The Genesis Saga

Officer Rael frowned at the report in her hands. She reread it carefully before pushing back her chair and getting up. The police station wasn’t a grand affair. The city had seen fit to reduce their budget yet again, a bit too much this time, according to Amanda. Instead of spacious offices, they had cramped cubicles, each adorned with a small desk and an outdated computer, giving the place a corporate feel.

Weaving through the other officers, she made her way towards a desk on the opposite side of the room. There, she found her partner Jamie, drowning in a veritable mountain of paperwork.

“Hey,” she said as she got closer, “have you seen the report about the kid we visited in the hospital the other day?”

Jamie finished taking a sip of her coffee before putting the black mug with a stylized Best MomEver back onto her desk. “No, I haven’t had the chance yet. Why, did something happen?”

“Well, turns out the kid died.”

“Oh shit, that’s really unfortunate,” Jamie’s eyes widened. “She was so young too.”

“Yeah, but that’s not the only thing. We got a phone call claiming that the uncle has gone missing.”

Jamie frowned. “It hasn’t been long enough to report a missing person case yet. It’s typically three days, right?”

“That’s what Dave told the woman on the phone, but she was insistent that the guy,” Amanda glanced down at the report, “Adrian, had gone missing. Apparently hadn’t heard from him since that night in the hospital.”

“And this person was insistent that it was a missing person case we’re dealing with?”

“Said she was positive,” Amanda replied. “Apparently she went to his place, and it was empty with the door unlocked. Something else about hearing about missing people on the news.”

“Goddammit,” Jamie swore, “that was Fred, wasn’t it? He went on the news and gave a statement this morning.”

“It was,” Amanda confirmed. “Gave some big spiel about keeping citizens safe and then this happens on the same day.”

“Gotta love the irony in that,” Jamie said, bemused. She raised her hand and motioned for Amanda to give her the report. Still facing Amanda, she skimmed the brief, one-page report before setting it down on her desk. She looked at Amanda pensively as she digested the information. “Says here that she waited a while for him to come back home. I guess his girlfriend got worried and jumped the gun.”

“Oh no, they’re just friends. Apparently, the woman was very adamant about that.”

Jamie snorted. “Yeah, and I’m the Queen of England. What kind of friend shows up unannounced late at night just to check in on him? Just friends my ass.”

“I know, right?” Amanda said with a knowing smirk. “My wife used to do the same thing before we started going out.”

“I hope for her it’s not a one-sided crush.”

“Who knows?”

“Have you tried getting in contact with that girl? What was her name?”

“Elizabeth,” Amanda supplied.

“Right, her. We should get back in contact with her, she might have more details. We might be jumping the gun here, not waiting out the full three days like we’re supposed to, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Especially if what the report says is true and the guy actually is missing.”

“I’ve already tried, but she’s not answering her phone. A bit weird, since she only called an hour ago”

“Damn. Well, we’ll keep trying. It can’t be that hard to talk to a college student.” Jamie looked at the time. “It’s getting late, let’s try for a visit in the morning. Maybe she can give us more information then.”

Amanda agreed and returned back to her desk. It wasn’t quite time to pack up yet, but she began preparing to go home. She doubted anything else that would need her attention would pop up between now and the time she left.

Meanwhile, Jamie got up and went to go find Dave. He was finishing up a phone call, reassuring the person on the other side that they would do all they could to help with whatever problem they had. A standard line that Jamie was guilty of using when it was her turn to field calls to the station. “Do you remember the missing person report you got earlier?” she asked him.

Dave swiveled around in his chair to face her. “Yes, but I told the person that they needed to wait a bit longer before we can officially consider a person to be missing.”

“Could you tell me the moment you get anything? It might be related to another case of ours from the other day.”

“Sure thing, Jamie,” Dave answered back. The phone rang again, and he turned his attention to it as he answered, flashing Jamie an apologetic smile at the interruption. She waved him off, mouthing a thank you as she turned around.

Satisfied, Jamie returned to her desk. Looking at the discouraging amount of paperwork, she sighed and sat back down. She wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon.

***

It was a bleary-eyed Adrian that woke up to clamouring on the other side of the door. He had ultimately managed to doze off somewhat, but it had been a fitful sleep. With no clock, he still had no clue how long he had been there.

