in life. He thought back to one of their most recent monthly evaluations. No one ever received a hundred percent rating from their father. There was always something to improve on. There was always time that could be dedicated to another skill. To put things into perspective, Pearl and Eden were a couple of the rumored favorites in the family. The best score Benedict Lancaster ever gave Pearl for one of her monthly performance evaluations was a ninety-five percent. This was someone who placed second in the Olympics for skeet shooting. Eden’s best score was a ninety, for her accomplishment of raising millions of dollars for her charity.

  Most of the others floated around sixty to seventy percent, but their scores always bounced around as the children took their father’s advice on how they could improve. The exception was Mauve, who despite her strong affinity with writing and philosophy, scored a pitiful thirty percent on her most recent evaluation. It was a record low. It was mainly due to her declining GPA of 3.8, but the others were sure that their father just did not like Mauve for her rebellious and pessimistic personality.

  Blake had set the bar high with his ninety-eight percent score. It was the proudest day of his life—all thanks to his national chess victory. Despite praise from the masses, there was no such thing as a ‘perfect’ Lancaster. That is, until Levi came around. When word got out that he scored one hundred percent, Blake was in an uproar. He forced himself to mumble out a congratulations. However, in the back of his mind, he was furious. In his bedroom, he overturned his desk, punched his mattress, and swore aloud in seven different languages.

  Levi was a champion in his own field as well. There was no questioning that. However, thus far, he only competed in local competitions. Who cared about a city debate tournament? Who cared about starting a club at a school? It was child’s play. It was mind-boggling. Surely, there were more factors that Blake was not considering—something he was missing!

  Blake wasted sleepless nights, trying and failing to wrap his head around his brother’s score. The number one hundred haunted him everywhere he went. Chess was an analytical game. Everything could be calculated. The numbers did not lie. They were loud and clear. Levi was better than him.

  For now.

  The Leviathan Trial was his final chance to reign supreme. “Despite his score, Levi did not seem to be anywhere near as pleased with himself as I would have been,” Blake explained to Kitty. “He was only relieved that his evaluation was over. Afterwards, he simply went back to wasting time tutoring Helena…”

  Kitty knew the truth. It was just as Levi said in the hedge maze the day before. His only concern was bringing about peace. He had no interest in competing with his siblings. She had to be honest with herself. Originally, she was simply infatuated with the prestige of the Lancaster name. It just so happened that she and Levi were the closest in age and he was the most accessible out of his family. Subconsciously, she had it all mapped out. She did want to date Levi for a few weeks, then move on to some of the others and give them a whirl. She would have experimented with Troy, who had his eyes on her. When that would undeniably fall apart, she would have tried hooking up with Hiroshi, who most girls saw as a hunk of a man. Allister would have been next. If Blake was not such a cynical creep fr
om the start, she thought he could have made her list too…

  However, since this whole Leviathan nonsense, everything had changed. More and more, Levi seemed like a white knight. Not in a pretentious way, in an effort to draw attention to himself. He was a genuine noble human being, altruistic in nature. Normally, a nice guy would have been a horrific bore for her. But in this situation, she needed that more than ever. He was a ray of light in this abysmal trial. Kitty admired Levi for his selflessness, kindness, and resourcefulness. There were times during the last day and a half that she forgot about his wealth and notoriety entirely. More and more, she was becoming infatuated with him.

  “You won’t beat Levi,” she stated proudly.

  Blake chuckled and approached her with his hands arrogantly behind his back. Being the chess enthusiast that he was, Blake compared his capture of Kitty to taking out the queen, the most powerful piece. “With you captured, Levi’s in check.” He ran his fingers down his goatee and grinned as he thought aloud. “Soon, it’ll be checkmate.”

  PART V

  ACCEPTANCE

  CHAPTER 18

  HIDE AND SEEK

  Helena stayed hidden within one of the cupboards in the kitchen. It was pitch black inside. She had to remain perfectly still. The slightest movement would rattle the pans around her, giving away her position. Back when Pearl was hunting for her, Helena heard footsteps treading back and forth throughout the room. Luckily, silence was Helena’s specialty. She was motionless. Imitating lifelessness.

