The Leviathan Trial

by Oliver Madison

  Hiroshi was fried.

  There were two powerful flashes along with low and high-pitched drones. Hiroshi collapsed backwards with his last expression of surprise forever stuck to his face as he floated lifelessly in the pool. He flowed like a large steamy piece of driftwood until his body was trapped in the corner amongst the rest of the debris.

  The unrelenting deluge from the pipes and sprinklers drifted Mauve’s and Sion’s bodies toward Hiroshi as well. Helena knew it was impossible, but from her point of view, it looked as if her three siblings were holding hands, as they floated in the rippling flood.

  Again, Father Benedict’s voice appeared on the speaker, right on time. His words were drowned out and lost on the sight Helena soaked in before her.

  ‘Kind-hearted titan not frightened to love.

  Yet, accepting of defeat when push comes to shove.

  I had hoped your resolve would be as strong as your form.

  I had hoped you would shelter the others during this storm.

  My kind-hearted titan, you may lighten your mood.

  Became a pack animal and devoured your brood.

  May you rest easy now. Your perseverance may brighten.

  My love. My love.

  My kind-hearted titan.’

  CHAPTER 22

  CHARADES

  Out in the distant reaches of blackness, there was a faint ringing.

  It swayed in Levi’s mind like a pendulum. With each swing, the volume was raised. The ringing became clearer. They formed into words.

  “Hope.”

  “Don’t give up.”

  “Don’t give up hope,” it chirped faintly.

  The voice was one that Levi did not recognize. One he had never heard before. It was that of a small angel. Just like the ringing, the darkness splintered and faded to grey. Then to white. Then his vision became clear as crystal.

  The small angel was Helena, staring at him from above.

  He was sure he was dead. Which meant she was dead too. She did not have on her mask, which made her moving mouth and voice all the more of a bizarre spectacle for him. He would have felt the same if he woke up only to find the family cat talking. The more he thought about it, the more he knew Helena was not a ghost. Levi felt life within his aching back and sore throat. More importantly, when he reflected on recent events, he remembered that her eulogy never played.

  It really was Helena.

  She dragged him out of the greenhouse to the indoor pool area. The thick aroma of chlorinated water filled the air. Time moved slowly as Levi embraced her harder than he ever had before. She was soft, fragile, and warm. Yes, she was a brat at times, but he did not know how much he would have missed her if she was gone. Ever since his father revealed himself as a fiend, Helena was the one person who gave him purpose again. She was his last link to humanity. He cried like a baby. She did not respond for a moment. She stared curiously and silently as she often did with her big unblinking eyes. It was unusual for her to see Levi so out of his composure. Eventually, the gravity sunk in. She hugged him back and patted his head. When he finally accepted that she was real, he asked Helena about the elephant in the room.

  “You can talk?” It was a simple question, and he felt stupid for asking it, but he absolutely wanted an explanation. He spent far too many months working with Helena for her to just now start opening up. Levi was still digesting it. Somehow, despite all the secret rooms in his house and killing between family members, Helena speaking still managed to catch him off guard. Her voice was gentle, but weird for him to hear. Being that she lived in Norway for most of her life, her accent was strong with a sing-song tonality to it. She seemed to add an inflection on every other word.

  “When I want to,” she replied faintly. “I usually do not have much to say. I understand English fine, but it is my second language. Our family would have made fun of my accent.”

  In the end, Father Benedict was right. Helena was just shy. She went into detail of how she knew the Leviathan Trial was being prepared for the children for the past couple of months now. She had seen someone filming Father Benedict’s video in one of her sibling’s rooms. When Helena got wind of what sinister plan was coming her way, she tried escaping from Lancaster Manor at every opportunity she had. For Levi, it now made perfect sense as to why she would constantly run away whenever she was let into the backyard unsupervised.

