The Leviathan Trial

by Oliver Madison

  The handful of survivors rushed up the stairs to the hatch of the attic. Even the stairway was breaking to pieces as they stepped on it one final time. Once in the attic, they came into contact with the hatch. Sure enough, it did in fact have twelve keyholes. They were in the shape of a circle—a clock, with a slot in place of each number. It was the final barrier, blocking them from the outside. One after the other, they inserted each of their twelve keys. They prayed this would work. They cranked them a quarter-turn to the left. They could faintly feel the locks twist and release.

  When the final key was turned, the door opened. There was fresh air and beams of daylight. It felt like it blasted them square in the face at a hundred miles an hour. However, there was still smoke rising from different patches of the roof that clouded their field of vision.

  Even still, the first thing they noticed was a helicopter hovering high above them. It circled the sky like a vulture, waiting to feast upon their dying mansion. However, it was more of an angel than a scavenger. It was a rescue helicopter—most likely sent in response to the raging fire that was soon to spread throughout the nearby woods. It was the only contact from the outside world that the children had in days. It filled them with hope. They ran through the door, finding themselves on the roof of their home. They tried not to stumble on the angled block tiles, as they shouted and waved their arms in hysteria. Kitty jumped up and down in jumping jacks, as if performing one of her cheer routines. Helena watched and imitated her. Pearl waved her shotgun in the air to signal the chopper to come towards them. Levi had no energy left to contribute. If it were only him, he was sure he would have been overlooked in the cloud of dark smoke that filled the sunset sky.

  The sun.

  There was no sight like it. It was heavenly.

  The children thought they would never see it again.

  As the copter neared, the smoke was blown away, revealing more of the sky and clouds. Levi would have soaked in more of its beauty if the wind of the propellers did not nearly blow them all off the roof. Men were lowered from ropes from the helicopter in some sort of protective gear. They fastened the children to a harness, one after the other, and pulled them inside. Once everyone was safe, the helicopter roared as it took off. Levi, Kitty, Helena, Blake, and Pearl were the only survivors of the massacre. When Levi thought about it, it could have been far worse. If the trial ended as it was intended, only one would have made it out alive—two if you counted Dante.

  Levi kept Kitty and Helena by his side for the whole flight as they were buckled in. None of them needed to speak a word. Their emotions and silence said it all. Kitty leaned over and closed her eyes as she kissed Levi. It was completely different from their first kiss. There was no lust in this one. It was pure admiration. Admiration and relief.

  Then, Helena of all people, who was usually mute, decided that she did have something that she wanted to say and broke the silence.

  “Tomorrow is never promised,” she whispered to her brother. “I love you.” Without her facemask, Helena smiled, wrapping Levi tightly and rubbing her head against his side.

  There was the obvious question of where the last four Lancasters would go next. Their family, home, everything, was in ruins. Who knew what their father’s will entailed at this point? Although, it was unlikely, there was no guarantee that they would even see a dime of his fortune—their inheritance. Only time would tell what the future would hold. For now, their lives and love were all they valued.

  And that was enough.

  Levi only knew two things were certain. The first, was that he would find a way to continue to protect Helena and his remaining family at all costs. He would do this, regardless of any lack of resources or overwhelming obstacles, trials, and tribulations. The second, was that when their helicopter rose above Lancaster Manor, the fresh scent of the smokeless air was heaven.

  The End

  EPILOGUE

  JUDGEMENT

  Months went by.

  As time passed, things began to settle and the gravity of what took place at Lancaster Manor had fully sunk in. A collective funeral service was held for the fallen members of the Lancaster family. Each of them was honored—including the ones that collapsed under the pressure and threat of death, committing a form of familicide. Levi prayed each of their souls would find peace on the other side.

  The story made national news, but there was little to go off of, other than the brief statement given by the remaining Lancasters who had vowed to secrecy. The horrific events that occurred between their family needed to stay between their family—for legal, practical, and most importantly, emotional reasons. Kitty agreed as well. They had no choice, but to take her at her word. The story they stuck with was that an unknown psychotic intruder had broken into Lancaster Manor, held everyone hostage for two days, and then burned the house to the ground with all still inside. Most of the Lancasters, and the entirety of their home, perished within the flames, including the mad man that started it.

  That was the story the five survivors agreed on.

  Each of them had their own post-traumatic stress to endure for years to come. Kitty shot up from her bed, screaming in the middle of the night for weeks. Pearl would break down and cry in the middle of the day, seemingly at random. Blake would instinctively punch and push anyone in the crowds that happened to walk too close to him on the sidewalk. Helena would turn paranoid and decide to hide beneath her desk at school before calming down and immerging. Levi just kept to himself. In time, their PTS would gradually improve, but they would never fully be the same again.