  “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” sang Pearl. Her voice was like that of a siren luring in unsuspecting sailors. It was as animated as the singing princesses from many of Helena’s favorite movies. She was tempted to come out and hug her big sister. But she did not budge. She stayed in her spot. She did as her brother instructed. When the coast would become clear, she would then follow the next step of his plan and meet him in the greenhouse on the other end of the mansion.

  As Pearl’s voice faded and her footsteps became distant, Helena sat in the cabinet. It was quiet. But not for long. Big feet stamped through the kitchen slowly. They must have been the feet of a giant. In fact, they were. It was Hiroshi. She spied on him curiously. Helena gently opened the door to peek. He seemed different somehow.

  Larger. As if that was possible.

  Sure enough, the wrestler of the family was more pumped than usual. At some point, Hiroshi discarded most of his clothes, walking around shirtless. Every muscle seemed twice its normal size. It was as if he just concluded a workout and his body was still swollen. The explanation was right there, clutched in his hand. Unbeknownst to the other Lancaster children, Hiroshi’s key unlocked a medicine cabinet located in the home gym—his favorite room in the house. It was where he kept his protein powder and workout supplements. For the trial, there was something more powerful stocked inside the cabinet.

  A small green plastic bottle filled with tablets the size of breath mints—a performance enhancing drug. It was a borderline steroid, with just enough modifications to technically be made legal—a fast-acting anabolic pill, taking the water in the human body and sending it to the muscles for extended endurance and optimal strength. It maxed out Hiroshi’s muscle fibers to their fullest capacity, giving him a burst of energy too.

  Helena had often seen Levi train with their eldest brother. Of course, their workout regiments were vastly different. As well as their diets. But it was a great way for them to bond. Levi would marvel at his brother’s ability to bench-press over 300lbs, as he provided him a spot. However, Levi had his bases covered in running. At times, the two would see who could run faster or longer before tapping out.

  Helena tried to silently close her cabinet door again after she shuddered at the sight of the monstrous behemoth of a man. That thing was no longer her brother. It was a mindless Neanderthal. Unfortunately, the door squeaked. She hoped the titan of the family did not hear it. She had her answer when the wooden door was ripped and flung from the cabinet by pure force. Hiroshi was staring her dead in the face.

  “I am so sorry for what I must do…” Hiroshi grumbled. He drooled with a vacant expression over his veiny red face. “It is a necessary evil,” he groaned. “Acceptance of death is all we can do.” He reached in between the shelves, spilling woks and lids onto the floor. His arms searched for the child’s body so he could snap its neck. Helena squirmed out of his grasp to get to the other end of the island counter.

  Hiroshi broke several of the cabinet doors, smashing them in with his fists. Others he kicked in. He had no regard for Helena’s wellbeing or his own. In the cramped darkness, Helena crawled over the pots and pans that clanked below her knees. Countless wooden splinters stuck to Hiroshi as he snaked his arms inside, feeling around for squishy flesh. He was far too doped up to feel pain, let alone think rationally. All he could feel was the shifting metal pots that were cool to the touch. Less than an hour ago, he popped three times the recommended dosage of the performance enhancer, plus a handful of other pills in a cocktail to help numb his pain from the mental trauma of so many of his loved ones dying. There were side effects, but the pills served their purpose.

  Finally, Hiroshi was forced to flee by Pearl, who returned after hearing the rustle. She shot a blast right passed him. He was a huge half-naked target. He took more of the buck shots that grazed him as he fled, painting the floor with much of his blood. Hiroshi vanished, vowing to himself to return and to finish off his family. “You will accept it!” He roared as he retreated. “You will all accept death!”

  Helena poured out from the cupboard, along with several clattering dishes. She was greeted with a shotgun that pointed directly at her face as she crawled and wobbled to her feet. It was aimed at the Leviathan emblem imprinted on her black facemask.