  As of recent, Helena had become immune to the fears that stemmed from death and danger. She took it seriously in her previous home, back in Norway, with her parents. She cried when her father bludgeoned her mother to death after an argument one evening. “We’re just playing a game,” her father assured her. He was panting as he stood over her mother’s lifeless body, preparing to bury it out back. Her father gingerly grazed Helena’s cheek with the back of his hand, stroking her soothingly with his lie. “Your ma is sleeping. It’s just a game.”

  However, Helena knew better. She thought about what she would do the next day as she stared at the ceiling from her bed. She remembered her mother used to “punish” dirty rats with a special drink that was kept under the sink. Helena found it suiting to do the same to her father. She punished him the same way by pouring poison in his coffee the following morning. When authorities arrived later in the week, they just believed her father’s death to be a murder-suicide, receiving no testimony from the silent little girl who played with her dolls while her father lay motionless at the breakfast table.

  ‘Just a game.’ thought Helena. ‘Just a game…’

  Her beliefs were solidified by the Leviathan Trial. Murder became just as natural for her family as playing hide-and-seek or tag. Sure. Her siblings were far rougher with this version. There was no denying that. But in the end, this was just another game in her eyes.

  “My only goal has been to get you out of this game alive,” chimed Helena. She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder as she looked up to him.

  ‘Get me out alive?’ thought Levi. Surely, his little sister had it backwards…

  “You were the only one in our family who has ever been kind to me.” Helena reached into her dress pocket and pulled something out. It was the photo uncovered by her Leviathan key. She hugged it and then presented it to Levi. “I truly treasure our relationship. You are more than a brother to me. You have been my guardian.” She pulled something else out from behind her back as well, placing a knife in Levi’s hands. “But now, it is my turn to protect you,” she whispered sadly. She knew what this entailed. She was meek when she asked for one final favor. “Kill me.” She was quiet as she made the request. “Kill me, so that you can live.”

  Levi stared at the knife, unable to absorb what Helena was telling him to do. The handle had the long neck and head of Leviathan. The blade was gleaming at him. “Only one of us can live,” Helena reasoned, tilting her head to the side. “You are the kindest of us all. If any one of us deserves to survive this trial, it is you.”

  She made no expression of sorrow as she gestured to the knife and then tapped on her heart, instructing him in where to place it. “Once I am gone, you can outlive Blake and Cynthia as well. You can live a long life outside of our home. You can help others as you helped me. You can play with Kitty.”

  Levi could not take it. He wanted to slap some sense into her. His little sister was crazy—speaking nonsense!

  “My life is my gift to you,” she insisted, bowing her head.

  Helena leaned in and whispered more words into Levi’s ear. She was explaining something in intricate detail. His eyes widened, and he nodded obediently. Finally, she kissed him on the cheek and lay flat on her back.

  Levi’s pits were drenched.

  He looked at the knife in his hand. There was no way he could ever bring himself to do what she asked. But he had to trust her. It killed him inside, but he knew it must be done.

  After a deep breath, Levi raised the knife and thrusted into Helena from above with full force. He wept salty tears as he did it. There was a secu
rity camera in the corner of the room, barely able to catch the act of violence playing out. It mainly showed Levi’s back, but there was no mistaking it. It recorded Helena cringing and convulsing. Then, she rolled over in still silence. Her dress was soaking in a dark stain from her blood. It expanded in a pool around her heart and cupped hands. It almost seemed too quick. However, her death was confirmed minutes later when the intercom went off.

  Their father’s thunderous preaching echoed throughout the halls of the nearly empty mansion.

  ‘Do not stay silent my princess of potential.

  Hard work and resources are always essential.

  You could have been an athlete. Defeat is absurd.

  Could have been a botanist—a biologist. Could have studied a bird.

  Went into art. Got your start. Been a judge in a court.

  I wish you unlocked your potential.

  For life is too short.’