The air in the room was stale and stank of sweat and fear, among other things. Adrian had long since gotten used to the smell, but he imagined it wasn’t all roses and daisies either.

The door opened and revealed James, who wrinkled his nose. “Goddammit, why does every single one of you have to stink when I open the door?” he asked.

Adrian wisely chose not to answer.

Peering past James, he could make out several shapes behind him. The exact amount was difficult to determine, as James was blocking most of the doorway.

“Alright, get up and get out. Make it quick. I don’t want to have to smell this anymore.” James snapped.

Adrian got up off his cot, mindful of the short chain between his ankles this time. He made his way out of the door and into the brightly lit main room. Two other people stood in the center of the room, while a third person lay groaning on the floor. Each of them was bound exactly like him.

He blinked, taking in the scene while his eyes adjusted to the harsh light. He was roughly pushed from behind by James towards the group. “Get with the others, before I lose my patience,” James said from behind as he stumbled forward. Adrian picked up the pace, looking at the man on the floor. “That’s what losing my patience looks like, so stand still and stay quiet,” he added when he saw where Adrian was looking.

Deciding not to answer, Adrian took a better look at the group of people he was with. There were two men and one woman. The man on the floor looked younger than the other two, but older than him. Adrian figured he must be in his late twenties or early thirties, while the other man looked like he was in his early forties. The woman looked old enough to be his grandmother.

The woman had long, brittle blonde hair, bright brown eyes and came up to his chin. She was rail thin and looked malnourished, but still stood up straight with an air of dignity.

The man next to her was portly and balding. He had clearly seen one too many frozen dinners. His dark brown eyes looked at him shrewdly, full of distrust. He had a long nose and sharp cheekbones, reminding Adrian of a fox. A rather well-fed fox, that is. The man’s eyes never left Adrian as he walked up an joined the line next to the blonde woman.

In contrast, the man on the floor was fit and muscular. He had short, cropped, black hair and pushed himself off the ground with little effort. Adrian would have been envious of the man’s good looks if it weren’t for the pained expression he was sporting. Clutching his side and under James’ watchful eyes, he took a spot next to the portly man.

No sooner had he joined the line the boss burst in to the room. “Good morning, my lovelies!” he said in a chipper voice. “I hope you’ve all had a big breakfast, because today’s your special day.” The group eyed him warily. Not seeming to notice, he continued “Ah, but what’s so special, you may ask? I can tell you’re all dying to know. Today’s payday, that’s what today is,” he finished in a grand flourish. He was met with silence. “Why aren’t you saying anything?” He turned and looked at James, an annoyed expression on his face. “James, why aren’t they saying anything?”

“I told ‘em to shut up, just like you asked for,” James replied. “I guess they finally chose to listen,” he added, pointedly looking at the fit man.

Hearing this, the boss clapped his hands. “Since you’re so well behaved, you win a prize.” Still met with silence, he muttered something incomprehensible under his breath. “Nobody wants to know what you’ve won? Really?”

Inwardly, Adrian wondered if the man was a lunatic.

“You and your friends will get an all expense for paid vacation to who the hell knows where, where you get to do who the hell knows what,” he continued, without missing a beat. “Because I sure as hell don’t know and I honestly don’t care.”

A sense of unease settled on the group. Adrian looked between them, trying to gleam a clue as to what was going to happen. His eyes met the woman’s. She flashed him a helpless look and shrugged her shoulders slightly. She didn’t know either.

After yet another uneasy silence, the fit man blurted out, “So what’s going to happen?”

The boss visibly brightened. “Why, I’m glad you asked! The rest of you should take notes. We’re going to go outside where you’ll be whisked away by the truck waiting to pick you up. From there, I have no clue. I get paid the moment you step foot in the truck. After that, it’s adios amigos.” He motioned to James. “Let’s get going.” He went on ahead without looking back.

“Alright you lot,” James barked, “single file, make your way out. I’ll be watching in case any of you get any bright ideas. I’ll drag you out myself if that’s what it takes.”

The woman turned back towards Adrian and addressed the group. “Follow me then,” she said, before turning back around towards the hallway Adrian had come in by. With firm steps, she made her way towards it.