  Helena had no choice but to use her trump card. Truth be told, she had found out what her Leviathan key opened a long while ago. In fact, she was the first to find hers. It was a lock on her bottom drawer in her bedroom. When she unlocked it, she discovered a small box. She looked at it, tilting her head in curiosity. After opening it, she found a glistening knife with a Leviathan hilt. She put it aside, more interested with what was at the bottom of the box. Helena studied a photograph of all things. She stared at it for an hour before tagging along with Levi and Kitty to the library.

  With the barrel of the gun locked on her, Helena removed the photo from her pocket and displayed it out to Pearl with both hands. All Pearl needed to do was pull her index finger and the task would be done. Helena would be put out of her misery. She would be spared, and not have to suffer a slower death by Hiroshi or the others. Her soul would be saved.

  Before Pearl could do it, she soaked in the photograph. She ruffled her brow. Soon, a lone tear rolled down her cheek. Pearl was consumed with guilt from her actions. How could she have turned her weapon onto her own family—the family she had sworn to protect with her life? It was a filthy and shameful feeling. Her hands trembled as she stared at Helena in her big pale blue eyes.

  Moments later, there was a gunshot.

  Soon, a eulogy played. It was Pearl’s. Levi and Mauve stopped in the middle of the hall when it started. They took a moment to pray for their fallen sister as the poem echoed throughout the mansion.

  ‘Shooting star. My shooting star. You shot so high and came so far.

  Like a mother, you raised our kin.

  But in the end, succumbed to sin.

  Mother hamster—offers its young milk.

  Yet over time, devours them without guilt.

  Oh, shooting star. My shooting star. You shot so high and fell so far.

  Concerning your skills, you were the best.

  Now, you have fallen. Now, you may rest.’

  CHAPTER 19

  JUNGLE GYM

  After trekking down the mazelike halls of Lancaster Manor, Levi and Mauve made it to the end of the line—the greenhouse. Not to be confused with the outdoor garden beside their koi pond. It was the most logical place wher
e Helena could be hiding.

  Levi could not believe it. Aside from the third story window, this was the closest any of them have gotten to escaping their home. The greenhouse was an extension built onto their mansion and connected to their backyard, bordering the hedge maze. A single locked door divided Levi and Mauve from the outside world. The thick windows were shaped like triangles. They curved into a dome roof. Bright white rectangles of unnatural sunlight blinded them from above through a canopy of palm leaves.

  The unique quasi garden room was true to its name. It was incredibly lush with green. There were thick geraniums, impatiens, petunias, salvia, caladiums, ferns, poinsettias, bushes, trees and more.

  This area was by far the muggiest in the house. The humidity helped promote plant growth. Many of the plants were tropical and needed moisture, warmth, and light to flourish. The setup of the greenhouse made this optimal. It was a microcosm. It was as if someone took a slice of a rainforest and stored it away here inside Lancaster Manor. Even though it was roughly the size of a basketball court, the tall trees and leaves covered most of the walls, making it feel like the jungle would go on forever.

  There were several wide platforms that escalated like stairs. This was so any gardener could access the plants for trimming or maintenance, since there were many shelves, hanging vines, and monsteras. Luckily, there was no need to water the plants manually. The greenhouse took care of itself. Scattered around the glass ceiling, were built-in automatic sprinklers and misters. They went off two to three times a day depending on the season. However, whether summer or winter, it was always a consistent eighty-three degrees inside the greenhouse.

  Mauve and Levi did not get too far in their exploration before the tranquility of the garden would be shattered. They should have been more careful in this uncharted territory. Time seemed to move slowly as Levi noticed a single web-like thread stretched across the stone pathway. Before he could process it, Mauve’s foot just barely tripped a long hair-length wire. It tugged against the tip of her shoe but eventually gave in to the pressure. As it snapped, an explosion went off. It was a flash of orange. As soon as it glowed, it turned into a dark cloud of smoke. Then, even that dissipated into grey.