  CHAPTER 23

  TRUTH OR DARE

  He could not believe what he had done. Levi suffered immediate regret and wanted to slit his own throat to make up for his actions. Crimson red blood dripped from Helena’s doll-like body. Levi stayed by her side, as long as he could, crying from how much he had hurt her. He wiped away his tears when he heard footsteps reverberate in his direction. There were only a few people it could be at this point. However, it was obvious from the subtle mannerisms and confidence of the steps that it was his rival of a brother, Blake. With him was Kitty, her hands bound behind her back with plastic zip ties.

  “Bravo.” Blake slow clapped sinisterly. “Bravo, dear brother! I didn’t think you had it in you.” He grinned sharply as he checked his gold pocket watch. “You threw away all your morals just in time. Soon the gas will be released, and we will all be dead. And here I thought you would kill yourself and leave me with a boring standoff with Cynthia and the little mime girl. Father was right,” Blake jeered. “This trial has indeed brought out the best in us—forcing us out of our comfort zones and bringing us to our full potential. It is simply invigorating. His final act of love for us will forever be treasured. Before I am on my death bed, I will be sure to follow our Leviathan ways and make certain that my children undergo the same trial.” He winked and nodded. “Only the best deserves to live after all.”

  Levi rose and turned to him. Kitty was speechless. She could not believe what she was seeing. It was Helena’s motionless body lumped in the fetal position. Levi really did kill her! Kitty’s world was shattered. Hope was lost. It was as Blake said, everyone had a limit. In time, everyone would corrupt. At this point, she did not know who to root for. Blake continued to push his hostage along, guiding her down the walkway to meet with Levi beside the tarped pool.

  They both shot their heads upward as they were interrupted by the cracking voice on the speaker. Yet again, it was Father Benedict. It was prompted by a long chime. “My remaining children, I am afraid you have reached the end of the time limit for your trial,” their father stated. “Thirty-six hours have passed. Because more than one Lancaster is still alive, we are moving into overtime,” boomed the voice. “As promised, the house vents in the north wing will commence with emitting a chlorine gas. It will be the end of all remaining life in Lancaster Manor. Do not fret, my children. One of you may still live. Consider this as motivation, not punishment. Continue in your efforts to slay your remaining adversaries. The trial is still not over until one remains. At that time, you must ascend to the one true door that will lead to your freedom. Ascend, my children! Should you fail, three hours from now all life in our home will be extinguished.” At that, the voice cut out. Something about it sounded odd. It was not entirely like their father. It seemed to squeak at the end in an almost feminine tone. Blake heard it too and raised an eyebrow. As weird as it was, Levi focused more on his brother and his captive. They were running out of time.

  “Alright.” Levi called him out and agreed. “We’ll need to hurry this up. It’s just you and me now, brother. One final duel to settle this. We’ll see who can leave this house and who’s forced to stay.”

  Blake bellowed with laughter. “You were never as good at math as I am, brother.” Blake mocked him as he held up his hands, all while folding one of his thumbs. “I counted nine eulogies. There are three of us left.”

  “The chlorine gas that is beginning to fill our home will seep through to the north wing and slowly kill Cynthia first,” explained Levi, recollecting himself and wiping his eyes one final time. “We’re in the south wing. No matter how you look at it, it’s down to you and me. And if I don’t die soon, you’ll be dead. You need me here. I think you always knew it would end this way.”

  Blake had to admit, as calculative as he was, he had been surprised for the majority of the Leviathan Trial. He never thought Levi, of all people, would be the one to kill Helena. Nevertheless, he was open to hearing his brother’s proposal since they were at an impasse. Levi was right in that he was his final threat preventing him from escaping Lancaster Manor.

  “What did you have in mind?” asked Blake, casually keeping his hands in his pockets, intrigued by the offer. He knew in a battle of wits, no one, other than their father could outdo him. As much as this was solely for the sake of survival, Blake relished the opportunity of putting his mind against Levi’s. There was no doubt that he would win. He was a chess champion for a reason. He was always ten steps ahead, able to read his opponents before they even had a chance to think for themselves. His dominance on a chess board applied to his control over all other obstacles in life as well. He was nothing short of a master tactician.