  As horrible as the Lancaster tragedy was, the only silver lining was that each of the siblings was still able to receive their fair share of inheritance from their deceased father. Of course, there was no mention of the Leviathan Trial or murder in the will. All it stated was that the remaining surviving family would divvy all money and assets of the late Benedict Lancaster. There were only a few conditions. Once each Lancaster turned eighteen, they would receive half. Once they graduated from college, they would receive the other half.

  Despite being collectively referred to as ‘Lancaster Children’ for most of their lives, Pearl and Blake were technically adults. They were nineteen and eighteen, respectively. They were the only two that were allowed immediate access to part of their inheritance. Levi and Helena had theirs locked in a trust fund until their conditions could be met. There was twenty-three billion dollars to be split evenly amongst them. Levi’s portion would be a little under six billion. It was more than he could ever spend in a lifetime. He could divide his inheritance a thousand times over and still be a millionaire and not work a day in his life. He never had to worry about going hungry or being employed. He could travel the world, treat every day as a vacation, buy any new car, stay in any hotel indefinitely, or just simply buy the hotel. However, none of that interested him. Levi wanted to continue in his quest to bring about peace in the world. He did not focus on his public speaking skills just to please his father. Being a deliberator honestly felt meaningful to him. His mind was set. He wanted to run for office when he would become of age. Perhaps run for mayor, like Kitty’s mother. Or a congressman. He would spend the next several years learning as much as he could about people from all walks of life. Only by witnessing poverty at point blank by volunteering at soup kitchens and traveling out of the States to build houses in third world countries, could Levi understand and help those less fortunate than himself. Of course, he would still finish school. Graduating college was part of the agreement in Benedict’s will after all.

  In the meanwhile, Levi and Helena lived with Pearl in a moderately-sized house on the outskirts of Blyton City. It was only a four-bedroom home. They kept the extra room open in case Blake ever wanted to stay with them. He never did. Each of them focused on their studies and hardly ever went out. Their new home was too quiet. It was far less crowded than when all thirteen Lancasters, plus their butler, lived together. Regardless of these mental challenges and changes, the sibling
s were determined to prevail and move forward in life. Blake, on the other hand, seemed to want nothing to do with his remaining family. He became a recluse and moved into his own apartment. He spent most of his days drinking, never reaching out to Levi and the others. In turn, they let him be. They all needed to cope with this life-shattering event in their own way. Helena was simply happy that she could stay with her favorite big brother and big sister in harmony.

  In a dark room, Blake stood in isolation, running his fingers up and down his shadowy goatee. ‘You were lucky,’ he thought. Blake smirked, staring dead ahead at the only thing that was lit before him—a bulletin board. ‘It was a mistrial. A mistrial…’

  Blake fixated on the mural he pinned on the office wall of his new apartment. Images were slapped together, clustered into a circle. He cut them out himself. He spent days of research on each person in each image. It was a collage of photographs that glared right back at him. There were twenty-four eyes in all. Notes were written on each photo with a sharpie.

  A name. A location. A skill.

  Each was linked together by a red thread and held up by a thumbtack pinned against the bulletin board. There were eight strangers that Blake had never met before.

  ‘New players,’ he thought.

  There were familiar faces as well. Blake himself was in the collage. Helena and Pearl too. And in the center, was a black and white photo of Levi. The picture grew and grew the more he thought of his brother.

  ‘We can’t let Cynthia rob us of a true trial.’ Blake breathed out a faint chuckle. He needed an answer. Which of them was truly the greatest Lancaster? Which of them was the most deserving in the eyes of their late father? ‘I must have my answer.’ Blake stabbed the photo, leaving the knife stuck in Levi’s forehead and grinned sharply. ‘A verdict must be reached.’

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  I hope you enjoyed The Leviathan Trial. I created the concept for this cultish family that would eventually become the Lancasters years back. It was only just recently that a solid story came to mind. It was something that I have been working on during my time quarantined at home during the global pandemic. I thought to myself, ‘what would lead a family to their tipping point if they were forced to stay locked inside their home with one another?’ Even facemasks inspired the signature trait for one of the Lancasters. And just like COVID-19, hatred and murderous insanity spread like a virus in this novel.

  Love is the only cure.

  I am open to the idea of a sequel, but for now, I appreciate how this story can stand on its own.

  Be sure to say ‘hey’ on social media and reach out if you want me to visit your local school, library, or book event. No distance is too far.

  In the meanwhile, keep being the best ‘you’ that you can be!

  Stay safe and keep reading!

  …Or die trying! :p

  — Oliver

  I HOPE YOU ENJOYED MY BOOK!

  PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW

  ON AMAZON AND GOODREADS!

  Olivermadison.com

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