It took Adrian a moment before he shuffled along after her, the others following suit. The group’s pace was slow, but James didn’t seem to mind. All too soon, Adrian was greeted by the door he came in by, open this time. Stepping outside into the pre-dawn light, he got his first breath of fresh air in days. Inhaling deeply, he took in the scent of the gravel that crunched underfoot.

Thirty feet away was the back end of a white truck sitting idly, the hum of its motor the only sound nearby. The back doors were closed, and Adrian noticed the acrid smell of diesel in the air.

He once again found himself lined up alongside the others, waiting. The boss was at the front of the truck, speaking with the driver. Noticing the group, he made his way back towards them, a clear bounce in his step.

“Alright, ladies and gentlemen, your ride is here. It’s top notch, I know. But alas, we offer only the best for our guests. James, if you would be so kind as to open the doors.”

James walked from behind the group towards the back doors of the truck. He undid the latch and opened both doors. It was dark inside the truck, but there was just enough light that Adrian could make out several figures huddled against the walls.

One such figure was stationed right near the doors. This man, Adrian could make out more clearly. In the weak light, Adrian saw that like him, this man was also bound in cuffs and chains. He made eye contact with Adrian, a determined expression on his face.

After opening the doors, James turned back towards the group and started walking towards them. Seeing this, the man stood up from his spot and quietly made his way towards the doors. Adrian’s eyes widened as he saw this.

Once James was far enough away, the man nodded to himself. Suddenly, he leapt out of the truck and landed on the gravel below. Unsteady due to the chains, he tripped and fell forwards.

Hearing the sound, James whipped around as the man was standing back up. A moment passed as the two men looked at each other, before the unnamed man turned around and started to run around the side of the truck on the passenger side.

The building was in a small clearing without anything else around it. It was, however, surrounded by trees a hundred or so feet away. The man made for them, hoping vainly that his captors would lose him in the thicket. Hampered by the chains around his ankles, he hobbled as quickly as he could, not once looking back.

The man made it halfway until a cold voice cut through the night.“James, take care of it.”

James reached behind his back. On his belt was a holster, from which he drew a pistol. Calmly, and without hurry, he raised his arms and aimed.

And fired.

The sound of the gunshot reverberated in the air, Adrian instinctively raising his hands to cover his ear closest to James. The sound of a body hitting the ground with a wet thud came next. Looking over, Adrian saw the man dead on the ground, a pool of blood growing under him.

Sniffing, the boss turned towards the stunned group. “Turns out we’ve got a few too many people and I’m only getting paid for the agreed upon amount. It doesn’t matter if one or two of you don’t make it. The next person that tries to run will join that guy over there,” he said, jerking his head towards the body. “James, go make sure he’s actually dead and not just faking it, will you?” he ordered.

Adrian and the others watched on as James made his way towards the corpse. When he got there, he used his boot to flip the body over onto its back. Bending down, he studied the corpse’s face. Blank, unseeing eyes stared back, and an expression of shock was all that remained, etched onto the man’s face forever.

To be certain, he checked for a pulse on the man’s neck. Satisfied that there was none, James stood back up and made his way back to the group. “He’s dead,” he announced.

“Excellent,” the boss replied. “Good work.”

The boss turned to face the group, his cheerful demeanor gone without a trace. “Let this be a warning for the rest of you. If you so much as step out of line, you’ll be next,” he said seriously.

Turning back towards James, he said “James, go lower the ramp so that they can get in.”

“Couldn’t you do any of this yourself?”

The boss gave James a flat stare. “No, now get to work. I want my money.”

“Our money,” James grumbled as he went back towards the truck.

Climbing in, he slid the metal ramp down onto the ground. It was steep, but climbable in chains. Walking down the ramp, James said “Alright you sorry lot, get in.” He craned his neck and looked at the body. “Or drop dead,” he threatened.

Fearlessly and with her head held high, the blonde woman was the first to fall out of line and walk up the ramp and into the truck. The fit man went next, followed by Adrian, and finally, the portly man.

Once they were all inside the truck, James slid the ramp back up and closed the doors with a heavy thud, leaving Adrian in the dark yet again.