  “No more violence between us.” Levi made this as a condition. “Only honesty as well. He extended his bruised arm as an olive branch offering and Blake shook it. “We’re above violence and lies at this point. You’ve always been good at reading people. Let’s see if you can read this…” Levi explained his challenge. He pulled two cups from his backpack and set them in front of Blake on the ground. They were from Eden’s chapel.

  He took a few minutes to write on torn notebook paper that he then taped to each of the cups. He wrote on them with a black pen. “I have two chalices here. One marked ‘Life’. The other labeled as ‘Death’. However, in one of these chalices is poison. You need to avoid the cup with poison at all costs. You can use your art of deduction to choose either of these two cups. When you’ve made your decision, we will both drink from the cup in front of us. You’re one hundred percent in control of who drinks from each chalice, so you have an advantage.” With that, Levi placed the cup labeled ‘Life’ in front of his brother and ‘Death’ in front of himself.

  “Interesting,” admitted Blake. “Very interesting.”

  Suddenly, his eyes widened with surprised. He seemed razzed and had to squint and bring his face in closer to the cups. He read both cups over and over again. He was utterly dumbfounded. He snapped himself out of it and cleared his throat as if starting over. His eyes burned as he looked Levi up and down for any sort of tell. Levi was calm. His face gave away nothing. It was like staring down a blank slate. No twitching eyebrows. No smirk. No flaring nostrils. Blake pretended to reach for Levi’s cup to see if that would spark a reaction.

  Still, nothing.

  Aside from the taped labels, the cups looked and smelled identical.

  “Do you mind if I talk this out?” asked Blake.

  “Do whatever you please,” allowed Levi.

  Blake gulped and thought hard about his question. He scratched his head, before glancing once at the security camera, knowing that Cynthia was watching the whole thing. Then, he focused solely on Levi. “You put ‘Life’ in front of me. You’ve always been the noble type. You’ve never once lied to anyone.”

  “That is true.”

  “Tell me. Which one contains poison?”

  “Obviously, I won’t say.”

  “No, of course,” smirked Blake. “However, I believe that your honesty is your biggest Achilles heel. You wouldn’t want to feel responsible
for my death. I say you put the poisoned chalice in front of yourself. You wanted me to distrust you. You wanted me to choose your drink instead of the one you gave me. I deduce you want me to willingly kill myself because if I don’t, you wouldn’t be able to live with yourself afterwards. My mind is made. We’ll each drink from the chalice in front of us.”

  “Very well,” Levi sighed.

  It made Blake a tad uneasy, but he was sure he was making the right choice. He could sense it in all of Levi’s minute mannerisms.

  The two brothers clinked their cups and eyed each other as they gulped down their drinks.

  Once they showed their empty cups to each other, Blake asked. “So, brother. Was I correct in my reasoning? Did your cup contain the poison?”

  Levi nodded. “It did.”

  A dark part of Blake smiled. He had finally proven his ability to defeat his brother in a battle of the mind—a duel of wits. And he did not even have to lift a finger. “Well, you will be missed. I hope you know that if things were different, I would have been honored to call you family. When I am free from the manor, I will only speak well of you. I’ll—”

  Blake cringed in pain, his heartbeat heavy with a pounding thud. His teeth grit as his stomach ached and churned. “No!” he gasped. “I was sure.” He began sweating. He stumbled as his vision began to blur. “Mine?! You gave me the poison?!”

  Despite his disorientation, he gleamed dead ahead at Levi. To his surprise, Levi was shaking too. His eyes were reddening, and he was trembling.

  “Both,” muttered Levi. He collapsed before he could say more.

  “You selfish idiot!” Blake screamed with demonizing ferocity in his voice. “That’s not fair! It was rigged. Why would you kill us both?! Why should two die when one could live? You even killed the brat to make it this far.” He pointed to Helena’s unmoving body.